A Dragon's Tail
by Dragon of Vale
Summary: The world of Pokemon is now in a peaceful era under the protection of goddess Yggdrasil and the Hero/ine of Legend, a group of Pokemon who received the blessing from the god Arceus. However, the tide of destiny seemed to hate this world as the force of chaos had appeared and plagued the realm, and the cause of it was from the Hero/ine of Legend themselves!
1. Prologue: Between the Crises

**A Dragon's Tail**

 **Prologue: Between the Crises**

'How long does this place didn't get the blessing from the God of Sun?'

That would be the question that popped into everyone's mind when they entered this place, but not for the one who had just entered…

Why? Maybe they knew the answer of this question, or maybe their mind was focused on other thing instead…

But even when this place finally got a visitor for the first time in forever, the blessing from the sun still couldn't reach this place. The darkness still covered this place, making the mysterious visitor of this place invisible within the darkness as if they wore the shadow cloak. They looked into the vast darkness in front of them before started speaking with a cold voice

 **"…I always knew this day would arrive… But I couldn't fathom that it could fall into this madness…"**

Their cold voice echoed into the darkness as if someone was listening to them, but there was no response.

 **"The tragedy finally happened… And the cause of it was from them… They who received the blessing from the god Arceus, bearing the Blood of Legend within their vein… They were destined to be the one who saved the world from the evil, or should I say, from someone like me?"**

That mysterious visitor walked deeper into the darkness, and then stopped a bit.

 **"For me, I never like them, and to be more specific, I HATE them. I only saw them as the leeches that acted like the owner of the world since they were the chosen one by Arceus. They owned the right to do anything as they wanted, be a good thing or a bad thing, and none could stop them! Except…"**

The mysterious visitor stopped speaking a bit, and if anyone could see through the darkness, they could see the crafty smile that appeared on their face.

 **"Except… The time has come... And I think that I must be the one who will start this…"**

After finishing their sentences, a deep purple light cloaked with the glowing aura of the same color suddenly appeared within the darkness, at the same spot the mysterious visitor was standing. The light pointed skyward into the deep darkness above, followed by another sentence from the one who created it.

 _ **"The time for the Legends to plague the world has come to the end. From now on, I will step in and purge this world from the corruption in the form of the one who bear the Blood of Legend. The world shall fall under my control, and I will rule the world with fear! GRRRRRRRRRRRRRR"**_

Their speech ended with a loud roar that echoed even from outside this place, but for a certain reason, none could hear this, followed by the disappearance of the skyward light, returned the complete darkness to this place once again…

The sound of footsteps echoed through this place once again, indicated that the mysterious visitor was now leaving this place, but then it ended and was replaced by the same cold voice.

 **"…Which means that I must get rid of you too, right? But I would prefer to make you pay for everything you had done instead. Well, I guess that means... I got myself another task to do. See you soon."**

And then this place returned to the complete darkness and silence once again…

 **To Be Continued…**

 **Dragon of Vale: Finally, after a very long break, I welcome you to my sixth story, A Dragon's Tail… I know what you are thinking; why this story is called 'A Dragon's Tail'? Shouldn't it be 'A Dragon's Tale'? And I will tell you that the answer hides within this story.**

 **First, I should tell you that this story consisted of a certain number of 'Tail'; not include the prologue, epilogue and special chapters that come between each 'Tail'. Each 'Tail' comes with its own sub-chapter, such as Tail 1-1, Tail 2-3, etc., and each 'Tail' will follow the point of view of the main character of that 'Tail'. And… How many 'Tail' and main characters in this story? Well, I won't tell you now, but you will see it by yourself.**

 **Second, the next chapter would be the start of the first 'Tail' of this story. It will start with cute and heartwarming scenery… But… The story of living creature's existence is not fathomable, right?**

 **Other than that, rather than using their move alone, the Pokemon in my story will also use a weapon in the battle too, and some Pokemon may be able to use the move their specie normally couldn't learn…**

 **Also, I appreciate any comment you gave me, be a compliment or a criticism, so feel free to give me some.**

 **Last, I do not own Pokemon. And see you soon!**


	2. Tail 1-1: A Peaceful Life

**A Dragon's Tail**

 **Tail 1: Rachael's Tail – Contamination**

 **Tail 1-1: A Peaceful Life**

 _"Stop right there yer bastards!"_

 _One teenage boy in his gang spoke out while he and his friends were chasing after two other teenagers along the street at night. All teenagers in the gangster had a Smartphone in their hand._

 _"Why all of you have to keep coming after us?" One of the teenagers that were fleeing from a group of teenager asked. He is a nerdy boy who always wears eyeglasses on his face and carried several books with him. He usually wears a neat cloth, but right now, his cloth is messy and his books are disastrous. He didn't have any mind to put them back into their place as the only thing he had in his mind is escaping from a ground of gangster._

 _"Right. Now leave us alone!" Another teenager spoke with a voice. She is a cute little girl who always carried a doll with her, and today is no exception. She held a teddy bear with her as she and the nerdy boy tried to run away from the gangster._

 _"Yer friggin' bonehead! Yer can run and hide, but not from us!" Another teenage boy in the gang spoke._

 _"Now take this!"_

 _Another boy in the gang threw a pebble at the escapers' leg. This made the nerd boy tripped over the pebble and fell down on the street._

 _"Ouch!"_

 _"Onii-chan!" The cute girl stopped running and tried to help the nerd boy._

 _"D…Do not worry about me…" The nerd boy tried to stand up, but found that his left foot was sprained. "G…Go."_

 _"No!" The girl spoke to her brother as the gangsters were coming closer to both of them. "I will not leave you behind!"_

 _"Awww…" A punk girl in the group of gangsters spoke as the group finally reached both nerd boy and cute girl. "Aren't yer friggin' sweet? Helping yer helpless bro like that?"_

 _"Yer could pretend to be a human, but yer couldn't to us with this in our hand." Everyone in the gang showed their Smartphone to both nerdy boy and cute girl. "Now be a nice little Poke and get into the ball!"_

 _"NO!"_

* * *

"Ah!"

A female Pokemon woke up and rose from the bed. Her body was covered with sweat drop. Her breath was fast, indicated that she was having a nightmare.

"Whew! This again! Of all my memory, why does it have to be this one?" She spoke with an unpleasant voice and wiped her sweat with a towel she picked from beside her bed.

The female Pokemon looked outside the window. The sun rose from the border of the sky and shined the warm light upon her body. This and the clock beside her bed showed that now it is 6.00 a.m., time for the awakening.

"Morning already? Today is going to be another great day!"

She jumped out of her bed and folded the blanket, then walked to the wardrobe and changed her cloth from a pajama into her usual cloth. When she finished, she walked up to the mirror to look at herself.

She is a female Pokemon who looked like a cross between a bird and a dragon. She has an aerodynamic body, white on the upper body while red on the lower body include her two plane-wing like wings on her back and two small wings near her torso. Her arms are white and red while her face is white with a red pentagon across her face. She has a blue triangle mark on her chest and a white triangle ears. Her eyes are yellow, showing her innocence and naughtiness within her mind.

"Heehee! I am as cute as ever!" The female Pokemon, who is a Latias, spoke with a sweet voice and prepared to leave the bedroom.

Latias left the bedroom and moved downstairs to the first floor and entered the dining room, where another Pokemon was already there.

"Good morning mother!" Latias greeted another Pokemon, who is a female Leavanny

The Leavanny turned her attention from soup she was making to the Latias. "Good morning to you as well, my beloved child. I am sorry to say that the soup isn't ready yet…"

"Don't worry!" Latias spoke with a cheerful voice. "Then, I will go out to water the berry trees. See you soon!" Latias said and moved to the door of this house.

"Don't come back late for breakfast!" The Leavanny told the Latias, and when the Latias exited the house, she turned her attention back to the soup she was making.

* * *

Latias washed her face with the cold water in the barrel near the barn and walked to the berry garden, where many berry trees were, with a basket in her paw. She then started picking the ripe Pecha Berries from the tree.

"Whew!" Latias wiped her sweat once she finally finished. She then carried the basket to the barn and put the Pecha Berries she picked there before she went back to the dining room of the house, where the breakfast was ready. She then started having a breakfast along with her mother.

"Thank for the food!" Latias thanked her mother. She then picked her school bag and prepared to leave for school.

"Have a nice day at the school, darling." Leavanny told the Latias.

"You too, mother!" Latias hugged the Leavanny and kissed her cheek a few times before she left the house again. This time, she didn't go into the berry garden, she went to the Forezon Village.

* * *

Forezon Village is a small village located in the northern region of the Principality of Leafburg, one of seven nations on the continent of Symmetria. Forezon Village is quite small that everyone in the village knew each other, and all of them are friendly, even to the 'outsider' like this Latias.

"Good morning! Cheryl! Honey!"

A Cherubi and a Combee turned their attention from talking with each other to the Latias who had just entered the classroom.

"Good morning! Rachael!" A Cherubi named Cheryl greeted.

"How are you today?" A Combee named Honey asked. "How was your berry today?"

"As great as always!" Rachael the Latias answered with a bright smile.

"Rachael, you come at a right time!" Cheryl spoke up. "Do you remember the Leafburg Exchanging Program?"

"Of course! The program where Oscar and Dahlia went to, right?" Rachael talked about two of her friends who had gone to the student exchanging program to another school.

"Right!" Honey joined the conversation. "And do you remember that there will be two students from the Leafburg City that will come to our school?"

"Sure!" Rachael smile again. "I wonder when will they arrive…"

"Teehee! You know what?" Honey spoke. "The teacher said that they will arrive today!"

"Wow!" Rachael said.

"Not only that…" Cheryl said. "The teacher also says that they will join our class!"

"A…Amazing!" Rachael became surprised when she heard a news from her friends. "I can't wait for them to arrive! I wonder what kind of Pokemon they are…"

"I hope that they will be a handsome male Pokemon! Teehee! So I could get one as my boyfriend!" Cheryl said.

"Then I would take the other!" Honey said.

"What about me?!" Rachael asked when both of her friends planned to take both exchanging students as their boyfriend.

Before both Honey and Cheryl could answer Rachael's question, a Butterfree flew into the classroom, so all Pokemon in this room went back to their seats.

"Good morning, class." Teacher Butterfree greeted her students.

"Good morning, Teacher Butterfree." All students greeted their teacher.

"First, I will make a roll call. Raise your hand and tell me if you are here…" Teacher Butterfree picked the list of students and started making a roll call. Each student who got their name called raised their hand in response. Finally, the roll call came to the last student…

"Miss **Lustermist Rachael the Latias**!"

"Here!" Rachael raised her paw and answered to the roll call with a cute voice.

"That's the end of roll call." Teacher Butterfree put away the list of students. "All of you are already here, so I will start now…"

Teacher Butterfree continued speaking. "As you know, my beloved students, the exchanging students from the Leafburg City finally came to our school, and they will join us in the class for times being. I hope you all to be a nice friend to them."

Teacher Butterfree's word ended and followed by a sound of students talking. Teacher Butterfree let her students talked for a bit before continued speaking.

"And now, both of them had already arrived at our school. I will go and bring them here. Please stay in your class until I come back."

Finishing his speech, Teacher Butterfree left the classroom, and the students continued speaking with their friends.

"I can't wait!" Rachael spoke to Cheryl, who sit left to her, and Honey, who sit left to Cheryl.

"I…I think my heart would explode from this waiting!" Honey said.

"Me too!" Cheryl agreed.

* * *

 **15 minutes passed…**

"Why Teacher Butterfree takes so much time?" Cheryl spoke as it was already 15 minutes and their teacher still didn't come back.

"Maybe she forgot which room we are in!" Rachael said, and both Cheryl and Honey laughed to Rachael's tease to their teacher.

"Yes! Do you remember when she forgets to give us homework? That day was so wonderful!" Cheryl spoke of a time when their teacher forgot to give her students homework after class.

"And there's a time when—"

Rachael was about to speak when Teacher Butterfree finally returned to the class, making all students stopped talking.

"Thank you for your attention, student…" Teacher Butterfree spoke. She looked a bit tired.

"Why did she look so tired?" Rachael mumbled to herself.

"Now, I will introduce you all to our new friends…" Teacher Butterfree then turned her attention to someone outside the classroom. "Please come in, you two…"

The Butterfree's word ended, followed by a sound of footsteps, and then two Pokemon entered the classroom…

 **To Be Continued…**

* * *

 **Dragon of Vale: Here's the first tail of this story. And let me introduce you to the protagonist of the first tale, Rachael Lustermist the Latias. Awww… She is very cute, isn't she?**

 **The first tail is called 'Contamination'… Do you have a feeling that something bad will happen?**


	3. Tail 1-2: Principality of Leafburg

**A Dragon's Tail**

 **Tail 1: Rachael's Tail – Contamination**

 **Tail 1-2: Principality of Leafburg**

All students in the classroom made a racket as two Pokemon walked into the room. Rachael could noticed that both of her friends, Honey and Cheryl, were awestruck after seeing the duo.

"Oh…. My…. Arceus…" Cheryl mumbled.

"They…Are…So…" Honey mumbled.

Rachael looked around the room and saw that other girls all had the same reaction Honey and Cheryl had while the boys seemed to be disturbed by them.

Rachael then looked at both Pokemon who had just entered the classroom. The first Pokemon is a Sceptile in the exotic wooden armor. The second Pokemon is a Scyther in a black garb. He also wore a black mask covered the lower half of his face.

"Oh… My heart… is going to burst!" Honey spoke.

"They are so handsome!" Cheryl said.

Rachael agreed with both of her friends. Both Sceptile and Scyther were so handsome! Despite the fact that half of the Scyther's face was hidden, she could tell that he must be a very handsome Pokemon!

But…

Despite both Sceptile and Scyther being the exchange student from the same city, and both of them came to this school together, they didn't seem to be… friendly with each other very much.

Both Sceptile and Scyther stood in front of the whole class with their arm crossed with a wide amount of space between them.

"Now, Now…." Teacher Butterfree fluttered up between the Sceptile and the Scyther. "These two Pokemon will be your new friends. And why don't both of you introduce yourselves?"

After the Butterfree finished her short speech, both Sceptile and Scyther stepped forward and were about to say something before they quickly faced each other with a grim look on their face.

"P…Please, both of you…" Teacher Butterfree tried to calm both of them down. "L…Let's introduce yourselves first. Sceptile, you can start first."

The Scyther made a grunt in his throat while the Sceptile had a snide look on his face for a bit before he stepped ahead and started speaking for the first time.

"Good morning to you all. My name is **Jasper Floratree the Sceptile** , and I am pleased to meet all of you, especially the beautiful girls of the Forezon School."

Hearing the word of the handsome Sceptile made the girls of this class went wild. They screamed wildly as the Sceptile finished his introduction, while the boys just clapped their hands. The Scyther, on the other hand, made a grumpy noise in his throat again.

"Thank you Mr. Floratree." Teacher Butterfree spoke as Jasper the Sceptile stepped back. "And Scyther, it's your turn now."

The Scyther stepped forward and started his introduction with an unclear voice from behind his mask.

"Salutation to the students of the Forezon School. My name is **Zenpai Bugslash the Scyther.** It's an honor to meet all of you."

The Scyther's introduction ended with the boy students clapped their hands and the girls screamed wildly again. Rachael could see Jasper made a hiss as Zenpai the Scyther stepped back.

"And that's your new friends from the Leafburg City." Teacher Butterfree spoke up. "I hope that you all will be a good friend to them."

"Of course!" The girls spoke out while the boys just nodded.

"And now…" Teacher Butterfree looked at Jasper and Zenpai. "Mr. Floratree and Mr. Bugslash, please take your seat."

Teacher Butterfree's word ended, followed by a wild calling from the girls.

" _Jasper-sama! You can sit here!"_

" _Zenpai-sama! Come here!"_

" _Jasper-sama! Please come and sit with me!"_

" _Zenpai-sama! I have a seat for you!"_

"Quickly! Honey! Rachael!" Cheryl spoke to both of her friends who both sat beside her, and there're empty seats left to Honey and right to Rachael. "Call Jasper-sama and Zenpai-sama here!"

Rachael looked at both Jasper and Zenpai. It seemed like they still haven't decide where to sit yet…

Rachael was about to call both of them when… both of them looked at her… at the same time! This filled Rachael with a strange feeling!

'W…What is this?!' Rachael thought to herself. The feeling she had now… It was the feeling she was having before… And this was also the feeling she was longed to feel it again…

Jasper and Zenpai then walked up to where Honey, Cheryl and Rachael sat, and Jasper decided to sit left of Honey while Zenpai sat right of Rachael!

"Aww…." Other girls in the class became disappointed when Jasper and Zenpai didn't choose to sit with them, while Honey and Cheryl's face became very red.

"Hey there, babes…" Jasper started speaking to Honey and Cheryl. "What's your name?"

"M….My…n…name is Honey…." Honey tried her hardest not to show her craziness.

"I…I…a…am Cheryl…" Cheryl was also in the same state Honey was.

"Honey and Cheryl… So…Sweet… Both of you…" Jasper winked to them, making Honey and Cheryl blushed harder than before.

Rachael noticed that while Jasper asked her friends' name, Zenpai mumbled something.

"Typical grass-face…"

"And now…" Teacher Butterfree spoke up. "Let's begin today's class!"

* * *

 _"… And the name of the continent of Symmetria comes from the equilibrium between the force that supports itself…"_

After Teacher Butterfree's homeroom ended, today's class started with Teacher Leafeon's geography class.

"And now, I will talk about 7 nations on the continents of Symmetria…" Teacher Leafeon opened the map of the continent of Symmetrian and hanged it on the blackboard. "30 years ago, the continent of Symmetria wasn't like this…"

'What?!' Rachael thought after hearing that. 'How could that be?!'

"…But because this is geography class, I will not talk about it. Let's talk about today's Symmetria." Teacher Leafeon then started by pointing a stick at the map.

Rachael looked at the map. The continent of Symmetria is a land shaped like a rectangle without its lower-left edge and upper-right edge. There is also a large peninsula on the upper side of the rectangle that led to the northeast of the mainland. The peninsula is a square-shaped land with its smaller tip led to the northwest of the main continent. There is also the archipelago southeast of the peninsula, east of the mainland. From the map, this continent was divided into seven regions.

"First, this nation…" Teacher Leafeon pointed to the nation located southernmost area of the mainland continent. _"This is the Theocracy of Venturnome, the land with a vast plain and beautiful scenery. This is a home of Fighting, Psychic and Fairy type Pokemon."_

"Next…" Teacher Leafeon moved to the nation on the eastern edge of the mainland continent, northeast of the Theocracy of Venturnome. _"This is the nation we are in, the Principality of Leafburg, the nation of thick wood, abundant forest and greenery grassland. As you know, our nation is a home of Grass and Bug type Pokemon."_

Rachael then noticed that when Teacher Leafeon talked about grass type and bug type Pokemon, Jasper and Zenpai glanced at each other with a menace look on their face.

"Next…" Teacher Leafeon then moved to the nation on the northwestern edge of the mainland continent that also lay across the northern edge of the mainland continent. _"This is the Fireview Kingdom, the nation of the blazing volcano and rocky mountains. This is the home of Fire and Rock type Pokemon."_

"Next…" Teacher Leafeon moved to the nation on the peninsula northeast of the mainland, but not the peninsula's tip that led to the northwest of the mainland. This nation connected to the Fireview Kingdom to the southwest. This nation also included the archipelago southeast of the peninsula too. _"This is the Queendom of Riverbrine, the nation of the serene river, tropical sea and freezing glacier. This is the home of Water and Ice type Pokemon."_

"Next…" Teacher Leafeon moved to the small nation in the middle of the Principality of Leafburg, the Fireview Kingdom and the Queendom of Riverbrine, on the northeastern of the mainland. _"This is the Republic of Civilight, the nation of the sparking thunder and rich mineral. This is the home of Electric and Steel type Pokemon._ "

"Next…" Teacher Leafeon moved to the largest nation on the continent of Symmetria, lay on the western edge of the mainland in the middle of the continent. This nation connected to the Fireview Kingdom to the north, Theocracy of Venturnome to the southeast, Principality of Leafburg to the east and Republic of Civilight to the northeast. _"This is the Dustorm Empire, the nation of a scorching desert, deep valley and the breezing plateau. This is the home of Ground and Flying type Pokemon."_

"And the last nation on the land of Symmetria…" Teacher Leafeon moved to the smallest nation on the continent of Symmetria, which is on the small tip of the peninsula that led to the northwest of the mainland. This land only connected to the Queendom of Riverbrine to the southeast. And there's a big island west of this land. _"This is the Shadowlost Territory, the nation of dark wasteland, toxic island and haunted zone. This is the home of Dark, Poison and Ghost type Pokemon."_

"Yawn…" Rachael let out a yawn as this class was so boring. She looked around the class and saw that over half of the class were now asleep. Honey and Cheryl, however, were still awake as their attentions were on something else (Jasper). Jasper also seemed to be uninterested in the lesson as well. Zenpai, on the other hand, was the most enthusiastic student in the class.

"Teacher Leafeon." Zenpai raised his blade-like arm.

"Yes, Mr. Bugslash, what is it?" Teacher Leafeon looked at Zenpai.

"What about the Normal type Pokemon and the Dragon type Pokemon?" Zenpai asked.

"Normal type Pokemon is the most adaptive type of Pokemon…" Teacher Leafeon answered. "So they could live in any nation on the continent of Symmetria. The Dragon type, on the other hand, is rarely seen on the continent of Symmetria, so there is no record about their habitat."

Zenpai nodded. He seemed to be satisfied with the answer he received.

"Next…" Teacher Leafeon continued teaching. "We will talk about the ruler of each nation. First, the Theocracy of Venturnome is ruled by…."

Rachael couldn't hear anything more as she couldn't hold her conscious for any longer. She then fell into a sleep.

* * *

"Ah!"

Rachael woke up from the slumber. She then looked around and realized that Teacher Leafeon's geography class was already over. Most students already left the classroom, saved for some. She then realized that both Honey and Cheryl were already gone.

"What?! Why didn't they wake me?" Rachael spoke with a pettish voice and made a child-like frown. She then quickly put away her stationary and notebooks.

"Ah!" Rachael exclaimed softly and a notebook fell from her bag. But just before it hit the floor, someone grabbed it.

"Here." Zenpai the Scyther handed the notebook back to Rachael, careful not to let the notebook getting damaged from his scythe-like arm.

"T…Thank." Rachael thanked as she received the book and quickly put it away in her bag.

"And…" Zenpai continued speaking. "We sit next to each other for the whole class and I still don't know you. What's your name?"

"M…My name is Rachael Lustermist the Latias. Nice to meet you!" Rachael spoke with a cheerful voice.

"Nice to meet you too, Rachael." Zenpai bowed to the Latias a bit before Rachael remembered something.

"Hey, Zenpai-sama, have you seen my friends, Cheryl the Cherubi and Honey the Combee, who was sitting next to me?"

Hearing the Latias' question quickly changed the Scyther's action. He seemed to be disturbed by her question. "That grass-face took both of them to the canteen already."

"Grass-face?" Rachael repeated Zenpai's word. "Did you mean Jasper? Why did you have to call him like that?!"

"Because he is a grass type Pokemon." Zenpai answered before he left the classroom.

"…" Rachael said nothing and left the classroom to go to the canteen.

* * *

The afternoon's mathematics class went by very slow, but it was finally over. Now that today's class was over, all students put away their belonging and prepared to head home.

"What will both of you do after class?" Cheryl asked Honey and Rachael. Now most of the students already left the class, include Jasper and Zenpai.

"I think I will get me some more honey!" Honey answered.

"And I will help my mother with the farm." Rachael answered.

"Okay! See you soon!" Cheryl said goodbye and left the classroom.

"See you tomorrow!" Honey said goodbye and flew out of the classroom too.

After both of her friends left the classroom, Rachael then moved out of the classroom and headed back home. But at the exit of the school, she ran into somebody.

"Hey there, cutie pie…" Jasper the Sceptile greeted. He was leaning his back on the wall of the school when Rachael reached the exit.

"Hi! Jasper!" Rachael greeted the Sceptile.

"Such an honor for a cutie pie like you to remember me!" Jasper walked closer to Rachael. "Would you mind letting me know more about you?"

"Sure!" Rachael said without thinking too much. "My name is Rachael Lustermist the Latias! Nice to meet you, Jasper!"

"Marvelous!" Jasper said. "A cutie pie with a beautiful name! You are such a pure flower of the Leafburg Forest!"

"Thank!" Rachael revealed an innocent smile.

But before Jasper could speak anything more, another voice could be heard by both Latias and Sceptile.

"…Even with an innocent girl, your hideous habit remains as disgusting as ever, grass-face."

 **To Be Continued…**

* * *

 **Dragon of Vale: Here we are. Two new characters appeared, Jasper Floratree the Sceptile and Zenpai Bugslash the Scyther. Both of them will play the important role in this first tail and throughout the whole story.**

 **I am sorry if the map description in this chapter is not very clear. But guess what? The map of the continent of Symmetria is actually based on a place in the real world! Can you guess where?**

 **And it looked like Jasper and Zenpai are not very friendly with each other…**

 **A special thanks to Ridin Valon for helping me with the error correction.**


	4. Tail 1-3: A Bitter Rivalry

**A Dragon's Tail**

 **Tail 1: Rachael's Tail – Contamination**

 **Tail 1-3: A Bitter Rivalry**

"Well, look who it is…" Jasper spoke with a snide voice. "What are you doing here, white-blood? Can't find someone willing to talk to you?"

"Spit your tongue elsewhere, grass-face." Zenpai crossed his blade-like arm. "Just a minute and you already hit on anyone you met. That's the typical grass type for me."

"And going around and judging random Pokemon, that's the typical bug type for me." Jasper spoke.

"What?!" Zenpai spoke out. "You want some from me?!"

"Of course! But I doubt a low-skilled type like you is going to hurt me." Jasper spoke.

After the speech ended, both Zenpai and Jasper got into an attacking stance. Jasper drew out a long katana from its sheath while Zenpai picked a kunai from his hidden pocket.

"W…Wait!" Rachael spoke as both Jasper and Zenpai prepared to attack each other. "W…Why must you fight?!"

"Because I must show that grass-face what I made of." Zenpai answered.

"And I couldn't possibly lose to the white-blood in front of a cutie pie, right?" Jasper answered.

"W…Wait!" Rachael tried to calm both of them again, but it was too late as the battle had already started!

"Take this, grass-face!" Zenpai dashed up to Jasper with a very high speed move and slashed Jasper with his kunai, but Jasper could block his attack by using his katana!

"What's that slowly moving, white-blood? Or should I say, a slowly moving from a lowly type?" Jasper mocked and thrust Zenpai with his katana, and then he slashed Zenpai! But Zenpai easily dodged the attack!

"You foolish grass-face, or should I say, xxx-face?" Zenpai spoke.

"Grrr!" Jasper hissed and dashed up to Zenpai to attack, but again Zenpai could dodge his attack by leaping away from him.

"Come back here you white-blood!" Jasper roared as he chased after the Scyther, which led both of them into the Leafburg Forest, the thick forest of the Principality of Leafburg, leaving Rachael at the exit of the school alone.

"Z…Zenpai! Jasper!" Rachael tried to call both of them, but it seemed like both of them went too deep into the forest so they couldn't hear her voice.

'W…What should I do?' Rachael asked a question to herself, but she couldn't find an answer, so she decided to go back to her home, the Paradise Farm.

* * *

"Good evening, mother!" Rachael greeted as she entered the house, attracting the Leavanny's attention from her sewing.

"Welcome back, my dear." Leavanny put the needles and the silk yarn she used to sew the cloth down on her lap and greeted Rachael with her soft voice. "How was your school today? Did you have fun?"

"Yes! It was fun!" Rachael answered with a cheerful voice. "And guess what, mother? We got exchange students from the Leafburg City!"

"Exchange students from the Leafburg City?" Leavanny said. "What kind of Pokemon are they?"

"They are a Sceptile and a Scyther!" Rachael answered.

"!"

The Leavanny dropped the silk yarn she used to sew on the floor after hearing Rachael's word about the exchanging students.

"M…Mother?!" Rachael became shocked after seeing her mother's reaction. "W…What's wrong? Are you feeling well?"

"N…nothing, my dear." Leavanny quickly picked the silk yarn she dropped.

"Mother, I think you work too hard. Please take a rest once in a while." Rachael said to her mother with a concerning voice.

"Don't worry about me, my dear. Anyway…" Leavanny changed the subject. "Rachael, did you say that the exchange students are a Sceptile and a Scyther, right?"

"Yes, mom."

"Then, why don't you ask both of them to come and visit our farm sometimes? I am sure they will like it here…" Leavanny spoke.

"That's wonderful! B…But…" Rachael started to become uncertain on how to phrase her next words.

"What's wrong, my dear?" Leavanny asked.

"Both of them didn't seem to be friendly to each other. In other words, I think they HATE each other…" Rachael answered while recalling of their skirmish at the exit of the school.

"…I see… Anyway, I still think both of them should come, and at the same time too." Leavanny spoke, much to Rachael's surprise.

"A…Are you sure?!" Rachael asked.

"Don't worry, my dear." Leavanny reassured her daughter. "Now, why don't you have dinner? I have prepared your favorite Fruit Salad for you."

"Wow!" Rachael said with an innocent voice. "Thank! Mother, I love you!" Rachael hugged her mother.

* * *

After finishing the dinner and helping her mother with the usual chores, Rachael went back to her room and put her bag near the table. She then started doing the history homework for tomorrow's class. She already finished most of it yesterday, only three questions remained.

'So boring…' Rachael thought to herself. 'Now where to start?'

 _: What are the Hero/ine of Legend?_

Rachael wrote the answer to the question.

 _"Hero/ine of Legend are a group of Pokemon who received the power from the god Arceus. With the power flowing through their veins, they are sworn to protect the world from falling into the chaos. When the chaos was finally vanquished, they will guard the world of Pokemon silently behind the shadow. Should they unable to protect the world anymore, the power of legend shall be granted to the one who shared the same blood as the former Hero/ine instead. If the former Hero/ine of Legend didn't have anyone who shared the same blood with them, the power of legend shall choose a new Pokemon who will become the next Hero/ine of Legend. With 18 types of Pokemon, there are 18 Hero/ine of Legend, but some may not appear during each time the chaos thieved the realm. The last time the Hero/ine of Legend appeared was 30 years ago, during the Fallen Crisis. There are 14 Hero/ine of Legend at that time, and now they are watching over us. Should the chaos rise up, either they or their descendant shall fight for the sake of the world again."_

Rachael then moved to the next question.

 _QIX: What is the Fallen Crisis?_

'Another boring question…' Rachael wrote the answer.

 _"Fallen Crisis happened 30 years ago. The cause of it was from a demon dragon, who was sealed under the continent of Symmetria. It plagued the land by raising the dead against the law of nature and disrupted the cycle of the season, turning the continent of Symmetria into the realm of everlasting winter. But with the power, courage and wisdom, 14 Hero/ine of Legend finally defeat the demon dragon, thus ended the Fallen Crisis. But because of the everlasting winter and the demon dragon's lurking under the continent of Symmetria, the end of Fallen Crisis caused the continent of Symmetria to twist, changing the location of many places on the continent, such as the land that is now the Shadowlost Territory was once an island south of the mainland Symmetria."_

Rachael made a yawn. Then she moved to the last question.

 _QXV: How many great wars occurred on the continent of Symmetria since the Fallen Crisis until today?_

'That's it! The last question.' Rachael thought to herself before writing the answer.

 _"There are five great wars that occurred on the continent of Symmetria. They are…_

 _-War of the Snowlost Peninsula_

 _-War of Jasmine_

 _-Bloodmoon War_

 _-Civilusion War_

 _-War over the Windsky Plateau"_

Normally, a student would write a few descriptions about each war, but not for Rachael.

'Why should I write the descriptions when the question didn't tell me to?' Rachael thought to herself. 'Writing the descriptions won't make me get a better score for the homework, plus I am so sleepy…'

Rachael closed the notebook and put it in her bag, and then she changed her cloth to the pajamas and moved to her bed. But before she fell asleep, she picked a book that was on the night stand. It is a book about a fairy tale her mother gave her. Rachael opened it and started reading the fairy tale, the War of Jasmine…

 _Once upon a time, there was a kingdom of an abundant forest, where the grass type Pokemon and bug type Pokemon lived together in harmony. This kingdom was ruled by Princess Floria and her beloved knight Sir Jedi. However, one day, the rebel army of bug type Pokemon attacked, and Sir Jedi had to go into the battle. Before he left, he gave a promise to Princess Floria that once he could suppress the rebellion, he will come back and ask her for marriage…_

 _Sir Jedi's forest army fought valiantly with the insect rebel, but in the end, the forest army couldn't stand against the almighty insect rebel, thus the kingdom fell into the control of Sir Scither, the leader of the insect rebellion, and none ever heard of what happened to Sir Jedi again…_

 _Without Sir Jedi, Princess Floria was forced to get married with Sir Scither, despite having no love for him. Sir Scither always tried to make her happy, but never shall her reveal a sight of happiness to him, much to the grief of everyone, be a grass type or a bug type…_

 _Finally, the day of their marriage had come. Princess Floria entered the wedding without a smile on her face, and Sir Scither couldn't say that he is happy…_

 _But during the most important moment of the wedding, a sound of battle cry echoed through the wedding hall, followed by the voice of someone…_

 _"The survivors of the forest army attack!"_

 _"Impossible!"_

 _Much to everyone's surprise, several Pokemon from the forest army appeared in the hall and started attacking the insect soldiers! And while the insect soldiers were busy fighting the forest soldiers, the knight of the forest appeared!_

 _"Oh! Floria!"_

 _It was Sir Jedi. He survived the battle and was now prepared to take the kingdom back from the grasp of the insect rebel, as well as his beloved Floria from Sir Scither._

 _"Oh!" Princess Flora cried in joy. "Sir Jedi! I knew that you are alive! And I knew that you would come…"_

 _"Hold it right there!" Sir Scither spoke up. "Princess Floria is mine! I won't let you take her away from me. Sir Jedi, I challenge you to a duel!"_

 _"I accept your challenge!"_

 _"Toops!"_

The book 'War of Jasmine' fell onto the floor as the one who was reading it had already fallen into a deep sleep, leaving the story unfinished…

* * *

 **Several days later…**

It had been two weeks since the day Jasper and Zenpai came to this school, and of course, both of them still snarled at each other every time they saw each other.

"…And that's the end of today's class." Teacher Butterfree announced. "Have a nice holiday."

"YEAH!"

The students in the class shouted out in joy as tomorrow is the start of nine-day holiday, meaning that there's no school for the entire next week!

Teacher Butterfree left the classroom. Some students then left the classroom too, and some students still stayed in the classroom and talked with their friends.

"Teehee!" Cheryl said. "I had waited so long for this holiday! My parents promised me to take me to the Cherry Blossom Trail in the Theocracy of Venturnome!"

"Me too!" Honey said. "For me, my parents will take me to the Opera House in the Dustorm Empire! I heard that there's a new beautiful songstress with a heavenly voice!"

"And I think that I will help my mother with the farm!" Rachael said before she remembered something

"Oh! I've got things to do!" Rachael picked her bag. "See you next week!"

"See you too, Rachael!" Cheryl and Honey greeted as Rachael left the class.

Rachael then moved around the school, trying to find where Jasper and Zenpai were. It didn't take much time as Rachael could tell where they are by the sound of their quarrelling.

"You grass-face!"

"You white-blood!"

"Ah! There you are!" Rachael spoke as she finally found Jasper and Zenpai, who were quarrelling with each other. Upon seeing Rachael, the duo's aggressive personas disappeared and was replaced with their usual personas.

"What's up, cutie?" Jasper greeted.

"Good afternoon, Rachael." Zenpai greeted. Then both Sceptile and Scyther faced each other again.

"She is talking to me, not you white-blood." Jasper hissed.

"Stick that thought to your xxx, grass-face." Zenpai threatened.

"Please calm down, both of you!" Rachael begged. "I was just wondering whether both of you are free right now? My mother wants both of you to visit our berry farm, the Paradise Farm!"

"Sure! I wouldn't reject an invitation from a cutie like you!" Jasper said.

"…I think I have time to spare, so why not?" Zenpai said, and then both of them were about to face each other again when Rachael quickly spoke up.

"T…Then let's go now. And please calm down, both of you, please… For the sake of my mother…"

"Hm…." Zenpai groaned and Jasper hissed, but they finally stopped their quarrelling.

* * *

"Here we are! Welcome to the Paradise Farm!"

Rachael led Jasper and Zenpai into a berry farm on the outskirt of the Forezon Village. Paradise Farm is the biggest berry farm in the Forezon Village. It grew many kinds of berry here, be the common one such as the Oran Berry or the rare one such as Chilan Berry. Not only berries, this farm also grew apples and seeds such as the Heal Seed and Reviver Seed, but not as much as the berry.

"First, let's go and meet mother!"

Rachael let Jasper and Zenpai to a beautiful house near the entrance of the farm. She then knocked the door.

"Mother! I brought my friends here today!"

Rachael then opened the door and led Jasper and Zenpai into the house, and then the Leavanny appeared with a basket of berries

"Good evening and welc—" Leavanny was about to greet when she saw Jasper and Zenpai. Almost immediately, the basket of berries slipped from her paw and fell towards the floor, but with his high speed, Zenpai quickly grabbed it before it hit the floor.

"Here you are." Zenpai handed the basket back to the Leavanny.

"T…Thank you." Leavanny's paw shook as she received the basket back from Zenpai, and Rachael could hear Jasper made a hiss in his throat.

"Mother, did you overwork again?" Rachael asked innocently. "You shouldn't work too much! It is not good for your health!"

"I…I am fine, Rachael." Leavanny told her daughter. "A…Anyway, I welcome both of you to the Paradise Farm. My name is Lydia the Leavanny, and I am the owner of the Paradise Farm."

"Greeting Madam Lydia." Zenpai bowed down. "My name is Zenpai Bugslash the Scyther. It is an honor to meet you."

"And I am Jasper Floratree the Sceptile." Jasper introduced himself. "I am so pleased to meet you."

Hearing both Pokemon's introduction made Lydia shocked and almost dropped the basket again, but Jasper could grab it before it hit the floor.

"Here you are." Jasper gave the basket back to Lydia while Zenpai groaned faintly.

"T…Thank…" This time, Lydia's paw shook even much more than when she received a basket from Zenpai. "P…Please make yourselves at home, both of you."

"Thank you." Jasper and Zenpai spoke at the same time, and then both of them faced each other again and resumed their 'long-awaited' fight.

"You grass-face!"

"You white-blood!"

"P…Please!" Lydia begged. "Not now! Let's come and have dinner with us. I had prepared a dinner for all of us! But please, no arguing during the meal."

Strangely, both Zenpai and Jasper quickly calmed down upon hearing Lydia's plea. Then Lydia led them into the dining room, where several dishes of food were on the table.

The four of them had dinner together. During the dinner, Rachael told a story of this farm to Jasper and Zenpai. Both Jasper and Zenpai didn't say much during the meal, and they didn't even get into a quarrel with each other.

"… And the berry that we grow most on this farm is the Oran Berry because it restores a lot of health to us!" Rachael said before noticing that Jasper and Zenpai had become quiet for quite a time. "I…I am sorry if my story bore you."

"No, I quite enjoyed your story." Jasper spoke and took a bite of an apple.

"…Me too…" Zenpai agreed.

"That reminds me…" Lydia seemed to remember something. "Rachael, I have a favor to ask you. Tomorrow, we have an order from a merchant in the Leafburg City, but our farm's deliveryman is sick, and I am busy tomorrow, so could I ask you to deliver the berries and seeds to the Leafburg City?"

"Leafburg City?! The forest capital of the Principality of Leafburg?!" Rachael said in amazement. "W…Wow! I… I have never gone to the Leafburg City before! I want to go there! So, yes! Mother, I will deliver the berries and seeds to the Leafburg City for you tomorrow!"

"Thank you, my dear." Lydia thanked. "But it will take you three days to reach the Leafburg City, so please take a good preparation."

"I will! Wow! To the Leafburg City!" Rachael couldn't hide her joy.

And then…

"…I will accompany you, Rachael." Zenpai spoke up, much to everyone's surprise.

"Zenpai?!" Rachael looked at Zenpai.

"It will take three days to go to the forest capital, and you have never been there before, so I think I should go with you. Plus, I will have to go back to the Leafburg City tomorrow too, so why don't we go together?" Zenpai spoke out.

"Never!" This time, Jasper spoke up.

"Jasper?!" Everyone turned their attention to Jasper. "I will also have to go back to the Leafburg City tomorrow too, so I will be the one who accompany Rachael to the forest capital, not you, white-blood."

"Why should she go with you, grass-face?!" Zenpai faced Jasper.

"Because you are a dxxxxxs, white-blood!"

"Say that again, you grass-face!"

"P…Please…" Rachael tried to calm both of them down. She looked at her mother, but her mother didn't get sad or angry. Instead, she... just smiled…

"M…Mother?"

Lydia smiled gently and looked at both Jasper and Zenpai, who were still quarrelling with each other.

"My, my… You don't have to pretend like that now we are here…"

"W…WHAT?!" Not only Rachael, Jasper and Zenpai also looked at Lydia.

" Mother, what does that mean?" Rachael asked.

Lydia still smiled gently and then she continued speaking.

"…Jasper and Zenpai, both of you don't hate each other… No… Both of you are actually very close to each other, right?"

 **To Be Continued…**

* * *

 **Dragon of Vale: End of the third sub-chapter of the first tail. I think thing went on too slow, so I will speed up thing for a bit. I am sorry if the first tail is so boring. But stay tuned! The second tail won't be this boring! I promise!**

 **It seemed like Rachael is going to the adventure! And what happens with Jasper and Zenpai?**

 **A special thanks to Ridin Valon for helping me with the error correction.**


	5. Tail 1-4: To the Forest Capital

**A Dragon's Tail**

 **Tail 1: Rachael's Tail – Contamination**

 **Tail 1-4: To the Forest Capital**

Jasper and Zenpai both became shocked, but they were very good at concealing their emotions.

"…What makes you think that, madam Lydia?" Zenpai asked.

"Because if both of you truly hate each other, you won't become an exchange student and got exchanged to the same village, right?" Lydia answered. "And I saw it in your eyes that if both of you truly hate each other, your eyes would be filled with the spark of hate, but I only see the spark of a very strong bond of friendship."

Lydia's sharp answer cornered both Sceptile and Scyther, and both of them yielded to her.

"…You are right, madam." Jasper yielded.

"B…But if both of you didn't hate each other, why did you have to pretend like you hate each other?" Rachael was confused.

Jasper and Zenpai looked at each other. Both of them didn't seem to want to answer this question.

"Rachael, shouldn't you go and prepare your stuff for your journey?" Lydia asked.

"Oh! I forgot about that!" Rachael said.

"Then we shall take our leave now." Zenpai stood up, and Jasper did the same thing.

"Then, see both of you tomorrow." Lydia said.

"See you too, and thank you for the food. It was delicious." Zenpai and Jasper spoke before they left the house.

"Then, see you tomorrow, mother!" Rachael spoke and moved up to her room upstairs to prepare for tomorrow's journey.

* * *

Rachael looked at the bookshelf, and then she picked two books from there. One of them is "Berries and Seed", a book that explained about the berries and seeds such as their usage and how to grow them, while the other book is "War of Jasmine", the book of fairy tale her mother gave to her. She then put it into her bag along with her cloth and other travel accessories such as the map of the Continent of Symmetria and her flower-patterned sleeping bag.

"I have a bit of savings…" Rachael took all of her Pokecoin she saved from the piggy bank and put them in her purse. "I will buy a lot of souvenirs for mother!"

Rachael looked at her bag again. Now she had finished preparing her stuff for tomorrow's journey!

"Tomorrow, I will do my best!" Rachael spoke to herself and moved up to her bed. She then prepared to sleep when something caught her attention. It was the object on her night stand.

"…" Rachael picked it. It is a pendant in the shape of a misty ball that she always carried it with her. Seeing this reminded her of something that is missing from her life now…

"Onii-chan… Where are you?" Rachael mumbled to herself before she put it on the night stand again and fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

 **The Next Day…**

"Here you are."

Lydia handed over a basket of food to Rachael. "I had prepared food not only for you, but also for Jasper and Zenpai too. It should be enough for a three-day journey."

"Thank you, Mother!" Rachael said and placed it on the carriage, where her bag and the berries and seeds for delivery were.

"Rachael! Madam Lydia!"

Two voices attracted Lydia and Rachael's attention. And it belonged to Jasper and Zenpai who were just arriving at the Paradise Farm. Both of them seemed to be ready for the adventure.

"Good morning! Jasper! Zenpai!" Rachael greeted.

"Good morning, Rachael, Madam Lydia." Jasper and Zenpai greeted back.

"Are you ready for the journey?" Lydia asked.

"Of course!" Rachael, Jasper and Zenpai answered.

"Then…" Lydia walked up to Zenpai. "Zenpai-san, can I leave Rachael in your care?"

"Of course." Zenpai responded. "I promise that I will always protect her from any harm."

"Thank you…" Lydia spoke before she turned her attention to Jasper. "Jasper-san, can I leave Rachael in your care too?"

"Sure, ma'am." Jasper responded. "I promise not to let any harm touch Rachael."

"Thanks…" Lydia spoke and then turned her attention to Rachael. "Rachael, I wish you a safe travel."

"You too, mother!" Rachael hugged her mom. "Please do not overwork while I am away, okay?"

Lydia smiled gently and nodded. Then Rachael moved up to the carriage and took over the control. This carriage moved automatically without using the living creature's force, but it needed someone to take control of it, and Rachael already knew how to control it. Then both Zenpai and Jasper got into the carriage too.

"Good bye, mother!" Rachael waved at her mother as the carriage gradually moved out of the farm. Jasper and Zenpai did the same thing to her too.

"Take care, Rachael! And send a word to me once you reach the Leafburg City too!" Lydia said as the carriage moved away from her, until it was no longer able to be seen by her…

* * *

Normally, travelling from Forezon Town, which located in the northern area of the Principality of Leafburg, to Leafburg City, located in the central area of the nation, through the Leafburg Forest would take five days of walking, but it would take only three days by the carriage.

Actually, if the carriage moved at full speed, they may even reach the capital within tomorrow. However, they had to take good care for the berries or else they will get bruised and bad.

"Here!"

Rachael gave Figy Berries to Zenpai, who had just finished gathering the firewood for tonight, and Watmel Berries to Jasper, who had just finished making a campfire.

"Thanks." Jasper and Zenpai spoke and took a bite at the berry they received from Rachael while Rachael was eating an Oran Berry. The first day's journey ended here. They were lucky that there was no obstacle today. When the sun left the border of the sky, they stopped their journey. Now they are in a small plain surrounded by the Leafburg Forest. Zenpai insisted that they must make a camp here, not only to avoid the forest fire, but also to avoid an ambush from the wild Pokemon too.

"Whew!" Rachael spoke after she finished eating the Oran Berry. "Today went by pretty fast, don't you think, Jasper, Zenpai?"

"Yeah…" Zenpai answered.

"I hope tomorrow would be another good day." Jasper said.

Seeing both of her companion reminded Rachael about something. About the question she asked them yesterday…

"Jasper, Zenpai." Rachael looked at both of them. "Back then, why did both of you have to pretend that you hate each other?"

Once again that hearing the Latias' question made both Sceptile and Scyther restless. Both of them really seemed to not want to answer this.

"…Are you sure you do want to know?" Zenpai asked.

"Of course! Why shouldn't I? Or…" Rachael looked at Jasper and Zenpai. "Do both of you think that I am too young to know anything! Hm! Both of you are so mean!"

Rachael pouted at both Jasper and Zenpai, making both of them even more restless than before.

"W…Wait!" Jasper spoke. "F…Fine! We will tell you everything!"

"Hm! Big meanie!" Rachael still pouted at both of them, but she was still quite lovable even while pouting.

"I…It was because the War of Jasmine." Zenpai finally answered.

"War of Jasmine?!" Rachael said. "Do you mean the tale of Princesss Floria?"

"No, not that one." Jasper answered. "It was one of five great wars that happened on the continent of Symmetria. Do you know anything about it?"

Rachael thought back to when she was doing her homework, but other than the name of five great wars of Symmetria, she couldn't remember much about it.

"Whatever, let's explain." Jasper spoke up, and Zenpai started explaining.

 _"War of Jasmine was a second war that occurred on Symmetria. It was the civil war among the Pokemon of the Principality of Leafburg. It started 19 years ago, when there were three types of Pokemon that lived in this nation, the grass type, the bug type and the poison type. At first, the Principality of Leafburg was ruled by the poison type Pokemon, much to the displeasure of the Bug and Grass type Pokemon. So, both Bug type and Grass type started a revolution, which was the cause of the civil war. This civil war ended by all the Poison type Pokemon getting banished from the Principality of Leafburg, where they escaped to the north, and the chancellor of the Shadowlost Territory took them into refuge and gave the Venom Island to the west of the Shadowlost Territory to them, thus ended the problem of the refugees. But there's yet another problem…"_

"Problem?" Rachael asked. "What's that?"

Jasper then continued the story.

 _"The War of Jasmine didn't end; even after the Poison type Pokemon got banished. It was the Grass type and Bug type Pokemon. Both of them were into a conflict of who will be the next ruler of the Principality of Leafburg, thus another war followed, much more intense than when the Poison type were still here. In the end, the conflict ended with the death of many, be a Bug type or a Grass type. This civil war finally came to the end when the Bug type and the Grass type decided to make a truce between each other, and a Parasect named Augustine became the Daimyo of the Principality of Leafburg as he is both Grass type and Bug type, thus this brutal civil war between the Grass type and Bug type was named after the fairy tale of a war between the Grass type and Bug type, the War of Jasmine."_

"Yawn…" Rachael made a yawn after listening to the long story.

"So, do you see why both of us have to pretend like we hate each other?" Zenpai asked.

"No." Rachael answered. "That conflict was 19 years ago! I don't understand why we have to bind ourselves with a conflict that happened in the past!"

Zenpai and Jasper looked at each other again before Jasper answered.

"When we arrived at the Forezon Village, we saw that this village is a peaceful place where all kinds of Pokemon lived together in harmony, but in the other places, the conflict was much more intense. The Grass type and the Bug type in the Leafburg City didn't like each other, so it won't be good if they knew that we are friends, right?"

"B…But if the Forezon Village is a peaceful place, then why do you have to pretend to hate each other?" Rachael asked before she made a yawn again.

"It's getting late…" Zenpai spoke up.

"Rachael, you should go sleep. Zenpai and I will keep watching here." Jasper said.

"B…But…" Rachael spoke. "Both of you won't get enough sleep if you keep watching…"

"Don't worry. We will take turns for the watching. One of us will stay awake while the other will go to sleep. And even if we don't get enough sleep, we could still do it while we are in the carriage during the day." Zenpai spoke.

"Okay!" Rachael said and unfolded her flower-patterned sleeping bag and got into it. "See you tomorrow!"

"Good night, Rachael." Jasper and Zenpai said.

* * *

 **-The Next Morning**

"Jasper! Wake up!"

Jasper's body was shaken. He slowly opened his eyes and felt that someone was shaking his body.

"Breakfast is ready! Hurry! We still have a long way to go!" Rachael spoke after she stopped shaking the Sceptile's body.

"Yawn…" Jasper was still sleepy. It was already 8.00. He had just gone to sleep at 1.30 when Zenpai took his turn for watching, and now he had to wake up again. He looked at the Scyther and saw that his rival's condition wasn't much different than him.

* * *

After breakfast, the party continued their journey. Today's journey also went smoothly, and soon, night came. Now they have only a few more miles to go. Zenpai calculated that they will reach the Leafburg City tomorrow before noon for sure if they didn't run into any trouble.

"Jasper, Zenpai." Rachael called both of them after dinner. Now all of them were sitting in front of the campfire. "Back in yesterday, why did both of you have to pretend like you hate each other even when you are in the Forezon Village?"

Jasper became restless and looked at Zenpai, who answered with a serious voice. "…Because if those ninjas who lurked around the Forezon Village knew that I am being friendly to Jasper, the Hokage shall not be pleased."

"Hokage?!" Rachael repeated Zenpai's word. "What is that?"

Zenpai closed his eyes for a bit and used his sense to make sure that no other Pokemon is around here. Then he continued answering.

"As you may already know, the Principality of Leafburg's warriors are Samurai and Ninja, and of course, Jasper is a Samurai while I am a Ninja. Ninja hide and train under the shadows at different places depending on what clan you are in, and each clan will be led by their Hokage. For me, Zenpai Bugslash the Scyther, I came from the Hidden Hamlet of Ninja located somewhere in the Principality of Leafburg, and the Hokage of my clan hated the Grass type Pokemon to the deepest part of his heart because during the War of Jasmine, a Grass type Samurai Pokemon killed his wife."

"Oh!" Rachael cried. "That's terrible!"

"That's why I have to pretend like that, or else the Hokage, or in the other words, my father, would find this out." Zenpai's word shocked Rachael even more.

"Y…You are the son of the Hokage?!" Rachael asked. "T…Then… Oh!" Rachael realized that if Zenpai is the son of the Hokage, then the Hokage's wife that got killed during the War of Jasmine must be Zenpai's mother! "I…I am sorry, Zenpai! For making you remember such a terrible thing."

"Don't worry about me, Rachael." Zenpai spoke. "I was just 3 years old when my mother died, so I couldn't remember anything about her… Except…"

"Except?" Rachael asked.

"…Never mind. I was just lost in thought." Zenpai answered, and Jasper spoke up.

"Zenpai and I met each other several years ago, and both of us were impressed by each other's battle skill, so we became friends, or should I say, friendly rivals? But as Zenpai said, we had to pretend like we hate each other, or else he will be in trouble."

"But…" Rachael seemed worried about something. "Isn't being a ninja mean that you must hide your identity and your life from anyone? So, why did you tell me your true identity?"

Zenpai looked into Rachael's eyes before giving an answer to her. "Rachael, I don't know why, but ever since when we first met each other, I felt like… we have something in common… And I also felt like I could trust you, even more than as a friend."

"Me too." Jasper spoke up. "It was like the time Zenpai and I met each other for the first time! Even if both of us are rivals, we could feel that both of us have something in common, and we both also felt that with you. I still don't know why Zenpai and I feel like that, but I am sure that we will know the answer soon. Plus, I think that you are cute and adorable, Rachael."

"Heehee! Thanks!" Rachael smiled innocently before she remembered something. "Jasper, if Zenpai said that his clan hate the Grass type Pokemon, what about you? Does your family hate the Bug type Pokemon?"

Jasper was about to answer Rachael's question when he suddenly stopped moving, and Zenpai was seemed to be in the same state as the Sceptile too.

"Hm? Jasper? Zenpai, what's wrong?" Rachael asked.

"Shhhhh…" Jasper made a gesture to tell Rachael not to speak. Then both Sceptile and Scyther stood up and closed their eyes.

"…There!"

Zenpai opened his eyes and threw a shuriken at high speed to a bush not too far from him. This made a Pokemon who hid in the bush got sent out of its hiding place. The moonlight revealed it as a wild Beedrill.

"EAAAEEE!" Rachael cried in fear.

"Get behind me, Rachael." Zenpai spoke up.

"Leave the battle to me!" Jasper spoke and opened his eyes.

After it got attacked, the Beedrill quickly looked around to find the one who attacked him. It then saw Rachael, who was paralyzed with fear. It then wasted no time charging at the Latias, preparing to attack her with Fell Stinger!

However, just a bit before it could attack the Latias, Jasper appeared and used his katana to block the Beedrill's attack! He then thrust his katana and sent it back a few feet away from Rachael.

"Bzzzzzz…" The Beedrill made a noise as it looked at Jasper, who was in an offensive stance. He then dashed up to the Beedrill and slashed it with his katana! He acted so fast that the Beedrill didn't have any time to defend itself!

"That's for trying to attack Rachael…" Jasper firmly gripped his katana. "And this…" Jasper prepared to attack the Beedrill again. "IS FOR INTERRUPTING US! HAAAAAA!"

Jasper quickly slashed his katana at the Beedrill again with the hope of ending the battle right now, but this time, the Beedrill could use one of its stingers to block Jasper's attack!

"W…What the?!"

While Jasper was flinched that the Beedrill could block his attack, the Beedrill used its another stinger to stab Jasper's right arm!

"GAAAAAAHHHH!"

Jasper roared in pain and dropped his katana. This gave the Beedrill's a chance to attack the off-guarded Sceptile!

But…

"BZZZZZZ!?"

The Beedrill got shocked when a sharp blade penetrated its belly! And before it could react, its head was sliced of by a kunai!

"Whew…" Zenpai drew his blade-like arm from the Beedrill's body and then threw the dead Beedrill's body into the bush. "This should take care of it. Rachael, Jasper, are you alright?"

"I…I…am…alright…" Rachael answered. Her body still shook with fear.

"Y…Yeah…I…th…think that…Guh!" Jasper's body trembled heavily and he had purplish blush on his face. He could feel that his power was being drained.

"The move that Beedrill used to attack you…" Zenpai spoke up. "It was 'Twinneedle', a Bug type move with a chance of poisoning the target, right?"

"I…guess…so… Ah..." Jasper fell down on the ground. "I..It see..m… l…like the….goddess…of ….luck….didn't…bless….m…me….t…today."

"H…Hang on, Jasper!" Rachael moved up to the berry basket her mother gave to her and tried to find a Pecha Berry, but it was too dark and there were so many kinds of berries in there.

"W… Where are the Pecha Berries?!" Rachael was so worried about the Sceptile that her paws were trembling. And then, she remembered something!

'T…That!' Rachael remembered. 'I can use it to help Jasper!'

Rachael moved back to Jasper, who could hardly hold his consciousness.

"Please hold on, Jasper! I will help you now!"

Rachael rested her paws on her chest and released a fragrant smell from her body, filling everywhere around her with a refreshing smell of flowers!

"T...That move..." Zenpai spoke, before turning his attention towards Jasper. The purplish color on his face started to disappear as the venom running through his veins began to be neutralized by the fragrance. Soon, the poison was completely gone.

"Whew! That should do it! How are you now, Jasper?" Rachael asked after she finished using the move Aromatherapy.

"Thanks, Rachael. I am fine now." Jasper spoke and finally be able to stand up again.

"By the way, Rachael…" Zenpai looked at Cheryl with a curious face. "…How could you learn to use the move Aromatheraphy? I don't think that a Latias could learn this move normally…"

"Um… I don't know…" Rachael answered with a sad voice. "I remember that I could use Aromatherapy since the day I bec— I mean, the day I could remember. But… I am not very good at the battle as I only know two moves, Aromatherapy and Helping Hand, both which aren't offensive moves…"

"Hey, don't worry about that." Jasper spoke up. "Today you may not, but in the future, you may become a strong Pokemon, and I am sure that you can."

"You think that I could? Teehee!" Rachael became happy again. "Thank you, Jasper, Zenpai! Both of you are the best! Yawwwn…."

"Hm?" Zenpai looked at Rachael when she started to become sleepy. "It's getting late. Rachael, you should go to sleep already."

"Okay!" Rachael moved to her sleeping bag and got into it. "Good night, Zenpai, Jasper!"

"Good night, Rachael." Jasper and Zenpai said as the Latias quickly fell into a deep sleep after that unexpected event for the night…

* * *

 **-The Next Day**

After breakfast, the journey continued. The last day's journey was also as smooth as yesterday, and only a few minutes left before they reached the Forest Capital.

"Oh, I forgot…"

Zenpai suddenly stood up while he was sitting in the carriage, making Rachael look at him.

"What's wrong, Zenpai? Did you forget something?" Rachael asked.

"I have to go now. See you later, Rachael, Jasper." As he finished speaking, Zenpai jumped out of the carriage and disappeared into the woods!

"W…Wait! Zenpai! Where are you going?!" Rachael asked, but Zenpai had disappeared already.

"It's normal, Rachael." Jasper spoke up. "Do you still remember that both Zenpai and I have to pretend that we hate each other? So it won't be a good thing to let others see both of us come to the forest capital in the same carriage, right? Plus, Zenpai has to go back to his clan's village to report to his Hokage about his actions during the time he was at the Forezon Village, so don't worry about him. He will come back soon."

"Okay…" Rachael mumbled.

"Oh! Here we are!" Jasper said as the carriage reached the northern gate of a big city "Welcome! Rachael!" Jasper spoke with a cheerful voice. "To the forest capital of the Principality of Leafburg, the Leafburg City!"

 **To Be Continued…**

* * *

 **Dragon of Vale: In this chapter, we learn more about Zenpai's past, as well as about the War of Jasmine, and we finally arrive at the forest capital, the Leafburg City.**

 **A special thanks to Ridin Valon for helping me with the error correction.**


	6. Tail 1-5: A Day in the Forest Capital

**A Dragon's Tail**

 **Tail 1: Rachael's Tail – Contamination**

 **Tail 1-5: A Day in the Forest Capital**

Leafburg City, the forest capital of the Principality of Leafburg, is a huge city located in the middle of the forest nation. This city was much bigger than Forezon Town. Most buildings of this city were made of trees and wood. Some houses were even built in the trees! There were many Pokemon in this city. Most of them were grass type Pokemon and bug type Pokemon. The city itself was surrounded by the Leafburg Forest to the north, south and east, while its west side was surrounded by a vast grassland. In the middle of the city was a huge castle that was built in a Japanese style. It was the biggest building that Rachael had ever seen!

After passing through the city gates, Rachael parked the carriage at the Trading Post at the outskirt of the city.

"Wow!" Rachael said while looking at several kinds of Pokemon here. Some were the Pokemon that she had never seen before!

"Impressive, isn't it?" Jasper spoke up. "The Principality of Leafburg is famous for its berries and seeds. This makes many merchants come here in order to trade with us."

While Rachael was talking to the Sceptile, another Pokemon appeared and approached Rachael's carriage. She was a Bellossom.

"Good morning, dame Latias." The Bellossom greeted. "You must be the one from Paradise Farm in the Forezon Village, right? I was waiting for your arrival."

Rachael nodded. It was not surprising for a stranger to know that they came from Paradise Farm as the name of the farm was written on the sides of the carriage.

"Let's get down to business, then…" Bellossom spoke.

After trading the goods for a bag of PokeCoin, Rachael was free to travel around the forest capital!

"Let me be your guide." Jasper spoke. "Be careful not to get lost, Rachael."

"I will! Teehee!" Rachael smiled innocently.

Jasper and Rachael then travelled around the Leafburg City. The first place they went to was the Forest Park, an environment park where many Pokemon often come to relax. They then stopped to have lunch at a restaurant near the park. After lunch, Jasper brought her to The Great Tree, the oldest tree on the continent of Symmetria that was said to have existed since over a thousand years ago.

After going to The Great Tree, Jasper took Rachael to Shuckle's Juicy Juice, a juice bar where many exhausted Pokemon go there to quench their thirst.

"I'd like a Tamato Berry Juice." Jasper ordered as the waiter came to take their orders.

"And I want a Rawst Berry Juice!" Rachael ordered. The waiter bowed at them before going to the counter to hand the orders to the bartender.

Meanwhile, Rachael looked around this place. There were many kinds of Pokemon here! Not only bug type and grass type, but also the types that weren't native to the Principality of Leafburg!

"Many travelers come to this city." Jasper explained. "Despite that Leafburg City didn't have a port to the sea, it is one of the biggest trading centers on the continent of Symmetria… Well, not the biggest one if you count the Riverbrine City in the Queendom of Riverbrine too."

The waiter returned to Rachael's table with two grasses of juice. He then handed them to Rachael and Jasper before moving to the next table. Jasper took a grass of Tamato Berry Juice and started drinking it while Rachael still looked around the shop. She could hear many travelers talking with their friends.

 _"Did you hear about the prisoner who escaped from the Desert Prison in the Dustorm Empire? I heard that they are psychopathic killers with a thirst for blood of living beings!"_

 _"Really?! Just when I thought that crossing the scorching desert of the Dustorm Empire couldn't get more dangerous!"_

 _"Yes… First the scorching sun during the day and freezing dust during the night, then a random sandstorm and quicksands, followed by groups of bandits, and now this! Ugh! I hate everything about the Dustorm Empire, especially that merciless Emperor G—"_

 _"Shhh… Don't say that out loud. You know how scary the emperor of the Dustorm Empire is. Do not speak about it or you may end up like those poor guys at the Windsky Plateau…"_

 _"But about that psychopathic killer that escaped from the Desert Prison, I heard that they already escaped from the Dustorm Empire and now they are lurking somewhere in the Fireview Kingdom!"_

 _"Oh! Then I will make sure to avoid going to the Fireview Kingdom for now…"_

"…Rachael, aren't you going to drink your juice?"

Jasper's voice turned the Latias's attention back from the random guys' conversation.

"If you won't drink it, I will drink it for you." Jasper grabbed Rachael's grass of Rawst Berry Juice and was about to pour it into his throat when Rachael spoke up.

"WAHHH! You lizard jerk!" Rachael said with an unpleasant voice.

"Come on!" Jasper placed Rachael's grass back on the table. "I was just kidding!"

"Big meanie!" Rachael pouted at him.

"Geeezz… Alright… I will pay for you, okay?" Jasper yielded.

"Yay!" Rachael suddenly became happy again. "Then, I want a glass of Sitrus Berry Juice too!"

"W…Wait… What?!" Jasper spoke.

"So, where to go next?"

Jasper asked once they got out of the Shuckle's Juicy Juice. Now they were back onto the street of the Leafburg City again.

"I think I will go to the Pelipper Post Office to send a postcard to mother." Rachael answered. "I am sure that she will be happy to receive words from me!"

"The Post office is over there." Jasper pointed at a Post Office not too far from them. "And Rachael, do you mind if I take my leave for a bit?"

"Hm?" Rachael looked at Jasper. "Where will you go?"

"It's not that important… But I promise that I will come back soon with some pastries for you, okay?" Jasper said.

"Okay!" Rachael said with a cheerful voice when she heard that Jasper will bring her something to eat.

"Then, see you soon at the Forest Park!" Jasper spoke and walked away from Rachael, and then Rachael went to the Pelipper Post Office.

After sending a postcard to her mother, Rachael left the Pelipper Post Office and was about to go to the Forest Park as Jasper said when she saw several boutiques on the street of the Leafburg City.

'Right!' Rachael thought to herself. 'I think I should buy new cloths for me! Heehee! Mother will be surprised to see me with a new look, and Cheryl and Honey would be jealous of me!"

So, instead of going to the Forest Park, Rachael spent the next three hours at the boutiques. When she finally finished buying cloths, it was already 17.00.

"Heehee! I love this!" Rachael said as she came out of the last boutique with several bags of cloth. "And… Oh! I need to go to the Forest Park right now!"

Rachael tried to go to the Forest Park, but because she spent too much time at the boutiques, she couldn't remember the way to the Forest Park!

'Oh! No!' Rachael became restless. 'Jasper would get mad at me! Oh no!"

Rachael reached a crossroad. She then headed to the right, not being aware that the way to the Forest Park was to the left.

"What?!" Rachael said as instead of reaching the Forest Park, it brought her to the outskirt of the Leafburg City. "I should head back then… Oops!"

Rachael was so restless that she bumped into someone without noticing.

"I…I am so sorry! A…Are you alright?" Rachael spoke and looked at the Pokemon she bumped into, who made her grasp as the one she bumped into was a regal snake Pokemon, a Serperior!

"Don't worry about me." The Serperior answered with a calm voice. "I am alright."

"Whew! Thanks goodness." Rachael said before she remembered that she needed to go to the Forest Park. "That's right! Ms. Serperior, could you tell me the way to the Forest Park, please? My friend is waiting for me there."

"This way." The Serperior pointed at the road ahead by using her vine. "You will reach the Forest Park by heading along this road."

"Thank you!" Rachael thanked. "Now I must hurry or Jasper will—"

"Pardon me?" Serperior spoke up. "Did you mention someone named Jasper? Is he Jasper Floratree the Sceptile?"

"Yes!" Rachael answered. "Do you know him?"

"Yes, of course." The Serperior answered. "He came back to this city without telling me… And he is at the Forest Park right now…"

"Pardon me?" Rachael looked at the Serperior when she heard that the she was mumbling something.

The Serperior looked at the Latias again. "You are Jasper's friend, right? If you meet him, please tell him that—"

"Rachael!"

A voice called the Latias from somewhere. She looked around and saw a Sceptile in a samurai armor who was walking up to her.

"Whew! I finally found you!" Jasper spoke up. "Why didn't you go—"

"Oh! My dear Jasper." Serperior spoke up. "You finally came back."

"Crap…" Jasper mumbles when he noticed the presence of the Serperior and tried to run away, but it was too late as his tail was grabbed by the Serperior's vine.

"My dear child…" The Serperior said as she dragged the Sceptile to her. "I missed you so much. Come here and let me give you a big hug…"

"Hey!" Jasper said as the Serperior used her vines to wrap around his body as a hug. "Stop treating me like that!"

"My my…" Serperior giggled and let the Sceptile free. "Your mother missed you so much…"

"No…" Jasper said as he finally got freed from the Serperior's hug. "You are not my mother, and I am a grown-up already, so stop treating me like that…"

"Oh! My! Why must you be so cruel to your mother?" The Serperior frowned after hearing Jasper's word.

"Geezz…" Jasper mumbled.

"Um… Jasper?" Rachael spoke up. "Do you know her?"

"Well… Um…" Jasper was about to answer when the Serperior gave the answer instead.

"I am little Jasper's mother. My name is **Julia Floratree the Serperior.** It's nice to meet you, Jasper's friend."

"Nice to meet you too!" Rachael said. "My name is Rachael Lustermist the Latias! It's nice to meet you, Jasper's mother!"

"Come on!" Jasper spoke up. "Julia is not my mother! She was just the one…. who raised me…"

"And that alone made me your mother, right?" Julia the Serperior said with a gentle smile on her face.

"Why?!" Jasper said. "Why won't you ever listened to me?!"

"Um…" Rachael looked at Jasper, and then looked at Julia. "I am so confused right now…"

"Perhaps it would be better if we bring your friend to our home, right?" Julia said.

"Geezz…" Jasper crossed his arm. "Stop it, Julia."

"Don't be shy!" Julia said and wrapped her vines around Rachael and Jasper's body. "Let's go together!"

"W…Wait!" Rachael and Jasper said as they were dragged along with the Serperior.

Julia brought Jasper and Rachael to an orphanage at the outskirt of the Leafburg City. This orphanage looked quite old, but it also seemed to be warm and cozy.

"Welcome home, my little Jasper." Julia said as she finally released the Sceptile and the Latias.

"Geez…" Jasper mumbled.

"Mother?"

Several voices came from inside the orphanage, followed by the opening of the orphanage's door, and then several children appeared! All of them were either grass type Pokemon or bug type Pokemon.

"Yay! Mother finally came back!"

"Look! Big brother Jasper is here too!"

"Yay! Big brother! Play with me!"

All children said with glee and made a crowd around Jasper and Julia. Julia then patted the children's heads softly. And, much to Rachael's surprise, Jasper also did the same thing to the children too!

"Mother, Jasper, welcome back."

Another voice appeared. It was from a Pokemon who had just appeared from the orphanage. She was a Servine, a pre-evolution form of a Serperior.

"Well… Hi, Jasmine." Jasper greeted.

"Alright…" Julia finally spoke up. "Mother will make dinner for you. Who want to help me?"

"Me!"

"Let me help you!"

"Me too!"

Julia then got into the orphanage along with all children and left Jasper, Rachael and the Servine at the entrance of the orphanage.

"Welcome back, Jasper." The Servine approached Jasper. "How was your life at your new school at the Forezon Village?"

"Well… It was not bad…" Jasper answered.

"And who is this Latias?" The Servine looked at Rachael.

"Let me introduce both of you…" Jasper spoke up. "Rachael, this Servine is **Jasmine Floratree the Servine**. She is Julia's daughter. Jasmine, this is Rachael Lustermist the Latias. She is my friend from the Forezon Village."

"Nice to meet you." Jasmine the Servine shook hands with Rachael.

"Nice to meet you too!" Rachael said with a cheerful voice. "And… Jasper?" Rachael looked at the Jasper as if she wanted the explanation, and Jasper seemed to know what the Latias was thinking.

"This is Julia's orphanage." Jasper explained. "She found this place in order to take care of the children whom their parents got killed in the War of Jasmine, making her a sort of their mother, as you can see…"

"I see…" Rachael said. "And Jasper, you…"

"Well…" Jasper continued explaining. "As one of the oldest children here, I have a duty of taking care of them too, like some sort of their senior…"

"W…What?! T…Then… It means that…" Rachael realized what's going on.

"…It means that I am an orphan." Jasper finished Rachael's words.

 _"As far as I could remember, I had already grown up in this orphanage with other children. Julia told me that one day near the end of War of Jasmine, an egg contained my infant self appeared in front of this place. She didn't know who my parents are and what happened to them, but she assumed that they already perished in the War of Jasmine, so she took me in and I grew up here, under her care."_

Rachael wanted to cry after hearing Jasper's sad past. She felt sorry for the Sceptile.

"…I am sorry, Jasper." Rachael spoke up.

"It's fine. Don't worry about it." Jasper said. "Despite that I have neither father nor mother, I still have Julia, Jasmine, my younger brothers and younger sisters… And now, I also have Zenpai and you, Rachael, so I am not alone…"

Rachael nodded. She truly understood the feeling of growing up without father and mother to support her… As this was what happened to her and her brother…

"…Onii-chan…" Rachael mumbled.

"Rachael?" Jasper looked at Rachael.

"Oh! It's nothing!" Rachael said. "I just… feel so sorry for you and those children."

"Well… What am I doing… Making you feel sad…" Jasper said. "Rachael, I am sorry."

"Oh! Don't worry about it!" Rachael said before she remembered something. "By the way, Jasper, you said that you were an orphan with unknown parents, but you have a surname… And your surname is the same one as Julia and Jasmine… So…"

"Well…" Jasper looked around. "It was neither Julia nor Jasmine that I inherited the surname from… It was someone else…"

"Who?" Rachael asked.

Jasper became restless as if he didn't want to answer the Latias' question. "W…Well… It was from—"

"Little Jasper!" Julia's voice called the Sceptile from inside the orphanage. "It's dinner time!"

"Geez…" Jasper crossed his arm. "Why did she have to treat me like a youngster? I am already 19…"

"Giggle…" Rachael giggled. "I think it was the feeling of being a mother! A mother always thinks of her child as a baby no matter how old her child is."

"I think so." Jasper sighed.

"…It seemed like dinner is ready." Jasmine spoke up after listening to both Latias and Sceptile for quite some time. "And why don't you invite your friend to join us too, Jasper?"

"W…Well… Rachael…" Jasper looked at Rachael. "Do you mind joining our meal too?"

"No! Of course not!" Rachael said. "Let's not keep them waiting!"

Dinner wasn't as deluxe as the lunch, but Rachael felt that this meal was much more wonderful than the last meal. During dinner, the children all talked about their day such as what games they played today and what would they do tomorrow. Jasper acted like a big brother to all of them as well as Jasmine who also acted like their big sister. This was the side of Jasper that Rachael hadn't seen before…

'Jasper seemed like a nice big brother…' Rachael thought to herself. 'And all children here are nice too… Why didn't Onii-chan and I grow up in this place too? Why must we grow up in that stingy place?!'

After the meal ended, Rachael volunteered to wash the dishes. And when she finished…

"…Rachael?"

Rachael turned her attention to the one who called her. It was Jasmine the Servine.

"Jasmine?" Rachael looked at the Servine. "Do you need my help at anything else?"

"…Rachael…" Jasmine spoke with a calm voice. "I must thank you for taking care of Jasper during his time at the Forezon Village."

"It's nothing! Actually…" Rachael said. "It was Jasper who took care of me! He even agreed to accompany me when I had to came here to deliver the berries!"

"Deliver the berries?" Jasmine repeated Rachael's word. "You owned a berry farm?"

"Well… It was my mother's farm, but I usually help her with the cultivating and the harvesting!" Rachael answered.

"I see…" Jasmine nodded. "So, if you could grow a berry, then, could you make a potion using those berries?"

"Making potions?" Rachael said and shook her head no. "I have never done that before."

"Then, here you are…"

Jasmine gave a book to the Latias. The cover of the book could be read as 'The Mixing: How to make a Potion.'

"This book will tell you how to make a potion. It also has a list of what potion that will be created if you mix those berries." Jasmine explained. "This book is a token of my gratitude for taking care of Jasper."

"Really?! Thanks a lot!" Rachael said and opened the book. "But… The process of making one seems so hard…"

"Then… Let me teach you how to." Jasmine said as she opened the shelves above them and picked four apparatuses from it. "You need four apparatuses to make a potion. They are a Mortar and Pestle for grinding berries, a Calcinator for heating potion, an Alembic for distilling potion, and a Retort for carrying out a chemical process. You also need a container such as a bottle to store the potion you made."

"Wahh…" Rachael seemed to be even more confused than before. "That's so complicated!"

"It won't be hard once you get used to it…" Jasmine said. "And why don't we make a healing potion from Oran Berries? First, put an Oran Berry into the mortar…"

"…And then pour the solution into a bottle. Be careful not to let the residue fall into a bottle." Jasmine taught the last process of making the healing potion.

"Whew!" Rachael wiped her sweat after she finished pouring the potion from a Retort into a bottle. "What do you think about it, Jasmine?"

"I think it turned out really well." Jasmine commented. "And I also think that you have done a really good job! I think that you may have a gift of making potions."

"Really? Teehee! Thanks!" Rachael smiled innocently. "B…But I still don't know if this potion will turn out good or not…"

"Don't worry…" Jasmine said with a crafty smile on her face, a smile that Rachael had never seen it appeared on the Servine's face before. "We have a guinea pig for this potion…"

"Guinea…Pig?" Rachael repeated Jasmine's word.

After Rachael finished her word, another Pokemon appeared in the kitchen. It was Jasper the Sceptile. He seemed very tired as he got into the kitchen.

"Jasmine…" Jasper spoke tiredly. "C…Can you make me the usual?"

"Here" Jasmine handed the bottle contained the potion Rachael made to the Sceptile. "This is for you."

"W...Wait!" Rachael was about to warn Jasper about that potion, but it was too late as Jasper already drank it.

"Whew!" Jasper seemed to become a lot better after drinking the potion. "Thanks! Jasmine, your potion is the best!"

"Well…Rachael, it seemed like it turned out really well, don't you think?" Jasmine said.

"Wait, what?" Jasper asked.

"W…Well…" Rachael explained. "J…Jasmine taught me how to make a potion, and the potion you just drank was the one I made for the first time…"

"WHAT?!" Jasper looked at Jasmine. "Jasmine! You are so mean! You always use me as your guinea pig since when you first started learning to make a potion!"

"But at least, the potion turned out well, right?" Jasmine said with a crafty smile on her face.

"Hm… Well…" Jasper seemed to think of something. "I think this potion is a lot better than the one you always made for me… And did you say that this is the one Rachael made for the first time? Wow… A potion made by a novice like Rachael is better than a potion made by an expert like you… I think I see what is going on…"

Jasmine's smile disappeared from her face and was replaced by her usual blank face. "I think there's someone who wants to sleep outside tonight…"

"Hey!" Jasper looked at the Servine. "I already slept outside for two days! Plus, I just finished my training… So please, at least, give me a nice rest after a long journey…"

Hearing the Sceptile's word reminded Rachael of something… It was about Jasper's training…

"That reminded me… Jasper?" Rachael looked at the Sceptile. "Did you say you just finished your training? But then, you drank my potion…"

"Yeah..." Jasper answered. "What's wrong with that?"

"Well… I think all you need after a training is a nice rest, but you were so tired that you also need a healing potion too… It means that…" Rachael said. This made Jasper became restless again.

"W…Well…" Jasper tried to say something, but Rachael spoke up first.

"It means that you work too hard!" Rachael said. "You shouldn't work too hard! You will become sick if you do!"

"Whew!" Jasper sighed in relief. Then another Pokemon appeared in the kitchen. It was Julia the Serperior.

"My my… Mother finally found you…" Julia smiled gently. "Everyone has already fallen asleep. And now it's your bedtime, Jasper, Jasmine."

"Yes, mother." Jasmine said.

"Geezz…" Jasper crossed his arms. Then Julia turned her attention to Rachael.

"Rachael, it's getting too late. I think you should sleep here tonight. It will be a lot safer than going outside at night… Especially after those incidents…" Julia said.

"Those incidents?!" Rachael asked. "What is that?"

"Oh! It's nothing!" Julia said. "So, what do you think, Rachael? Will you stay here tonight with us?"

"Thanks… B… but… You have already treated me with dinner…" Rachael tried to refuse Julia's kindness.

"So…" Julia became saddened. "You want to say that this place is too uncomfortable for you to stay? Well… I could understand that…"

"N…No!" Rachael said. "I…I didn't mean that! I actually like this place!"

"Then it's settled…" Julia said. "I have prepared a room for you already, Rachael. See you tomorrow, my children."

After finishing her good night, Julia left the kitchen and went upstairs, leaving Jasper, Jasmine and Rachael in the kitchen.

"Jasper…" Rachael looked at the Sceptile.

"See?" Jasper sighed. "It's pointless to try to refuse Julia's kindness. She likes to treat others like her own children..."

"Then…" Jasmine spoke up. "Good night, Jasper, Rachael." Then Jasmine left the kitchen and went upstairs too.

"Rachael, you go first." Jasper spoke up. "I will go to check the front door."

"Good night, Jasper." Rachael said.

"Good night, Rachael." Jasper said. Then Rachael moved upstairs and entered the room Julia prepared for her. She then quickly fell asleep as she laid her body on the bed…

 **Meanwhile…**

 _"Master?"_

 _"Hm? Already back for another round?"_

 _"Of course, master."_

 _"…Jasper, I want to ask you something…"_

 _"What is that, master?"_

 _"…You always come and train with me, and you always lose to me, yet you keep coming back… Do you have confidence that you could defeat me some day?"_

 _"No, master. I would never defeat someone as great as you, especially when you are the one who held the Blood of Legend within your veins…"_

 _"…If you think like that, you will never defeat me…"_

 _"Why is that, master?"_

 _"If you tell yourself that you can't, your subconscious will prevent your body from archived your goal, but if you tell yourself that you can, your subconscious will encourage your body to archived your goal."_

 _"…I still don't understand, master…"_

 _"When the time comes, you shall understand… And I am afraid that it would be much sooner than I thought…"_

 _"Master? What did you just say?"_

 _"…Never mind it, Jasper. Now let's go for another round."_

 _"I am ready, Master Floratree!"_

 **The next morning…**

"Good morning! Jasmine!"

Rachael greeted the Servine as she moved downstairs. The Servine, however, didn't seem very happy this morning.

"Rachael…" Jasmine mumbled.

"Jasmine? What's wrong?" Rachael asked.

"…Another incident…" Jasmine answered.

"Incident?" Rachael repeated Jasmine word. She then remembered that Julia also said something about the 'incident' that occurred at night. "What incident?"

"…A mysterious Tsujigiri appeared again. This time, he killed the Ninja Pokemon." Jasmine answered.

 **To Be Continued…**

 **Dragon of Vale: Well… I think I have written a long chapter like this before in my other stories, but the long chapters I wrote was usually the later chapters! Not one of the very first chapters like this one!**

 **This chapter is very long… And boring too… But… I could say that the first tail was about to end… Just about 2-3 chapters to go!**

 **Rachael learned how to make a potion, and she seemed to be good at it! And… The Potion Making in this story is based on the Alchemy in Oblivion.**

 **Uh-oh… A mysterious Tsujigiri… Things started to get serious…**

 **A special thanks to Ridin Valon for helping me with the error correction.**


	7. Tail 1-6: The Mysterious Tsujigiri

**A Dragon's Tail**

 **Tail 1: Rachael's Tail – Contamination**

 **Tail 1-6: The Mysterious Tsujigiri**

Rachael gasped as she heard what Jasmine said. A Tsujigiri… A samurai who attacked defenseless Pokemon during the night to test their new katana or to develop a new battle style…

"T…Terrible!" Rachael cried.

"…And there's more…" Jasmine continued speaking. "The ninja Pokemon that were killed… The crowd said that they are the sons of a Hokage…"

"A son of a Hokage…" Rachael said and gasped again. Because, as she could remember, Zenpai was also a son of a Hokage!

"W…Where are those ninja Pokemon that were attacked?!" Rachael asked.

"…At the crossroad near the Forest Park…" Jasmine answered. "And… Wait… Rachael, where are you going?!" Jasmine asked as Rachael quickly flew out of the orphanage after the Servine told her the location of the incident.

'P...Please!' Rachael thought to herself. 'Zenpai! Please! Not you!'

* * *

 **-Near the Forest Park**

At the crossroad near the Forest Park, there were many Pokemon here crowding around the corpses of two ninja Pokemon that were attacked and killed by the mysterious Tsujigiri. There were also several Bug type Pokemon who dressed in the black garb here. And Zenpai was among them.

"Zenpai!"

Rachael called the name of the Scyther, turning Zenpai's attention to her.

"Oh…" Zenpai mumbled. "…Good morning, Rachael."

"Whew!" Rachael said. "I was so scared when I heard that a mysterious Tsujigiri killed the sons of a Hokage. I am so glad that it isn't you who got killed!"

"…" Zenpai became silent for a bit before he spoke up. "The ninja Pokemon that were killed… They are my elder brothers…"

"What?!" Rachael said and looked at the corpses of the ninja who were killed by the Tsujigiri. One of them was a Heracross while the other was a Pinsir. There were several marks of katana slashes on their bodies, and their bodies were soaked with clear liquid.

"AEAH!" Rachael covered her eyes with her paws as she saw the corpses of the dead Pokemon. "This is so cruel! Zenpai, I am so sorry about this…"

"…" Zenpai said nothing and looked at the corpses again, but he didn't show any emotion on his face.

"…Zenpai."

Another voice called the Scyther. Zenpai turned the attention to the speaker and saw a Scizor in the black garb.

"…Hokage." Zenpai said.

The Scizor looked at Zenpai, and then he looked at Rachael. "…Is she your friend?"

"Yes." Zenpai answered.

"…I see…" The Hokage spoke and looked at the corpses of his dead sons again. "This isn't the first time something like this happened. Since two weeks ago, after you left the forest capital, the incidents like this happened almost at every night, and I have never thought that it would happen to someone from our clan…"

"…What will you do about this?" Zenpai asked.

"…Our clan and I will take care of them." Hokage answered. "We will hunt this Tsujigiri down until we find them, and then we will bring them to justice. You don't have to worry about this."

"…As you said, Hokage." Zenpai said and bowed at the Scizor.

* * *

After that, Rachael went back to the orphanage. Zenpai decided to come with her as Julia's orphanage was the only place in the Leafburg City that Grass type Pokemon and Bug type Pokemon didn't have any conflict. And because his ninja clan was busy finding the Tsujigiri, they could have a conversation freely here without worrying of the eavesdropping from ninja.

When they reached the orphanage, they found Jasper there.

"…Zenpai." Jasper mumbled softly.

"…" Zenpai said nothing.

Jasper approached Zenpai. "Zenpai, I am so sorry about your losses…"

"…Think nothing about it, Jasper." Zenpai answered softly. "By the way, Jasper, can you help me about this?"

Zenpai handed two photos that were taken at the crossroad of the Forest Park to Jasper. They were the photos of the corpses of Zenpai's elder brothers.

"…Do you have any clue about the marks of katana slashes on these corpses?" Zenpai asked.

Jasper looked at the photos. "…Whoever did this must be a very skilled swordsman. I doubt there's many Pokemon like that in the Principality of Leafburg."

"…Then…" Zenpai handed over several other photos to Jasper. They were the photos of the other victims' corpses. "Do you see any other clues?"

Jasper took a look at those photos. This time, Jasper's eyes became wide.

"The marks of Kanata slashes…" Jasper mumbled. "They are all same!"

"Yes." Zenpai said. "This proves that it was the same Tsujigiri who attacked those Pokemon, including my elder brothers."

"Not only that…" Jasper continued speaking. "A Tsujigiri is a samurai who attacked other Pokemon in order to test their new katana or to develop a new battle style… But…" Jasper looked at the photos again. "Those marks told me that the Tsujigiri used the very same katana at every attack. Wasn't it strange?"

"T…Then…" Rachael spoke up after listening to the duo for a while. "That Tsujigiri may attack another Pokemon because they want to develop a new battle style…"

"I don't think so…" Jasper said. "The marks of katana slashes on these victims… are all done in a chaotic manner… If that Tsujigiri truly wants to develop a new battle style, the marks wouldn't be chaotic like this…"

"…And…" Zenpai spoke up. "Normally, the Tsujigiri usually attacked defenseless Pokemon, but this one… They attacked all kinds of Pokemon, be a helpless Pokemon or a great ninja Pokemon… It was wrong… As if… The one who attacked them was… a Psychopathic swordsman…"

"T…That!" Rachael gasped again. "Yesterday, at the juice bar, I heard from two travelers that there's a psychopathic killer who escaped from a prison in the Dustorm Empire! It must be them!"

"I don't think so." Jasper said. "Only warriors from the Principality of Leafburg used a katana as their weapon… Well… There's some warriors in the Theocracy of Venturnome who also used a katana as their weapon too… But there's no way for a prisoner from the Dustorm Empire to use a katana. Plus, I heard that the prisoner already escaped to the Fireview Kingdom, so it wasn't them for sure…"

"Anyway…" Zenpai spoke up. "I think we should return to the Forezon Village as soon as possible. It's not safe to stay here anymore."

"I Agree with you." Jasper said. "I think we should leave for the Forezon Village at the dawn of tomorrow."

"That's good." Zenpai said. "If we hurry, we could reach the Forezon Village at the dusk of the day after tomorrow."

"I… If that's so…" Rachael spoke up. "I will go and buy some souvenirs for mother and my friends… And I need to send another postcard to her too."

"Then…" Zenpai walked toward the entrance of the orphanage. "Jasper, you take care of her for now. See you near the city gate at tomorrow's morning."

After finishing his words, Zenpai left the orphanage.

"Alright." Jasper turned his attention to Rachael. "Rachael, let's go."

"Okay." Rachael said.

* * *

Rachael and Jasper went to the Post Office to send another postcard to Lydia, telling her that they will arrive at the Forezon Village at the dusk of the day after tomorrow. After that, they spent almost the whole day at the souvenir shop.

"Geez… Girl…" Jasper mumbled to himself after they finally left the souvenir shop with several bags of souvenirs in their paws. Now the time was 14.00.

"Oh!" Rachael said when she saw another shop. "Jasper! I have other things to buy!"

"Again?!" Jasper said. "Don't you think that you have bought too much stuff already?!"

"No!" Rachael said and pointed her paw at the shop she mentioned, which is the alchemy shop. "Jasmine gave me a book about potion making, but I have neither apparatuses nor bottles. So, I will go and buy them at that shop!"

"Well… If you say so…" Jasper said.

* * *

 **-Three hours later**

'…I will never go shopping with a girl again…' Jasper thought as they finally arrived at the orphanage. They then had dinner with Julia, Jasmine and the children. When dinner ended and Rachael finished washing dishes, Jasper told her to go to bed as soon as possible because they will leave at the dawn of tomorrow.

"Good night, Jasper." Rachael said.

"Good night, Rachael." Jasper said. Then Rachael moved upstairs and entered her room. She then laid her body on the bed and went to sleep.

* * *

 **-Meanwhile…**

 _"Master Floratree…"_

 _"Hm? Jasper? Here for another round?"_

 _"No… I have come here to say farewell to you because I need to go back to the Forezon Village at the dawn of tomorrow."_

 _"I see…"_

 _"And… There's one more thing…"_

 _"…What is it?"_

 _"…The mysterious Tsujigiri…"_

 _"!"_

 _"Those marks of katana slashes on the corpses of the victims … They told me that the one who killed them must be a very skilled samurai… And… In the Principality of Leafburg…"_

 _"...'There's no one who is as skilled with their katana as me.' Thas is the thing you wanted to say, right?"_

 _"M…Master! I… I didn't mean that!"_

 _"…And you also doubt that I am the Tsujigiri that killed many Pokemon in the Principality of Leafburg, right?"_

 _"I…I will never think like that! I know that you would never do something like that! And you are the Hero of Legend! A hero will never do a bad thing like that!"_

 _"…Well… Jasper… My friend once told me this; 'The story of living creature's existence is not fathomable.' So, I may be that Tsujigiri… Or not…"_

 _"Master…"_

 _"Jasper, if I am that Tsujigiri, will you defeat me or will you let me go?"_

 _"M…Master! I… I will never be able to defeat you…"_

 _"… Didn't you remember what I told you, Jasper?"_

 _"B…But still…"_

 _"Jasper… You still have a long way to go. During your life, you will come across several choices which you must choose. No matter what, do not regret in your decision. If you do, your life will lose its meaning and you will be as good as dead…"_

 _"…Master Floratree…"_

 _"…Anyway, if you don't come here for a match, how about a round of chess to train your mind?"_

 _"I will lose to you again, master, but I will do my best!"_

 _"Good. Here I come!"_

* * *

 **Dawn of the Next Day…**

"Oh my… You just came here two days ago and now you must leave again…" Julia said. Now Julia, Jasmine, Jasper and Rachael were at the place where Rachael parked her carriage. Rachael and Jasper's bags were already in the carriage.

"Julia…" Jasper looked at the Serperior.

"Don't worry about me, Jasper." Julia smiled gently at the Sceptile. "Mother will be fine.

"Okay…" Jasper said.

"But…" Julia looked at Jasper. "Come here and give mother a big farewell hug!"

"Geez!" Jasper spoke. "I am not a child anymore!"

"Don't be shy!" Julia said. "Come here, sweetheart!"

"…Fine." Jasper walked up to Julia and gave her a hug, which made Julia very happy.

"Your mother will miss you so much." Julia said after Jasper finished hugging her. "Don't forget to send a word to me. And Rachael, take care too."

"Sure." Jasper said.

"Take care, Jasper. Rachael, I hope the book I gave you will prove to be useful to you." Jasmine spoke.

"You too, Jasmine." Jasper said.

"Thank you for your kindness, Julia! And Jasmine, thanks for the book!" Rachael said. Then Rachael and Jasper got into the carriage, and then it gradually moved out of the parking area.

"Good bye! Jasmine! Julia!" Rachael waved at the Serperior and the Servine.

"Bye! Rachael! Bye! Jasper!" Jasmine said.

"Don't forget to change your underwear every day, little Jasper!" Julia said.

"JULIA!" Jasper's face became red after he heard Julia's words.

* * *

After the carriage passed through the city gate, it moved along the road that led to the Forezon Village. And after it had left the city for a while…

"…" A Pokemon appeared and jumped into the carriage. It was Zenpai.

"Good morning, Zenpai!" Rachael greeted.

"Hey, it's good to see you again." Jasper said.

"…" Instead of greeting back, Zenpai just nodded in response.

"Zenpai?" Rachael looked at the Scyther, but he didn't respond to her.

"…Let him be, Rachael." Jasper said. It seemed like he understood what was going on with Zenpai.

"Are you sure?" Rachael asked, and Jasper nodded in response.

"Okay…" Rachael said.

* * *

 **-Later, in the evening…**

Because the carriage moved at a higher speed than before, Jasper could say that they will reach the Forezon Village at the dusk of tomorrow for sure. But even during dinner, Zenpai still didn't say anything.

"Zenpai…" Rachael spoke after dinner. Now all of them were sitting around the campfire.

The Scyther heard the call from Rachael, but he didn't respond to her.

"…Let me guess…" Jasper spoke up. "It was your step-mothers, right?"

Zenpai still said nothing, but this time, he nodded in response.

"Stepmothers?" Rachael asked.

Jasper was about to say something when Zenpai suddenly spoke up. "It was just… They… They fell into grief after their sons were killed."

"What? Then…" Rachael tried to understand what was going on. "Those Heracross and Pinsir that were killed by the Tsujigiri… They are… your half-brothers?!"

"Yes." Zenpai nodded. "Being a Hokage, my father had three wives. They are Heracross' mother, Pinsir's mother and my mother. Heracross is my father's first son. Pinsir is my father's second son. And I am his third son. Despite having three wives, the only one he loves is my mother. But after my mother was killed in the War of Jasmine…"

"…His step-mothers didn't treat him very well…" Jasper explained. "And… I had seen how… mean his elder brothers treated him…"

"…" Zenpai said nothing.

"Zenpai…" Jasper spoke up again. "Despite them being your elder brothers, but deep in your heart, you are actually glad that they were killed, right?"

"What?!" Rachael said unbelievably, and she was shocked even more when she saw Zenpai nodded!

"…" Rachael was shocked. Her time with Jasper and Zenpai showed her the side of them that she had never seen before, especially about their past. Jasper was an orphan, but he lived in a warm life at the orphanage while Zenpai had a family, but his family led him to live a cold life…

"…I am sorry, Zenpai." Rachael said.

"…Rachael, you should go to sleep by now. Tomorrow we still have a long way to go. You too, Jasper. I will keep watching here." Zenpai spoke up.

"Zenpai..." Rachael said.

* * *

 **The Next Day…**

The new day started with a refreshing morning. Zenpai seemed to have returned to his usual self already, which made both Jasper and Rachael happy.

'Zenpai…' Rachael thought. 'Be strong…'

The journey continued. This time, Zenpai told Rachael to speed up the carriage so they would reach the Forezon Village within this evening.

"Good." Zenpai spoke as the sun started descending toward the border of the sky. "We only have a few more miles to go!"

"Teehee!" Rachael smiled innocently. "I can't wait to show mother what I bought! I am sure she would be very happy!"

"Geez…" Jasper mumbled.

"What's wrong, Jasper?" Zenpai asked.

"…Let me tell you something…" Jasper lowered his voice so Rachael wouldn't hear him. "Do not go shopping with Rachael or—WHAT!"

Jasper and Zenpai almost lost their balance when the carriage suddenly stopped moving.

"What was that, Rachael?!" Jasper asked.

"Jasper, Zenpai, look!" Rachael pointed her paw at the road ahead them.

Jasper and Zenpai looked in front of them and became shocked, as there were two Bug type Pokemon in the black garb laid down on the road there! Zenpai could identify them as the ninja from his clan!

Zenpai quickly grabbed his bag and jumped out of the carriage. Jasper and Rachael then did the same thing.

Three Pokemon quickly ran up to those two ninja Pokemon, and they found that one of them had been dead already! The other one, however, seemed like he was at the death's door. It seemed like both of them were attacked by someone, and the marks of katana slashes on their body told them that the one who attacked them was the very same Pokemon who killed Zenpai's elder brothers!

"Hey! You!" Zenpai approached the nearly dead ninja Pokemon. "What happened?! Who attacked you?!"

"Z…Zenpai?" The nearly dead ninja Pokemon mumbled with a very faint voice. "T…Tsuji…giri… H…He…a…ppeared…T…Too…S…Strong…"

"Oh no!" Rachael said.

"H…Hoka…ge… chased…a….after…h…him" The ninja Pokemon continued speaking.

"Hokage chased after that Tsujigiri?!" Zenpai became shocked. "W…Which way did they go?!"

The ninja Pokemon used the last of his strength to point at the woods right of him, and then his breath stopped…

"W…What should we do?!" Rachael asked.

"…I will go…" Zenpai spoke up. "Jasper, take Rachael back to the Forezon Village."

"No!" Rachael said. "You can't go into the woods alone! It's too dangerous! I will go with you!"

"…Absolutely not!" Zenpai said. "It's too dangerous for you to go into the wood, especially now it is almost night time. Plus, I made a promise to your mother to keep you safe."

"B…But it won't do!" Rachael said. "It is also dangerous for you to go alone, Zenpai! At least, let Jasper and I come with you! I can heal you with the potions I made last night!"

"…Although I don't like the idea of letting Rachael come with us, I agreed with her that you can't go there alone." Jasper spoke up. "I will never let my best friend to face the danger alone. So, I will go with you, no matter what you say, Zenpai. And if I go, Rachael must come with us too, right?"

"Right!" Rachael said and looked at Zenpai with a determined face.

"…Fine." Zenpai yielded. "But both of you must fall back if things get ugly, okay?"

"Okay!" Rachael and Jasper spoke.

"Then, let's go." Zenpai said, and then the trio went into the woods together.

* * *

The trio followed the Hokage and the Tsujigiri into the deep Leafburg Forest. They could easily tell where the Hokage and the Tsujigiri went by the marks of katana slashing and the shuriken that were stuck on the trees.

"Damn it!" Zenpai mumbled as they headed deeper into the forest. Now the day was already over and the night already came. "Where's that damn Tsujigiri?!"

"This way!" Jasper pointed at the tree ahead that had a shuriken stuck on it.

"That way…" Rachael spoke up. "It will lead us to an abandoned temple in the middle of the Leafburg Forest!"

"What?!" Jasper and Zenpai looked at Rachael. "How did you know about that?!"

"W…Well…It's not that important!" Rachael said. "L…Let's go there!"

"Right!" Jasper and Zenpai said.

* * *

Followed the marks of battle and Rachael's guide, the trio arrived at a set of stairs which will lead them to the abandoned temple.

"The temple is just upstairs!" Rachael said. "Let's hurry!"

The trio started going upstairs. As they went upstairs, they could see the abandoned temple closer…

And finally, after going upstairs and passing through the gate of the temple, they reached a courtyard in front of the abandoned temple. Despite it was already dark, the courtyard of the temple was bright because of several torches around here.

"Look! There's someone over there!" Rachael spoke up. The trio then looked ahead and saw that there were two Pokemon on the other side of the courtyard, in front of the abandoned temple…

The first Pokemon was a Scizor in the black garb that laid on the ground. It was very easy for Zenpai to tell who he is.

"Hokage!" Zenpai spoke up, but the Hokage didn't respond to him. He just laid there on the floor… like a corpse.

"…You've finally come…"

A voice of the second Pokemon attracted the trio's attention. The owner of that voice stood near the body of the Scizor. That Pokemon was… a Sceptile in a light swordsman garb with a long katana in his right paw. His body was soaked with red liquid called 'blood'.

After seeing the Sceptile, Jasper quickly spoke up with a shaking voice.

"M…M…Master Floratree?!"

 **To Be Continued…**

 **Dragon of Vale: Two more chapters to go and Tail 1** **will finally end!**

 **Oh… Things didn't look very good here, right?**

 **A special thanks to Ridin Valon for helping me with the error correction.**


	8. Tail 1-7: Heartache

**A Dragon's Tail**

 **Tail 1: Rachael's Tail – Contamination**

 **Tail 1-7: Heartache**

"Jasper, do you know him?!" Zenpai spoke up after hearing the young Sceptile's words.

"Y…Yes." Jasper answered. "He is an honorable swordsman and one of the best swordsmen in the Principality of Leafburg… No… In Symmetria. I found him in a lonely shack in the middle of the Leafburg Forest just outside the Leafburg City one day. After seeing his skill with his blade, I asked him to take me as his apprentice, which he accepted. After that day, I always go to his shack to practice my skill with katana with him without telling anyone. Only Julia and Jasmine know this."

Jasper then looked at his master. "M…Master Floratree! W…What does this mean?! D….Don't tell me you were the mysterious Tsujigiri who killed the Pokemon in the Leafburg?!"

"…" 'Master Floratree' didn't answer Jasper's question. He just stood there, near the body of the Scizor.

"Whatever!" Zenpai said and looked at 'Master Floratree'. "You there! What had you done with my father?!"

"…So…" 'Master Floratree' looked at the Hokage's body. "You are this pathetic ninja's son. Well, if the father couldn't overcome my blade, neither would his son."

"WHAT?!" Zenpai spoke unbelievably. "You killed my father?!"

'Master Floratree' didn't answer the Scyther's question. Instead, he gripped his blade firmly and…

"SHING!"

The sound of a sword piercing through flesh echoed through the Leafburg Forest, and it ended with a tip of katana that 'Master Floratree' was holding was now stuck into the ground, piercing through the Scizor's body!

"FATHER!" Zenpai roared.

"EAH!" Rachael covered her eyes with her paws.

"W…WHAT THE?!" Jasper became shocked.

"That's better…" 'Master Floratree' drew his katana out of the Hokage's body. A tip of the blade was covered with a colorless liquid as it was drawn out of the Scizor's body. "He was as good as dead when you came, but I saved this moment just for you! How about it? Wasn't the last moment of a living creature marvelous?"

"Y….YOU!" Zenpai roared furiously. "Y….YOU KILLED MY FATHER! I WILL KILL YOU! RAWWWWWWRRRR!"

Zenpai grabbed his kunai and was about to dash up to attack the Sceptile who killed his father when he was held back by another Sceptile!

"Calm down, Zenpai!" Jasper spoke up. "Y…You can't attack him!"

"LET ME GO!" Zenpai roared. "I WILL KILL HIM! I DON'T CARE IF HE IS YOUR MASTER OR NOT!"

"The one who will be killed is you, Zenpai!" Jasper continued speaking. "He is not only one of the strongest swordsmen, but he is also the Hero of Legend!"

"WHAT!?" Not only Zenpai, but Rachael also became shocked after hearing Jasper's word too.

"Hm…" 'Master Floratree' crossed his arms. "It would be better if I introduce myself properly. My name is **Joshua Floratree the Sceptile,** the Forest Swordsman. As Jasper said, I am the Hero of Legend who holds the power of grass type. I am one of 14 Hero/ine of Legend who saved Symmetria from the Fallen Crisis. I have devoted my life to the art of the sword. I am the one who killed the Pokemon in the Leafburg City. And I am the one who killed your father and your brothers, Zenpai the Scyther."

"Whatever!" Zenpai spoke angrily. "Hero of Legend or not, I will kill you to avenge my father! RAWRRRR!"

Zenpai dashed up to Joshua the Sceptile and tried to attack him with his kunai, but Joshua dodged his attack easily by just leaning his body a bit.

"I WILL KILL YOU!" Zenpai slashed his kunai madly at Joshua again, but none of his attacks could harm the Sceptile!

"So boring… Mineuchi!" Joshua mumbled and smacked Zenpai with the blunt side of his katana. It didn't harm the Scyther much, but it stunned Zenpai and sent him flying toward Jasper and Rachael!

"Zenpai!"

Jasper and Rachael approached the Scyther. Rachael then healed him with the healing potion. This made the Scyther became a bit better!

"D…Damn it…" Zenpai mumbled. "W…Why the hell is he so powerful?!"

"I am not the Hero of Forest for nothing…" Joshua answered as he sheathed his katana and slowly approached the trio.

"M…Master!" Jasper spoke up. "Y…You weren't like this before! W…What made you become like this?! You were once an honorable swordsman who devoted your life to the art of sword!"

"Silly Jasper…" Joshua answered as he stopped in the middle of the courtyard. "I am not the man who wields a sword. I am a sword, and a sword only has one purpose of existence; to feast on the blood of living beings."

"Y…You are mad!" Zenpai spoke as he was finally able to stand up.

"So, what will you do?" Joshua crossed his arm. "As you know, I feast on the blood of living beings, and since all of you are here, I couldn't let you leave here alive, right?"

"And I will not allow your existence anymore." Zenpai equipped his kunai again. "I will kill you and end your madness right here."

"Master…" Jasper mumbled. "Y…You… You are not the master I knew! The master I knew is an honorable swordsman, not a lunatic swordsman with a thirst of blood like you!"

"I see…" Joshua crossed his arms. "Both of you chose to resist against your destiny of being killed by me… How… pathetic… Anyway, as a fellow warrior of Leafburg, I won't go easy on you!"

 **The Forest Swordsman**

 **Joshua Floratree the Sceptile**

"Rachael!" Jasper spoke up as he drew his katana from its sheath. "Stay here and keep your guard up!"

"We will not let that lunatic swordsman harm you." Zenpai said.

"Okay…" Rachael said.

Jasper and Zenpai turned their attention to Joshua, who had drawn his katana from its sheath already.

"Jasper, do you know this blade?" Joshua spoke and showed his weapon to Jasper. It was an exotic sword with a long blade. Although it was smaller than an ordinary sword, it was slimmer than an ordinary sword. The blade was sparkling dark green as if it was made from a pure Emerald that got tarnished by something...

"That katana…" Jasper mumbled.

"This is the Emerald Katana, the personal weapon of the Hero of Forest." Joshua explained. "This blade had been used to slay countless evil beings that plagued the world of Pokemon in the past. This very same blade was also used to slay many Pokemon of Leafburg, including the family of your friend next to you."

"… 'The power of a swordsman does not depend on their blade. It depends on their skill.' That was what you once told me, Master Floratree. And today, I will see if it's true or not!" Jasper spoke.

"Then, allow me to show you!" Joshua said and got into the offensive stance. He then charged at Jasper! Jasper was about to dodge Joshua's attack when Joshua suddenly changed his target to Zenpai instead! His fast and unexpected action resulted in Zenpai having no time to react to the attack!

"Ughhhh!" Zenpai roared in pain after he was hit by the attack.

"Fool!" Joshua said as he continued attacking the Scyther!

"Zenpai!" Jasper slashed his katana at Joshua, but Joshua dodged it, and not only that, his evasion forced him to cancel his assault on Zenpai!

"Zenpai!" Rachael approached Zenpai and used the healing potion on him.

"Rachael?! Get away from here! Do not approach the battle!" Zenpai scolded, making Rachael retreat for cover.

"Interesting…" Joshua mumbled. "I think I should… entertain myself a bit more…"

Zenpai stood up and spoke up to Jasper. "Jasper, we must disarm him first. If we could disarm him and then attack him off-guard, he would be weak both offensively and defensively. Do you have any idea how to do it?"

"HM…" Jasper started thinking. And then…

"…Listen to me, Zenpai…" Jasper whispered something into Zenpai's ear, and Zenpai nodded in response.

"It's worth a try." Zenpai commented.

"Right." Jasper said, and then both of them turned their attention to Joshua, who was now in the middle of the courtyard.

"What's wrong? Too scared to fight me?!" Joshua mocked.

"Let's go, Jasper." Zenpai said, and then the duo got into the offensive stance.

"YAH!"

Jasper rushed up to Joshua with a katana in his paw. He prepared to attack Joshua!

"Hm!" Joshua got into the defensive stance to prepare for Jasper's attack, but just a bit before Jasper reached Joshua…

"YAH!"

Zenpai jumped over Jasper's head and quickly rushed up to Joshua with a kunai in his paw!

"Hm! Do you think you could fool me with a trick like this?!" Joshua said and quickly prepared for Zenpai's attack. But again, just a bit before he reached Joshua, Zenpai immediately jumped away from him!

"W…What?! Ouch!" Joshua said. And when Zenpai jumped away from him instead of attacking him, the Scyther threw a shuriken at his paw, making him drop his Emerald Katana on the ground!

"YAH!" Jasper, who had been waiting for this chance, slashing his katana at Joshua in hope of catching him off-guard!

But…

"Shinken Shirahadori!" Joshua used his bare paws to catch Jasper's blade, much to Jasper and Zenpai's shock!

"W…WHAT?! ARRR!" Jasper roared as Joshua flipped his wrist, making Jasper lose his grip of his katana! And when Jasper's katana was falling toward the ground, Joshua grabbed it!

"Damn!" Jasper cursed as his katana was stolen by his opponent!

"TAKE THIS! IAIJUTSU!" Joshua roared and aggressively attacked Jasper and Zenpai off-guard! His attacks made Jasper and Zenpai collapse on the ground!

"Huff… Huff…" Zenpai and Jasper panted after they were attacked mercilessly by Joshua.

"Zenpai! Jasper!" Rachael quickly approached the duo, but just a bit before she could reach them, the Emerald Katana that was just picked from the ground was pointed at her!

"!" Rachael became paralyzed with fear.

"Hm… It seemed like my words were right after all…" Joshua threw Jasper's katana on the ground. He still pointed his Emerald Katana at the Latias.

"R…Rachael?!" Zenpai and Jasper said as they saw the Latias in danger, but their injuries were too harsh for them to even stand up!

"Don't worry, both of you…" Joshua said. "I will not kill you right now, but I would let you witness my blade drinking your little friend's blood!"

"Rachael! Get away from here! Quick!" Jasper tried to stand up, but Joshua used his foot to pin him down, preventing him from stand up!

"Just go! Don't worry about us! UGH!" Zenpai roared as he felt the pain running through his body.

"!" Rachael was too scared to do anything!

"…Good bye, Rachael the Latias." Joshua said and slashed his Emerald Katana at the Latias!

"NOOOOO!" Jasper and Zenpai roared as they heard the sound of katana slashed at the flesh of living creature...

* * *

 _"Arr…."_

 _Rachael slowly regained her consciousness. She rubbed her head with her paw._

 _"W…Where am I… And…" Rachael looked around to see where she was. She was in a place she had never seen before… It seemed like she was in front of an abandoned temple in the middle of a deep forest…_

 _"W…What is this place?! And…" Rachael mumbled as she felt strange about her body. First, her skin wasn't supple like before… And… Where were her legs?!_

 _"!" Rachael was shocked when she realized what happened to her body. She had been turned into a creature that looked like a red plane!_

 _"W…What happened to me?! A…And…" Rachael looked around, trying to find someone who was with her until a while ago…_

 _"O…Onii-chan! Where are you?!" Rachael tried to call her brother, but no one responded to her._

 _"Onii-chan!" Rachael tried again, but the result was still the same._

 _"WAHH!" Rachael started crying. She was now in the middle of a nowhere, turned into a strange creature, and the worst of them all; her Onii-chan was nowhere to be found!_

 _"Oh! My…"_

 _A soft and gentle voice echoed into her ears. Rachael looked around and found another living creature standing behind her…_

 _"W…Who are you?!" Rachael asked with a shaking voice as the creature behind her looked like a leaf insect that stood on two legs._

 _"My name is Lydia the Leavanny…" The leaf insect answered as she approached Rachael. "And who are you? Why are you in the middle of nowhere like this?"_

 _"AH!" Rachael cried. "P…Please don't come closer…"_

 _Lydia paused for a bit, and then a gentle smile appears on her face. "Do not be afraid… I will not harm you… I promise…"_

 _Lydia slowly approached Rachael again. This time, Rachael just looked at her suspiciously._

 _"…There…" As she reached Rachael, Lydia hugged her. "There's nothing to be scared…"_

 _"Sniff.. Sniff…"_

 _"There… Do not cry… My dear…" Lydia used her paw to dab Rachael's tear. "Do not be afraid… I will not let you get harmed…"_

 _"I will protect you…"_

 _"Until my last breath…"_

* * *

"HEAAH!"

A cry of pain of female Pokemon turned the attention of everyone around here to Rachael. But it wasn't Rachael who was hurt. It was…a female Leavanny.

"MOTHER!" Rachael cried as just a bit before Joshua's Emerald Katana slashed her, Lydia appeared from nowhere and shielded her from the attack!

"R…R…Ra….Rachael…" Lydia spoke with a shaking voice. A colorless liquid flew out of where she was slashed. "A…Are you alright? Pl…Please tells me you are okay…"

"I…I am alright…" Rachael spoke with a shaking voice.

"T…T…Thanks goodness…." Lydia said before she fell down onto the ground. Her breath stopped and her heart stopped beating!

"MOTHER!" Rachael cried over Lydia's lifeless body.

"Y…Y…YOU!" Zenpai and Jasper roared angrily and looked at Joshua, who had a satisfied smile on his face.

"Hm…" Joshua sheathed his blood-cloaked katana. "I thought killing this Latias would be enough… But since this happened, I will make all of you suffer a bit more…"

Joshua turned his attention from Rachael who was crying to Jasper and Zenpai who were trying to stand up. "What do you think about this? Marvelous, wasn't it?"

"Y…You fiend!" Zenpai roared.

"Hm…" Joshua crossed his arms. "Other than killing you right now, I don't see any future for yourself, Zenpai the Scyther, since everyone in your family has been already sacrificed their lives to my blade… Be your brothers, father or mother…"

"W…What?!" Zenpai became shocked. "Were you the one who killed my mother during the War of Jasmine?!"

"Poor Scyther…" Joshua shook his head. "Your mother had just died in front of you, and you still don't realize it?"

"W…What do you mean?!" Zenpai asked with a shaking voice.

"…It started after my wife died and I devoted myself to the art of sword…" Joshua started telling a story. "And I had yet tasted one side of the sword. It was the blade's dark side. If I couldn't get myself into the dark side of a sword, I will never become master of the blade. Thus, I devoted my life to become a sword itself, killing anyone who stood in my way. And then, the War of Jasmine started… Perfect, wasn't it? With the ongoing war, I could kill anyone as much as I like… And one of my victims was… a beloved wife of a Hokage…"

"T…That…" Zenpai mumbled.

"It was your mother, Scyther." Joshua continued his story. "But because she looked very much like my wife who had passed away, I couldn't kill her. Instead… I did something to her… Well… Let's just say that her disappearance after the War of Jasmine doesn't mean that she was already dead. It meant that she was too scared and embarrassed to come back to her family. So, she escaped to the Forezon Village and started a new life as the owner of a berry farm…"

"T…Then…" Zenpai started to realize what was going on.

Joshua turned his attention to the Leavanny he just killed. "This Leavanny, Lydia, was your real mother, Zenpai the Scyther."

"NOOOO!" Zenpai roared as he learned the truth of his mother. Lydia was his mother, but he didn't know it until she was already dead!

"Painful, isn't it?" Joshua sneered at the Scyther. "Well… Two down… One more to go…" Then Joshua turned his attention to Jasper.

"Jasper, do you want to hear the rest of my story?" Joshua asked with a crafty voice.

"W…What?!" Jasper asked with a shaking voice.

"After I let her live, she gave birth to… an egg… But it was an egg that was born to her and a monster with the body of the hero. So… She gave that egg to the orphanage in the Leafburg City instead… And that egg was you, Jasper! That also meant that Lydia is your real mother!"

"NO!" Jasper roared before he realized something. "W…Wait?! I…If that so… T…Then… My father…"

"Yes." Joshua sneered. "Your father is a monster with the body of the Hero of Legend. Your father killed your mother. And your father now stands in front of you, Jasper. Your father is Joshua Floratree the Sceptile, and your father is me."

"NO!" Jasper cried even harder than before. "T…That isn't true! Tell me that it isn't true!"

"Painful, isn't it, my son?" Joshua said. "After the War of Jasmine ended, I lived an isolated life in the shack in the middle of the Leafburg Forest. And one day, you found me and asked to be my apprentice. If you aren't my real son, I will never accept you as my apprentice. But because you are, I chose to accept you as my apprentice… And did you know? Julia Floratree the Serperior is actually my younger sister. She knew everything about you. She knew that you are my son, and yet she didn't tell you… Why? It was because she neither loved you nor cared about you!"

"STOP!" Jasper cried and covered his ears with his paws.

"Amazing, wasn't it?" Joshua crossed his arm. "Rachael the Latias, your mother, who isn't even your real mother, was already dead. Zenpai the Scyther, everyone in your family was killed by me. And my son, Jasper the Sceptile, your mother was already dead, everyone at the orphanage didn't love you or care about you, and your father is the mad swordsman! Are you all enjoying this moment of despair? Do you lose your will to live? If that's so, then I will be glad to grant death you all wished…"

"…No…"

It was Zenpai's voice. His voice attracted the attention of everyone, include Rachael who stopped crying to hear him.

"Y…You are wrong…" Zenpai spoke with a shaking voice as he tried to stand up. "Not everyone in my family was killed by you. There's still one left… That's right, my brother, Jasper?"

"R…Right." Jasper spoke as he tried to stand up too. "When I first met Zenpai, I felt that while we are on a different race, we still have something in common. And today, I knew the answer… If Madam Lydia is the mother of Zenpai and I… It means that Zenpai is my older half-brother."

"Not only that…" Zenpai said. "If Rachael is the adoptive daughter of Madam Lydia, she is also our younger sister too."

"Father, no, Master, no, Joshua." Jasper spoke with a cold voice. "You may think that you had taken everything in our lives from us already, but you were wrong!"

"And I will prove it that you are wrong!" Zenpai roared.

And then…

"What?!" Jasper and Rachael became surprised as Zenpai's body started glowing with a light green aura!

"W…What's happening?!" Rachael asked.

"T…That…" Joshua mumbled. "It can't be…"

A light green aura that glowed from Zenpai's body started healing the Scyther, making him able to stand up again! Not only that, it also healed Jasper too!

"W…What was that?!" Jasper said as he realized that his wounds were all gone! And his strength had returned to him!

"I feel… warm… and… powerful…" Zenpai mumbled. "And… I feel like… I could do anything in this world with this power!"

After healing Zenpai and Jasper, the light green aura cloaked around Zenpai's kunai, changing its color into sparkling light green! Zenpai could feel an enormous power emitting from his weapon!

"I….Impossible!" Joshua said unbelievably. "T…The Legendary Power of Bug type…. H…How could it…"

"Zenpai..." Jasper started to realize what happen when he heard Joshua's word. "The Power of Legend of the Bug type has awakened within your body! You are now the Hero of Legend who holds the power of bug type!"

"Joshua…" Zenpai spoke up. "You are not the only Hero of Legend around here anymore. With my Peridot Kunai, I SWEAR THAT I WILL DEFEAT YOU!"

Zenpai equipped his Peridot Kunai and dashed up to Joshua. This time, Zenpai's movement was much faster than before, making Joshua unable to dodge it!

"Garrr…." Joshua used his Emerald Katana to block Zenpai's attack, but it was still quite powerful!

"W… Why you?!" Joshua said and tried to thrust his katana, but Zenpai was too powerful!

"Take this!" Jasper appeared from behind and stabbed Joshua in the back with his katana!

"And this!" Zenpai fiercely attacked Joshua with his Peridot Kunai while Jasper used his katana to slash at the Sceptile mercilessly!

"ARRRRRR!" Joshua roared in pain as he was attacked by both Pokemon.

"I will help too!" Rachael said and used the move Helping Hand on both Joshua and Zenpai, giving them enormous power!

"And now!" Zenpai and Jasper prepared their attack before they both attacked Joshua with their X-Scissors!

"DOUBLE X-SCISSORS!" Jasper and Zenpai roared as they attacked Joshua.

"ARRRRR!" Joshua roared. He was injured badly that he couldn't stand this!

"H…How could you beat me?!" Joshua said unbelievably as he collapsed on the ground.

 **To Be Continued…**

* * *

 **Dragon of Vale: Wow… The first tail started with a bright and cheerful scene, and then it turned into this! This chapter is so dark, especially for the first tail…**

 **Well… One more chapter to go and the first tail will end…**

 **A special thanks to Ridin Valon for helping me with the error correction.**


	9. Tail 1-8: The Choices

**A Dragon's Tail**

 **Tail 1: Rachael's Tail – Contamination**

 **Tail 1-8: The Choices**

"Pant… Pant…" Jasper and Zenpai panted after the battle ended. They still couldn't believe what just happened…

"Is it… over?" Jasper mumbled.

"I…don't know…" Zenpai answered softly.

"Jasper! Zenpai!" Rachael approached them and gave them the healing potions to heal their wounds.

"Thanks…" Jasper and Zenpai spoke as they drank the potions.

"Garrr…."

Joshua groaned as he started to regain his consciousness, but he had no more power to fight!

"You…" Joshua spoke as he used his Emerald Katana to support his wounded body. "You have defeated me… Now kill me and end this madness once and for all…"

Jasper, Zenpai and Rachael looked at each others, and then Jasper spoke up. "Joshua… You were once the Hero of Legend who saved Symmetria… You were the one who taught me to wield the blade… And… I still don't understand… What made you fall into this madness?"

"…I already told everything to you, Jasper." Joshua answered. "To master the art of sword, I need to use it in both good ways and bad ways… And… I now understand everything I need to learn… Except for one thing…"

"…And what is that?" Zenpai asked.

"Death." Joshua answered. "I have seen many Pokemon die in front of my eyes, be my comrades or my enemies. But I have never tasted it myself… So... Kill me… And end all the madness I started…"

"…What do you think?" Zenpai asked Jasper and Rachael. "Should we kill him or not?"

"…I will let you decide, Rachael…" Jasper answered.

"…" Rachael looked at Joshua, the Hero of Forest who saved Symmetria from the Fallen Crisis, the Tsujigiri who killed countless Pokemon of Leafburg and the one who killed their mother…

"…No." Rachael answered, much to the surprise of Jasper, Zenpai and even Joshua himself.

"W…Why?!" Joshua asked.

"And what will we get from killing you?" Rachael asked. "Killing you won't bring mother back, and you are Jasper's father! Don't you care about your son at all?!"

"Rachael…" Zenpai mumbled. "I… don't really agree with you about not killing him… But… I must admit that you are right about this."

"…I don't really know about this…" Jasper mumbled and looked at his father. "But if you say so… I will… not kill you, Joshua."

"…" Joshua looked at the trio, and then…

"…You…idiots…" Joshua spoke up. "I am the incarnation of madness, and yet you chose to let me continue plaguing the world… Idiots!"

"…" Rachael, Jasper and Zenpai said nothing and looked at Joshua.

"You may allow me to live, but what about other Pokemon of Symmetria? What about goddess Yggdrasil, who protected Symmetria? WHAT ABOUT THE GOD, WHO GRANTED ME THE POWER TO BECOME THE HERO OF LEGEND TO PROTECT THE WORLD FROM EVIL?!"

"…If that's true, even we can't let you die…" Rachael spoke up. "You had committed the sin under the name of the Hero of Legend. So, you must… atone it first before we can let you die."

"…You really are idiots…" Jasper spoke and slowly picked his Emerald Katana. "Well… If I couldn't convince you all to kill me, I WILL BE THE ONE WHO DOES THIS INSTEAD! ARRGGGG!"

"!" Rachael, Zenpai and Jasper was shocked as they saw Joshua stabbed his Emerald Katana at his abdomen!

"EAH!" Rachael covered her eyes with her paws.

"W…What are you doing?!" Zenpai spoke up with a shaking voice.

"I… I will j…just take…. my life instead…" Joshua spoke with a shaking voice as he pierced his blade into his body further. "A…And… D…Did you know what this means, Jasper?!"

"W…What?!" Jasper spoke up.

"I…If I die… T…The power of legend w…within my veins…. will be transferred…to… the one…who shares the same…blood with me…" Joshua spoke.

"No…" Jasper mumbled.

"R…Right…" Joshua continued speaking. "J…Jasper…m…my son… Y…You will be… the next… Hero of Forest… A…And… Ugh!" Joshua groaned in pain again as he pierced the Emerald Katana further into his body.

"No… Not that…" Jasper mumbled.

"J…Jasper… Y…You will… b…be…t…the next owner… of… this cursed blade… the Emerald Katana… that… had devoured… blood…of countless… living creatures…." Joshua spoke.

"N…No… Not that… Stop it!" Jasper said.

"A…And now… Urhgg!" Jasper roared again. "E…Emerald Katana… D…Drink my bl…ood and…pass… your legacy to…y…your…next….o…owner… ARRRRGGGGRRGR!"

Joshua used the last of his strength to pierce the blade through his back. And then he collapsed on the ground… His breath stopped and his heart stopped beating…

"W…Why…?" Rachael spoke up with a shaking voice. "W…Why does this have to happen?"

After Joshua stopped breathing, his body glowed with a dark green aura, and the very same aura surrounded Jasper!

"No… No… Not like this!" Jasper said. And then he became more afraid when he saw the Emerald Katana being drawn out of Joshua's lifeless body with a mysterious force. The blade then flew up to him! Jasper unconsciously raised his paw to catch the blade!

"No…" Jasper said and looked at the Emerald Katana in his paw. The Emerald Katana emitted a mysterious power that made him feel like he had a power to do anything in this world. And… he also noticed something… It was a strange mark that appeared on the back of his right paw…

"W…What is this?" Jasper mumbled.

"I also have one like this too…" Zenpai spoke up after the dark green aura faded away from Jasper. He showed the side of his right forearm. There was a strange mark there too. "I heard that the Hero of Legend will carry the Mark of Legend on their body to show that they are the one who are the Hero of Legend… So… I think these are the Mark of Legend…"

"…" Jasper said nothing and looked at his Mark of Legend.

"…And…" Zenpai said. "Now you are the Hero of Legend who holds the power of Grass type… And you have the Emerald Katana, the blade that stole our mother's life…"

"…" Jasper paused for a bit before he spoke up. "Zenpai, let's go back… Rachael, you too… Wait… Rachael?!" Jasper looked around and saw that Rachael was not around here.

"…Rachael…" Zenpai spoke up. "She went into that abandoned temple when she saw you get the Emerald Katana… I don't know why did she go there…"

"Let's take her home…" Jasper said.

Jasper and Zenpai approached the abandoned temple, but just as they got near the door of the temple…

 _"…Sniff… Sniff…"_

Zenpai and Jasper stopped moving. It's the sound of someone's crying, and that 'someone' must be none other than Rachael.

"…Let's wait until she gets better…" Jasper said.

"Right…" Zenpai agreed. "But still… There's something I don't understand… How could our mother have come here?"

"…I think it was the feeling of motherhood…" Jasper answered with the words that Rachael used when he was annoyed by Julia's overacting habit. "We didn't go back to Paradise Farm at the dusk, so our mother was worried about us and set out to find us… And… Her feeling led her here…"

"…" Zenpai looked at Jasper. "Alright… Then… While waiting for Rachael… Let's bury our fathers in this courtyard…"

Jasper said nothing and nodded in response. Then the duo walked up to the lifeless bodies of their fathers…

* * *

 **-Inside the abandoned temple**

"Sniff… Sniff…"

Rachael cried. The things that happened today were too much for her… Especially the death of her mother… So, she ran into this abandoned temple because she didn't want to cry in front of Jasper and Zenpai, her elder brothers…

No…

Despite them being her elder brothers, they weren't. They were the real sons of Lydia the Leavanny while she wasn't… She was just her adopted daughter…

'I… I am always alone…' Rachael thought to herself. 'I… I am always alone… I have neither father nor mother… The only one I have in my life… is Onii-chan… But now… I don't know where he is…'

 _'…What about Jasper and Zenpai? I think they always care for you…'_

'No…' Rachael continued thinking. 'F…For them….I… I am just a burden to them… They… They are the Hero of Legend… And… I am not… I am so weak… I couldn't fight… And I couldn't even defend myself. I…If I could become stronger…. T…Then I will at least not be a burden to them…'

 _'…Are you sure that you want to become stronger?'_

'Yes… Wait…' Rachael realized that she was talking to someone through her mind the whole time. "W…Who are you?" Rachael asked and looked around the abandoned temple, but she could see no one around here.

 _"…Allow me…"_

Rachael saw a light glowing from an altar in the middle of the temple. The light… gave her a warm feeling… Rachael then slowly approached the altar…

"You…" Rachael spoke up. "…Are you here?"

 _"Yes…"_ A soft, warm and feminine voice echoed from the glowing light on the altar. _"I am right here, Rachael…"_

"W…Who are you?" Rachael asked.

 _"…I am… like you, Rachael…"_ The glowing light answered. _"I am… a Mega Latias…"_

"Mega Latias?!" Rachael repeated the words of the glowing light.

 _"Right…"_ The glowing light that was actually a Mega Latias continued speaking. _"I was, like you, a Latias, who have lived in this world for a very long time… And my power became stronger, resulting in me being turned into a Mega Latias for eternity, even after my death…"_

"You…" Rachael spoke up. "You… are already dead?! Then how could you still be here and speak with me?"

 _"It is not important. The important thing is… Did you say that you want to become stronger?"_ Mega Latias asked.

"Yes…" Rachael answered.

 _"If that so… Then… I have a proposal for you… I offer you… to form a pact with me…"_ Mega Latias spoke.

"Form a pact?" Rachael asked.

 _"Yes…"_ Mega Latias continued speaking. _"After you form a pact with me, I will lend you my power and you will become stronger… But in return… You will pay the price by being cursed to lose something…"_

'Being cursed… to lose something?'Rachael thought to herself. Sure, it was quite scary to lose something… But… Right now, Rachael had nothing left in her life to lose… In return, she will become stronger and will not become a burden to her friends… So…

 _"…What do you think?"_ Mega Latias asked. _"Will you form a pact with me?"_

"…I will." Rachael answered. "I have nothing more to lose. And if it means that I will no longer be a burden to my friends… I will do it."

 _"…Are you sure?"_ Mega Latias asked.

"Yes." Rachael answered with a determined voice.

 _"Then… Touch this glowing light… And I will form a pact with you and lend you my power…"_ Mega Latias said.

Rachael approached the glowing light and reached her paw to touch it. She then could feel an enormous amount of power flowing into her body! She also felt that new powers had been awakened in her body too.

Then, the glowing light disappeared, and Rachael now felt much more powerful than before.

 _'…Now my power is yours… Use it as you see fit…'_ Mega Latias' voice echoed through Rachael's mind.

'M…Mega Latias…' Rachael spoke through her mind. 'W…Where are you?'

 _'I am right here… In your Mist Pendant…'_ Mega Latias answered. Rachael then took a look at the pendant that she always wore around her neck.

'Y…You are here?' Rachael asked through her mind.

 _'Yes… I will always stay here with you, Rachael…'_ Mega Latias spoke from the pendant. _'Now your Mist Pendant have become a Dragon Relic, proof that you have made a pact with me… And I will stay here to lend you my power…"_

'Okay.' Rachael said.

 _'Now…'_ Mega Latias started explaining. _'After forming a pact with me, the new powers have been awakened within your body. Now you can use two new moves, Dragon Breath and Energy Ball. Not only that… During the battle, you can also summon me and I will aid you in the battle with my power, which is a move called Mist Ball. So… Do not hesitate to ask me for your help…'_

'…Thanks… Mega Latias…' Rachael expressed her gratitude.

 _'And now…'_ Mega Latias said. _'Let's go… Your friends are now waiting for you…'_

* * *

"Rachael?" Zenpai called the Latias as she left the abandoned temple.

"Are you alright, Rachael?" Jasper asked.

"Jasper… Zenpai…" Rachael looked at the duo. "… I am fine now… Please do not worry about me…"

"…We already buried our fathers in this courtyard…" Jasper continued speaking. "So… Let's go back to our home…"

"Right." Zenpai said. "Let's go to the Paradise Farm… So we can give our mother a nice resting place…"

* * *

 **-Several Hours Later…**

After going back to the Paradise Farm and giving their mother a proper burial, the trio got into the house to get some rest. Jasper and Zenpai stayed in the living room while Rachael went upstairs back to her room. Even thought the time now was already passed the midnight, Rachael still couldn't sleep. She instead walked up to the window and stared at a moon in the sky.

 _'…Rachael, shouldn't you get some rest?'_ The Mist Pendant glowed a mysterious light as Mega Latias spoke to Rachael.

"…I am just… thinking…" Rachael answered slowly. "After all of this, what should I do next? Now mother is gone... And I don't know what to do…"

 _'…Rachael…'_ Mega Latias spoke. _'Did you say that you have someone called Onii-chan… Is he your true elder brother?'_

"Yes…" Rachael answered. "We were very close together when we were…"

 _'…Were a human, right?'_ Mega Latias finished Rachael's word.

"H… How did you know that?" Rachael asked.

 _'I had been watching you since the day you appeared at the abandoned temple… And… I had seen a human who had been turned into a Pokemon before…'_ Mega Latias answered.

"I see…" Rachael understood.

 _'Anyway… You said that your elder brother is now missing, and you miss him so much, right? Then… Why don't you try to find him?'_ Mega Latias said.

"W…What?!" Rachael said. "B…But…."

 _'Don't worry… Don't forget that I am with you…"_ Mega Latias said. _"I will always be with you and I will help you in trying to find your elder brother… With my power, I am sure you could do it…'_

"B…But I am still not sure about this… I don't know where he is… And I have never been to other places outside the Principality of Leafburg before…" Rachael said.

 _'…Then, take your time and think about this… Do not worry… I am with you all the way…'_ Mega Latias said.

"…Thank you, Mega Latias…" Rachael said.

The Mist Pendant stopped glowing. Rachael then headed to her bed in order to take a rest… Before she found that there was something sleeping on her bed.

"Yawn…?" The thing that slept on Rachael's bed woke up after hearing Rachael's sound. It then looked around until it saw Rachael.

"W…Who are you?" Rachael asked.

"Yay! Yay! Yippy Ho!" The thing that was sleeping on Rachael's bed jumped in joy and started dancing! "Yay! Yay! You come! Yay! Yay!"

Rachael looked at the thing on her bed. The moonlight shone from the moon revealed it as a cat like Pokemon called Espurr… But it was not a Pokemon… It was a doll!

"Y…You are a living doll?!" Rachael said.

"Yippy Ho! Right! I am Cathy! Yippy Ho!" The Espurr Doll said.

"Cathy?!" Rachael looked at the Espurr Doll who had just introduced itself as 'Cathy'. "Who are you?"

"Cathy is Cathy! Yay!" Cathy said.

Rachael looked at the Cathy again. Sure, seeing a thing that wasn't supported to speak and dance was a bit scary… But… Because that thing was a kitty cat doll, Rachael felt that Cathy was…Cute.

"Come here, Cathy!" Rachael said.

"Yay! Yay!" Cathy jumped onto Rachael's shoulder.

"Cathy, you are so cute!" Rachael said as she petted the Espurr Doll. "Now, let's sleep together!"

"Yay! Yay!" Cathy said as both of them got into the bed. And then they both quickly fell asleep after a long and exhausted day…

* * *

 **-The Next Morning…**

Rachael woke up at 9.00. Despite she woke up rather late today, it was still earlier than Jasper and Zenpai who still slept and snored on the sofa in the living room as Rachael went downstairs. Rachael then went into the kitchen to prepare breakfast for them. (With Cathy as her assistance) As she finished, Jasper and Zenpai already woke up.

"Good morning, Ra—" Zenpai and Jasper walked into the kitchen and was about to greet the Latias when they saw that there's something different with her.

"Good morning! Jasper! Zenpai!" Rachael greeted. She wasn't in her usual cloth. Instead, she wore a rose-colored Yukata with ruby-colored Obi.

"Rachael, I have never known you have a Yukata too…" Zenpai asked.

"Oh… You mean this?" Rachael looked at her cloth. "Well, I bought it at the boutique of the Leafburg City after I went to the Post Office in the first day…"

"Oh…I remember that…" Jasper mumbled. "That day when you spent your time at the boutiques instead of meeting me at the Forest Park…"

Rachael, Jasper and Zenpai then had breakfast together. During the breakfast, Rachael introduced Cathy to her friends. Sure, Zenpai and Jasper were surprised to see a living Espurr Doll, but Cathy's cuteness won their hearts too.

* * *

After breakfast, the trio (And Cathy) went into the living room. Then, the room fell into silence. All of them had something in their mind, but none did speak it out. Until Zenpai started a conversation about the thing they all were thinking.

"…So…" Zenpai broke the silence. "… What will you do next?"

"…" Rachael said nothing. She just hugged Cathy in her arms.

"…I will leave the Principality of Leafburg." Jasper answered, much to the surprise of Rachael and Zenpai.

"W…Why?" Rachael asked.

"… Now I am the owner of this thing…" Jasper showed them a scabbard contained the Emerald Katana. "This katana have killed countless Pokemon of Leafburg, including Zenpai's father, Zenpai's elder brothers, my father and our mother. If it continued to exist within the forest of Leafburg, a tragedy would surely follow again. That's why I must leave."

"B…But…" Rachael said. "I…It wasn't a blade! It was… Joshua who killed everyone!"

"…That may be true…" Jasper continued speaking. "But what will everyone think if they see me walking around the Principality of Leafburg with this katana in my possession?"

"…" Rachael became silent. She then thought of the thing Mega Latias told her last night…

 _'Anyway… You said that your elder brother is now missing, and you miss him so much, right? Then… Why don't you try to find him?'_

With this, she finally knew what answer she would give to this question.

"Then, I will go with you." Rachael answered, much to the surprise of Jasper and Zenpai.

"W…What?" Jasper spoke out. "Y…You can't! It's very dangerous to go to other nations!"

"But… I don't have anything left in my life…" Rachael said. "Mother is already dead… So… At least, let me go with you, Jasper. Please…"

Once again that Rachael looked at Jasper with a determined and innocent face, which made it became hard for Jasper to refuse her.

"…Fine. If that's your decision, I won't object it…" Jasper said. "However, as I am your elder brother, you have to let me protect you, okay?"

"Okay." Rachael responded. Then Jasper turned his attention to Zenpai.

"What about you, Zenpai?" Jasper asked. "What will you do from now on? Will you go back to your village?"

"…As the only son left of the Hokage, it was likely for me to resume my father's duty of being a Hokage…" Zenpai spoke. "…However, seven days ago, when we left this place for the Leafburg City, mother asked me to protect Rachael, and I promised to protect her no matter what… That was… her last words to me… So, I will keep my promise…"

"Then…" Rachael said.

Zenpai looked at Rachael. "Rachael, if you go with Jasper, I will go with you too. Plus, as a big brother, I wouldn't let my younger siblings to go without me, right?"

"Thanks! Zenpai!" Rachael said.

"Well… That's very like you, Zenpai." Jasper said. "But… drop the part of big brother, will you? You were friends until yesterday and now you are my big brother? That's not right…"

"Hey…" Zenpai looked at Jasper. "Do not forget that I am 22 while you are 19, Jasper."

"Fine…" Jasper yielded. "Do what you want, BIG BROTHER."

Seeing Jasper and Zenpai act like this made Rachael a bit happy… But… She would be much happier if her true elder brother was here too.

"Now Rachael…" Zenpai turned her attention to her. "We will leave today after lunch. So… Go and prepare your stuff for another journey… And… Don't forget that we will not come back here for quite some time…"

Rachael nodded and then she and Cathy went back upstairs to her room again.

* * *

Rachael started packing her stuff again. This time, she took everything that was her own thing with her as she knew that she wouldn't come back here for some time…

'I will miss this place…' Rachael thought. 'But I must be prepared… Well… At least I have some PokeCoin from delivering berries and seeds to the Leafburg City…'

She then went to a berry garden to pick five berries of each kind and stored them in her berry pouch. Then she went to a seed garden to pick five seeds of each kind and stored them in her seed pouch.

'If I left this place, the berries and seeds will wither and die…' Rachael thought sadly. 'At least, if I get some with me, I could still plant and take care of them elsewhere!'

After she finished harvesting some berries and seeds, Rachael went into the barn to get ten berry pots.

'With this portable pot, I would be able to plant berries and seeds any time I want!' Rachael thought.

When she finished everything, she went back to the house, where Jasper and Zenpai were waiting. The trio then had lunch together. After lunch, the trio then left the house…

"…I wonder…" Zenpai spoke as they reached the gate of the Paradise Farm. "When will we have a chance to see this beautiful farm again…"

"Well…" Jasper said. "It may be sooner than we thought… Or… We may never see this farm again… So… We will never know the answer…"

"…" Rachael said nothing and looked at the house again. She still hugged Cathy, who was now sleeping peacefully in her arms.

"…Let's go." Zenpai said.

"Right." Jasper spoke.

Rachael said nothing but nodded and smiled innocently at both of them. Then the trio left the gate of Paradise Farm. Their destination was…

* * *

This is… The start of their story…

A story… That even them could never imagined…

 **-End of Tail 1: Contamination-**

 **To Be Continued…**

* * *

 **Dragon of Vale: And this is the end of Tail 1: Contamination. I think you may already know the answer why this tail is called 'Contamination'…**

 **Rachael, Jasper and Zenpai decided to leave the Principality of Leafburg. Where will they go? No one knows…**

 **As you can see, Rachael has formed a pact with a Mega Latias. That's the main plot of this story. Each protagonist will form a pact with a Legendary Pokemon. The pact they formed will give them a power rivals to the Hero/ine of Legend… At a price, of course…**

 **And… At the end of every tail, I will write a chapter of interlude, which will be a story of another protagonist of this story. After I wrote the interlude, I will start the second tail, which will be MUCH darker than the first tail, I must say…**

 **A special thanks to Ridin Valon for helping me with the error correction.**


	10. Tail 1-Interlude: A Faint Light

**A Dragon's Tail**

 **Tail 1: Rachael's Tail – Contamination**

 **Tail 1-Interlude: A Faint Light**

 _"…"_

 _"…A….y…u…a…r…ht…"_

 _"…Are you alright?"_

 _A powerful but warm and gentle voice echoed through my ears. I slowly opened my eyes and tried to see who spoke that…_

 _"…Are you alright?" The same voice asked me again. "Here, let me help…"_

 _The owner of that voice reached their paw to me to help me stand up._

 _"…Thank you…" I gave my gratitude to them as I stood up._

 _I looked around this place. It seemed like I am in a beautiful and exotic garden with small bushes, refreshing air, stone statues, sparkling river and curved bridge. The most outstanding thing in this place was the trees that grew up here. Instead of having green leaves on their branches, the trees had the pale pink-colored flowers, both in bud and in full-bloom, decorated everywhere. The sight of pale pink petals falling from the trees and dancing in the wind before reaching the ground below was so… beautiful…_

 _"This place… is so beautiful…" I commented._

 _"You are in the Cherry Blossom Trail." A Pokemon who helped me explained. "It's famous for the cherry blossom that will only bloom during this time of the year. Cherry Blossom is also the flower that represents Theocracy of Venturnome."_

 _"Cherry Blossom Trail… Theocracy of Venturnome…" I repeated the words I heard. "So… I am on the continent of Symmetria, right?"_

 _"Hm?" That Pokemon looked at me. "You spoke as if… you have just come here out of…nowhere…"_

 _"Well… I…" I tried to remember what was happening to me before I came here, but I couldn't remember anything! "I…don't remember…"_

 _"You don't remember?" That Pokemon crossed their arms. "Then, what about your name? Do you remember your name?"_

 _I tried to think again, but I couldn't remember anything about myself._

 _"…No…" I shook my head no. "I don't remember…"_

 _"I see… You couldn't remember anything about yourself… Yet you know that this place is on the continent of Symmetria…" That Pokemon spoke up again. "And… If you don't remember anything about yourself… Then… Could you at least remember that you were always a kind of Pokemon you are now?"_

 _I slowly walked up to a river nearby and looked at my reflection in the surface of water. The reflection I saw was… same… It was the reflection of my face… My face that I could remember very well… But… Somehow… I felt like I am a bit… hollow inside my body… I felt like I am not a 'whole'._

 _"Yes…" I gave her a short answer._

 _"…." That Pokemon said nothing and walked up to the river. They then stood beside me._

 _I looked at myself on the surface of water again. Somehow… I felt as if…_

 _I slowly reached my paw to the surface of water, trying to touch my reflection…_

 _And when I did…_

* * *

 **"...T…That…"**

 **"Finally… After a long waiting for over a thousand years…"**

 **"After those with Blood of Legend defeated me and sealed me within the rift of time and space… I have been waiting for this…"**

 **"With this… I will finally get my own body…"**

 **" I will finally exist.."**

 **"And with my existence…"**

 **"I will continue my duty of plaguing the world with nightmares, just like what I did during Twilight Crisis!"**

 **"GRRRRRRRRRR"**

* * *

 _"What the?!"_

 _I looked at the surface of water again. When I touched the surface of water, I heard a voice of someone… Who speaks about something about darkness… And… It seemed like the one who spoke that was…me?!_

 _"What happened?" The Pokemon who helped me asked when they saw me acting a bit strange._

 _"N…Nothing…" I gave them a false answer as I still didn't know what had just happened to me._

 _"…Alright then…" That Pokemon continued speaking. "If you still couldn't remember anything, why don't you come with me? I will show you around Theocracy of Venturnome. Maybe you will remember something…"_

 _"Thank you…" I expressed my gratitude to them again._

 _"And before that… I think I haven't introduced myself yet, right?" That Pokemon said, and then they started introducing themselves._

 _"My name is_ _ **Iris Mysteric the Mewtwo**_ _. I am the Sage of Existence and the current Hero of Legend who holds the power of psychic type. For now, I am the Archsage of Theocracy of Venturnome."_

 **To Be Continued…**

* * *

 **Dragon of Vale: Here's the first interlude for you.**

 **This interlude is a bit mysterious, isn't it? We have unknown character who suffers amnesia. They couldn't remember anything about themselves, include their name! And we also meet Iris, the current Hero of Legend who holds the power of Psychic type.**

 **The next chapter would be the start of the second tail! I must warn you again that the second tail is MUCH darker than the first tail. So, be careful…**

 **A special thanks to Ridin Valon for helping me with the error correction.**


	11. Tail 2-1: A Dragon with No Name

**A Dragon's Tail**

 **Tail 2: Zetarus' Tail – Ambivalence**

 **Tail 2-1: A Dragon with No Name**

'Who am I?'

I kept asking myself as I was dragged along a dark corridor. The torches on the wall were the only things that illuminated this dark place. But… I still couldn't see anything, even my own body…

'Who am I? And what is the purpose of my existence?'

I asked the same questions to myself, yet I could never find the answer I want…

"You are the living scum of the earth! Your only purpose of existence is to rot until death in this place!"

This was what they would answer me if I ask these questions to them.

'Am I really meaningless? Am I destined to be born and die?'

The floor was cold as I slowly stepped on it. I couldn't walk much faster than this as the restraints that bound my arms and my legs prevented me from doing so, and a dagger that was stabbed in my back prevented me from using my power. But still…

"Hey!" A rough voice echoed from behind me and my back was jabbed by the head of a spear. "Walking like that won't save you from going to hell, so move up, maggot!"

It was a cycle of hell… The restraints prevented me from walking fast, and spear that jabbed my back prevented me from walking slow…

At last…

I was brought to a room… This room had a thing that I had never seen before… It was… a square hole in the wall with a light shone through it…

"Never see a window before, maggot?" The one who dragged me here spoke up. "Don't worry about it, you will never see it again."

I was brought to the middle of the room and was forced to kneel down on the floor near a bloody block. Then my neck was placed on this block, with my head jutting out of the block's edge. There was a bloody box below my head… From where I was, I saw someone who's all in black, even their mask. They held a bloody poleaxe in their paws…

"You had been loitering on this world long enough." The one who dragged me here spoke with a snide voice. "It's time for you to return to hell."

'Hell? So… It's time for me to…die…' I thought to myself again. 'But… They said it's time for me to go to hell… I wonder… Does dying mean going to hell or getting out of hell?'

I couldn't move any part of my body… So… There's nothing I could do to escape this fate… A fate that destined me to be born and live here for 21 years before returning to the afterlife again…

The one who held a poleaxe raised it upward, preparing to strike it down on my neck…

I closed my eyes and waited for the moment… the moment of death…

'…'

'…'

'Wait…'

'I…'

'I can't die yet!'

That was the last thing that came into my mind as the poleaxe struck down on my neck…

* * *

"…"

"…Where… am I?"

I woke up in a strange place… What should I say about this place? It seemed like I am in…

 _"Your own consciousness…"_

"Hm?!" I looked around as I heard a calm and powerful voice. But I couldn't see anyone around here.

 _"Pitiful mortal… Do you really think you could see me easily?."_

"…If you are not going to do anything, fxxk off." I spoke with my arms crossed.

 _"You ignorant… Don't you know you can't escape from your consciousness?"_

"…Ignorant? Consciousness?" I said. "Couldn't you use easier words?"

 _"…In other words, you are in your own mind."_

"My own mind? And who the hell are you?" I asked.

 _"I am Zygarde, the order Pokemon."_ That voice answered. _"I am a Pokemon who watches over the world from Soulyn, the land in the Afterlife."_

"Soulyn… Afterlife…" I repeated those words. "So… It means that I am already dead, right?"

 _"…If you are already dead, then why did I call you 'mortal'?"_ Zygarde spoke up again.

"…So, I am still alive." I crossed my arms again. "And what do you want from me by trapping me here at the moment of my death?"

 _"…Let me ask you one thing; do you want to die or continue living on?"_ Instead of answering my question, Zygarde yet asked me another question.

It was obvious… Why should I continue living in the world where there's nothing, even my body, that is mine? Well…Wait…

"I can't die yet!" I spoke without thinking.

 _"Then, why?"_ Zygarde asked me again.

'How the hell should I know?' I thought to myself. I didn't know what was I thinking when I said that I can't die yet… But… somehow, deep in my mind, I felt that…

"…I must do something…" I gave another answer. "I was born for this thing, and I can't die until I finish it!"

 _"Interesting…"_ Zygarde spoke up. _"But right now, you are at the moment of death. Once I let you go from this, you will die, yet you still didn't finish your task…"_

"…If I couldn't finish it within my short lifespan, I will come back from the afterlife." I gave an answer. "And continue living until I could finish it."

 _"…As one of three rulers of the Afterlife, I couldn't allow you to do that."_ Zygarde spoke up. _"Going back to life is against the laws of nature…"_

"…Didn't I tell you to use words that are easy to understand?" I crossed my arms again.

 _"You fool… It means you can't go back from dead to being alive."_ Zygarde answered.

"…And what will you do?" I asked. "I don't care what punishment you have for me if I did because… I must do it at all costs."

 _"If that's so…"_ Zygarde spoke up. _"I have something to offer that you may find… interesting."_

"… Spit it out." I said.

 _"I offer you… to form a pact with me…"_ Zygarde said. _"When you form a pact with me, you will receive the power you could never imagine of… And I would be glad to lend you my power…"_

"I see…" I said. "And… What's the price I must pay?"

 _"In return…"_ Zygarde continued. _"You will be cursed to lose something… But since you said that nothing in your life belonged to you…"_

"…Fine." I spoke without any thought. "I accept your offer."

As I said, a faint glow of light appeared in front of me, and Zygarde continued speaking. _"Then, touch the thing you see in front of you."_

I stepped forward and reached my paw to touch it…

"W…What?!" I became surprised as I felt a huge amount of power flowing into my body. This power… It made me felt like… I have nothing to be afraid.

 _'Now the forming is finished…'_ Zygarde spoke up again, but this time, they spoke through my mind. _'And my power is yours. You can also speak to me via the Ring of Balance on your claw.'_

I looked at my right claw and became surprised as there was a ring there. I was sure that it wasn't here before.

 _"This Ring of Balance is your Dragon Relic, which is proof that you have formed a pact with me, which you can use it to speak with me."_ Zygarde continued explaining. _"And with my power, you can now use the move Dragon Claw and Dig… But I know you have never used a move before in your life, right?"_

I pretended to ignore his question.

 _"And…"_ Zygarde continued. _"When you are in trouble, you can call me and I will come to aid you with my moves, Land's Wrath, Thousand Arrows and Thousand Waves, depends on my mind."_

"…Do you have anything more to tell me?" I asked after listening to them for quite some time. "If not, fxxk off and send me back."

 _"…There's yet one thing I want to ask you."_ Zygarde said. _"You haven't told me your name yet. What's your name?"_

"No." I answered. "I am a dragon with no name."

 _"That's too bad…"_ Zygarde said. _"Then, farewell for now, mortal. I hope that the next time we meet, you will finally have a name to tell me."_

"…"

* * *

Instead of a poleaxe chopping my head from my body, it hit the block instead!

"WHAT?!" The one who held the poleaxe spoke with a shaking voice as I evaded the death blow! For them, this shouldn't be happening!

"Grrrr…. GRAAAAAARRRAAR!" I roared as loud as I could and used my power to break the restraints that bound my body and the dagger that was stabbed at my back. Then…

"Zygarde, I call you!" I spoke and rested my paw on the floor, which made the silhouette of a huge snake-like dragon Pokemon appeared! And when it appeared, the floor below us started to crumble!

 _"Thousand Waves!"_

"ARRRRRRR!" Everyone else in this room roared in pain as they were attacked by several waves beneath the floor! The seismic waves rendered movement impossible for them like they were glued to the floor!

As everyone was trapped by Zygarde's Thousand Waves, I quickly left the room and went into the dark corridor again. Then I ran along the corridor, trying to find an exit. But as I did that…

 _"Warning! A Prisoner has escaped from the execution and is now trying to escape! Everyone, be on your guard and try to capture this prisoner, dead or alive!"_

"Sxxt!" I cursed. And then I saw several guards in front of me. Once they noticed me, they pointed their pistols at me.

"Stop right there!" One of them spoke to me. "Your escape is over! Surrender now or face the consequences."

'Don't those guards know how to use the easier words?' I thought to myself. This may seem like a dead end, but… not for me!

"DIG!" I roared as I quickly dug a hole in the floor and went into it. The guards opened fire at me, but I was too fast and they were too slow.

"You will never get away from this place alive!" One of the guards spoke up. "Everyone! Cover the exits of this place. The Desert Prison's steel wall was built into the ground too, so the prisoner couldn't leave this place via digging!"

* * *

I rose up from the ground and found myself in a room with several 'windows'. This room had many things that I had never seen before in my life.

'What is this?' I picked a long object with a black, sharp tip that was on a table. 'A spear? But the tip was too short… And…What?' I said as the sharp tip was broken easily when I touched it. 'What kind of spear is this? And… The tip of this spear also leaves a black mark on my claw too!'

 _'…Shouldn't you continue your escape? Why do you waste your time with a pencil?'_ Zygarde asked me through my mind again.

'Bel-zin?' I thought. 'What is it? A new kind of spear?'

 _'…Never mind. Now continue your escape!'_ Zygarde said.

I placed the 'Bel-zin' back on the table and was about to go when I noticed something on the table near the 'Bel-zin'. This time, I know what it is.

'T…This…' I picked it up. Obviously, I know what it was. It was a pistol like the one those guards used, but this one seemed a bit different. I also found several bullets near a pistol too.

"This seemed like a nice weapon for me." I said and decided to bring it with me too.

* * *

"There you are!"

A guard spoke up when I left the room. This time, it was me who pointed a pistol and shot him at his forehead without missing!

"Y…You!" One of the other guards said when they saw me shooting at their comrade. They then tried to attack me, but again, I was too fast, and they were too slow. After a few seconds, all the guards around here were already dead by my bullets.

'Too easy…' I thought as I checked my bullets. When I saw that I still have ample amount of bullets, I continued running along a long corridor again. This time, it led me to an area, or to be exact, the area where I was imprisoned.

"H…Hey!" One of three prisoners in the cell that I was imprisoned in spoke up when they saw me. "Y…You are that dragon who was with us, right? Now, please free us!"

"Y… You…" One of the other two prisoners spoke up too. "P…Please let us go and we will not forget about your kindness…"

"M…Me too." The last prisoner spoke up. "D…Don't forget me who have kept you safe here for 21 years!"

'Oh…I remember all of you…' I thought as I looked at three prisoners in the cell. 'One of you always mocks me and beats me up… The second one… You always…No, I won't think about it. And the last one, you raised me because you want to eat me if food becomes scarce one day…'

I closed my eyes a bit before I spoke up. "Sure, I will free all of you. Just wait here while I go to find a key, alright?"

"Thanks!" All three prisoners said. "You are the best!"

'Just wait here… And you will be free at last…' I thought as I ran passed through their cell. However, the thought of helping them had never come across my mind…

* * *

'Ah! There it is!' I thought as I saw a door with a shining light. This must be the exit of this damned place. But as I approached it…

"Stop right there you criminal scum!"

Several guards appeared as I reached the exit. They then surrounded me and pointed their pistols at me. "You may kill our comrades with your bullets, but in a situation like this, you won't be able to escape!" One of the guards spoke up. "Now, surrender!"

"Surrender?" I spoke up. "Sorry, but I don't know the meaning of that word! Zygarde!" I quickly rested my paw on the floor again. "I call you!"

"GARRRRR!" Zygarde's s silhouette appeared again. This time, they attacked by summoning several arrows from the ceiling!

 _"Thousand Arrows!"_

"ARRRRRR!" The guards roared in pain as they were attacked by Zygarde's Thousand Arrows. Zygarde's attack was so powerful that none could stand against it!

"Arr…." The guards started collapsing on the floor, one by one. And not before long, all guards were now lying on the floor. They were now dead.

"See ya, losers!" I said as I passed through the door and got out of the Desert Prison for the first time in my life…

* * *

"What the…"

I spoke out as I saw the outside of Desert Prison for the first time in my life. Outside Desert Prison was a… vast placed filled with sand everywhere.

 _'This is called the 'Desert'.'_ Zygarde spoke up.

"Desert…" I mumbled. "So… This is the desert…"

 _'You don't know about the desert?'_ Zygarde asked.

"I was locked in this nasty place for my whole 21-year life." I answered.

 _'Anyway…'_ Zygarde continued speaking. _'What you have done gives me a lot of tasks! Several fallen souls from the guards you killed will now arrive at the Afterlife…'_

"It wasn't my fault…" I said and looked at my pistol. "It was my Raider Pistol's fault."

 _'Great…'_ Zygarde mumbled. _'Now get away from that place before the other guards catch up with you.'_

"Sure…" I spoke as I walked away from Desert Prison before I remembered something. "Zygarde, I promised to my 'friends' that I will free them, so, would you please be my guest and 'free' them for me?"

 _'You…'_ Zygarde said. _'Don't you dare…'_

"…Or your power isn't enough to do it? Well, such a waste…" I mocked.

 _'Y…You insolent mortal! You shall see my power now! Land's Wrath!'_ Zygarde said before several beams of green light emerged from the ground and caused the ground beneath Desert Prison to crack and fall apart. There was no doubt about it; there was no life left around here except me. No guards. No prisoners. Nothing but short-lasting blood-curdling screams and a huge pile of rubbles at where Desert Prison used to be.

"Ah…" I said as I heard the sound of terrorized screams before they were slain by Land's Wrath. "The song of death! This is so good!"

 _'Y…You psychopathic mortal…'_ Zygarde said.

"Didn't I tell you to use an easy word?" I said. "And now, I have finished my promise by freeing them from their imprisonment."

 _'…I am starting to regret forming a pact with you, mortal.'_ Zygarde said. _'But what's done is done, and I will accept it.'_

"Good." I said. "Now let's go. I have a task to do."

 _'By the way…'_ Zygarde spoke up again. _'I once asked you your name, and you told me you had none. But now, do you have a name?'_

This time, I had an answer for him. "Yes." I answered.

 _"Then, what's your name?"_ Zygarde asked.

"Zetarus." I answered.

 **To Be Continued…**

* * *

 **Dragon of Vale: Welcome to the second tail: Ambivalence. This tail almost has nothing to do with the first tail, and Rachael, Jasper and Zenpai won't appear in this tail too, but several new characters will appear instead. Well, what do you think about it? Is it dark? Well… This tail is one of the darkest tails in this story.**

 **We met the protagonist of this tail. His name is Zetarus, he uses a pistol as his weapon (Now his pistol is called 'Raider Pistol'), and he had formed a pact with Zygarde, but we still don't know what kind of Pokemon he is… except that he is a dragon type Pokemon for sure. Also, he seems like a psychopathic killer, which reminds me about those merchants' conversation in Tail 1-5…**

 **A special thanks to Ridin Valon for helping me with the error correction.**


	12. Tail 2-2: Dustorm Empire

**A Dragon's Tail**

 **Tail 2: Zetarus' Tail – Ambivalence**

 **Tail 2-2: Dustorm Empire**

Out of all seven nations, Dustorm Empire, the nation inhabited by ground type and flying type Pokemon, was the biggest nation on the continent of Symmetria. It was a nation located in the western area of Symmetria and spanned to the middle area of Symmetria. It connected to Fireview Kingdom to the north, Republic of Civilight to the northeast, Principality of Leafburg to the east and Theocracy of Venturnome to the south.

Most area of Dustorm Empire was the scorching Dustorm Desert while the western area of this nation was a sand dune called Sandstorm Dune, which was the location of Dustorm City, the capital of Dustorm Empire. Dustorm Empire's eastern area bordered to Republic of Civilight and was also the center point of Symmetria, was a deep valley inhabited by no Pokemon. And the southwestern area of Dustorm Empire was a plateau of the wind, Windsky Plateau.

Dustorm Empire was famous for its fossil fuel and gemstones as there were many sources of valuable gemstones and fossil fuels under the desert. This nation was also famous for its military as it had the biggest army on Symmetria, making it a very stable and powerful nation…

* * *

 **At the Dustorm City, Desert Palace.**

"Prince Terrus!"

A Sandshrew in a suit of armor ran up hastily as a Garchomp in a royal armor walked into the main hall of the palace. The Garchomp then stopped and looked at the Sandshrew with strong but also soft eyes.

"What is it, soldier?" The Garchomp asked.

"A…A prisoner has escaped from the Desert Prison!" Sandshrew reported with a shaking voice. "He killed the guards and destroyed the prison!"

"What?!" The Garchomp mumbled. "The Desert Prison has the best security system among the prisons on Symmetria… How could that have happened? And… Not only did he escape, but he also destroyed the prison…"

Terrus looked at the Sandshrew. "…What kind of Pokemon is that prisoner?"

"I…I don't know." The Sandshrew answered. "I…I was in the middle of coming here to report when I saw several beams of green light glowing from beneath Desert Prison, and then the ground crumbled and the prison was destroyed!"

"…Several beams of green light…" The Garchomp mumbled.

"W…What should we do, sir?" Sandshrew asked.

"First, send the soldiers to Desert Prison to check the casualties." Garchomp ordered. "If you find anyone alive, be a guard or a prisoner, try your best to treat their wounds before bringing them back to the Dustorm City. You have no need to chain the prisoners when you bring them here. Also, bring the corpses of all guards back to Dustorm City too. For the corpses of prisoners, gives them a proper burial as you see fit. Also, don't forget to find the Prisoner Roster and check it with the other prisoners at Desert Prison, dead or alive. Now go."

"Understood." Sandshrew bowed at the Garchomp before he left the hall.

"…" The Garchomp became silent as the guard left the hall. Then…

"As expected from Prince **Terrus Quakersand the Garchomp**! The orders you gave were clear and comprehensive!"

Terrus the Garchomp turned back to the owner of the voice and saw a prehistoric bird-like Pokemon who had just entered the hall. "Oh, it's you, **Soryl Hurricloud the Aerodactyl**."

"Hi, Prince Terrus." Soryl the Aerodactyl spoke as he approached Terrus. "Still working in a day like this? Why don't you take some rest?"

"I am the prince." Terrus spoke up. "It's the duty of a prince to take care of this empire. I couldn't rest when I still know that the Pokemon of Dustorm Empire are still suffering."

"That's just like you…" Soryl commented. "But don't forget that your Succession Ceremony will be for the next month. You must be ready for this."

"…I wouldn't dare being called the true prince of Dustorm Empire if I couldn't protect my people." Terrus gave a same answer. "No one is safe when there is a prisoner roaming the desert of Dustorm, especially the caravans."

"Hey…" Soryl seemed to remember something. "Speaks of that, aren't your sister and your brother with a caravan from Shadowlost Territory? Aren't you afraid of their…safety?"

"…" Terrus became silent for a bit before speaking up. "Natasha and Largo are strong. They won't get killed easily. I believe in them."

"If you say so…" Soryl said. "But now I am hungry! Prince Terrus, let's go and find something to eat!"

"…If I say no, you would say 'If you don't eat, your body will collapse from lack of energy.', right?" Terrus spoke.

"Right!" Soryl said with a smile on his face.

"Then, let's go." Terrus spoke up and left the hall along with Soryl. "Anyway, Soryl, what should we eat for lunch? How about the usual?"

"WHAT?!" Soryl said. "Come on, Terrus! This world has better things to eat than that!"

"Haha!" Terrus laughed. "I was just kidding!"

"Geez…" Soryl crossed his arms. "That's just like you… You can be serious and joyful at a proper moment… You are really a perfect prince, Terrus."

* * *

 **Meanwhile… In the Dustorm Desert…**

In the middle of a scorching Dustorm Desert, a Pokemon in a prisoner garb was walking there alone. He was a Pokemon that looked like a cross between a dragon and a hammerhead shark. His bipedal body was primary dark purple-blue with a red underbelly from its jaw to his middle abdomen. The tip of his snout and lower his red underbelly was yellow. His head seemed like a hammerhead shark with razor-sharp teeth. He had eight spikes on his body; two on both of his arms and two on both of his legs. He had three white talons on his feet while his arms only had a single claw for each. He also had two triangle-shaped fins below both of his arms. He had a dorsal fin with a groove on his back and a tail that looked like a shark tail fin. His pupil were red. Overall, he was a Garchomp.

 _'Where are you going right now, Zetarus?'_ Zygarde spoke via the Ring of Balance.

"Shut the fxxk up." Zetarus the Garchomp gave Zygarde a rude answer, making the order Pokemon stopped speaking afterward.

Zetarus then resumed his journey across a desert. Normally, crossing a desert during daytime was difficult and have a high risk of heatstroke, but it was not much problem for Zetarus as he was a ground type Pokemon.

"PHANTTTTT!"

Zetarus stopped as he heard a noise from somewhere around here. It was not long until he found a wild Donphan roaring at him and started attacking him with Rollout!

"…" Zetarus easily dodged the attack. He then countered the Donphan's attack by shooting several bullets from his Raider Pistol at him, but none of his bullets could pierce Donphan's thick armor!

"Damn it!" Zetarus cursed as the Donphan stopped using Rollout and now it was rushing up to him, trying to attack him with its tusk!

"The hell I would let you! GRRRRR!" Zetarus used his paw to grab Donphan's tusks as it came near him. Using his increased strength, he then flipped Donphan's body. This made it fall down on the ground and became vulnerable!

"…Another soul for you, Zygarde." Zetarus mumbled before finishing the battle with a Dragon Claw at Donphan's belly.

* * *

 **Two hours later…**

The spot where the Donphan was killed was now left with a pile of bones and a pool of blood as Zetarus resumed his journey.

 _'Just when I think that you couldn't be more disgusting, mortal.'_ Zygarde spoke up as Zetarus continued his journey.

"I was a prisoner since the day I was born, what do you think?" Zetarus said and licked his lip. "Too bad I couldn't keep its tasty blood with me…"

 _'You psychopathic mortal…'_ Zygarde mumbled.

"Say what you want, Zygarde. I don't understand your words anyway." Zetarus said.

* * *

 **Several Hours later…**

Zetarus had walked for several miles already, but his destination was still nowhere to be found. The sun now started to descent from the sky, turning the sky orange.

"…Zygarde, what is that?" Zetarus pointed his claw at a place not too far from where he was. That place seemed like a small forest with abundant trees and a lake!

 _'That's an oasis. That place was like a paradise for a desert traveler as it was one of a very few places in a desert that has water.'_ Zygarde answered. _'You should rest there tonight as travelling through a desert during night time is pretty difficult.'_

"Stupid." Zetarus spoke up. "I am not afraid of night time… But… Well… Fine."

Zetarus walked up and entered the abundant forest of the oasis. He then walked up to a lake and drank water from it.

'…So, this is what good water tastes like… But blood is better.' Zetarus thought before leaving the lake to find a nice place for sleeping.

When…

"Ah… So refreshing…"

Zetarus turned back and saw another Pokemon swimming in the lake. He quickly hid behind the neartest bushes and continued looking at that Pokemon. It took him not long to realize that the Pokemon that was swimming in the lake was a female Dragalge.

The Dragalge continued swimming for a while before she got out of water, and then another Pokemon appeared, a Zoroark.

 _"Finished already, Princess_ _ **Natasha Venomist the Dragalge**_ _?"_ The Zoroark asked with a snide voice.

"Fenrir!" Natasha the Dragalge spoke with a surprised voice as she saw the Zoroark. "I already told you not to call me by my full name!"

 _"Haha… Why must you be so serious?"_ Zoroark spoke up. _"A while ago you were so carefree... Swimming in that lake…"_

"W…WHAT?!" Natasha blushed. "Y…You have been watching me?!"

 _"Haha! Do you really believe that?"_ Zoroark laughed. _"I was just kidding!"_

"That's just like you, Fenrir." Natasha commented. "Let's go. Largo must be tired of waiting for us already…"

 _"Right…"_ Zoroark said. _"I don't want him to whack my head when he's angry."_

Zetarus watched carefully as the Dragalge and the Zoroark left the lake and got to the other side of the oasis. Normally, for an escaping prisoner, Zetarus should avoid other Pokemon especially since he was still in a prisoner garb, but…

"…Princess?" Zetarus mumbled and carefully followed them.

* * *

'…What?!'

Zetarus thought as he saw many Pokemon camping on the other side of the oasis. He quickly hid behind bushes again to avoid letting them see him.

"Ah! Sis! Fenrir Jr.!"

Zetarus turned his attention to the one who spoke and saw a Marowak running up to the Dragalge and the Zoroark. This Marowak, however, was different from the one he had seen, as this one had black skin, a black mark on its' skull and the ends of its' bone club had green flames dancing around it..

"Hi there, Largo." Natasha greeted.

 _"Geez…"_ Zoroark crossed his arms. _"Stop calling me Jr, will you, Prince_ _ **Largo Boneskull the Alolan Marowak**_ _?"_

"That won't be possible." Largo the Alolan Marowak spoke up.

 _"…Just because I have the same name with my mother doesn't mean you should call me_ _ **Fenrir Illunight Jr. the Zoroark**_ _…"_ Fenrir Jr. the Zoroark crossed his arms and grumbled.

"And yet you keep calling me and sis 'Prince' and 'Princess'." Largo spoke. "Don't forget that you are also the 'prince' of Shadowlost Territory too!"

 _"…Just because Lord_ _ **Noctis Shadisas the Absol**_ _, the ruler of Shadowlost Territory, doesn't have any descendants doesn't mean that I, the first son of the Heroine of Legend who holds the power of Dark type, will be the next ruler…"_ Fenrir Jr. said.

"And yet Lord Noctis already announced that you will be the next lord of Shadowlost Territory, and you also came here with us as a representative of Shadowlost Territory for Terrus' Succession Ceremony." Largo said.

"Well…" Fenrir Jr. was about to say something when Natasha spoke up. "Now, now… Both of you have no need to quarrel with each other…"

'Fxxk' Zetarus thought as he heard so many words that he didn't understand.

"Fine." Fenrir Jr. and Largo said. Then another Pokemon appeared and walked up to them. That Pokemon was a Diggersby that was dressed like a merchant.

"Ah! Good evening! Prince Fenrir, Princess Natasha and Prince Largo!" The Diggersby started speaking up. Zetarus could notice that Fenrir Jr. and Largo had a bored face for a second before they changed back to their usual face while Natasha still stayed calm.

"Good evening, Sir." Natasha greeted with a calm voice. "How can we help you?"

"I just came here to thank you for this." The Diggersby said and showed something to all of them. It was two inviting cards. "I thank you for not only giving me an invitation to Prince Terrus' Succession Ceremony, but you also gave me another for my wife back home!"

"It is us who must thank you for letting us come with your caravan." Natasha said.

"That's not a problem!" Diggersby said. "Travelling through a desert is dangerous, especially for a caravan like us! If it wasn't for Prince Terrus, we would have been ambushed by many groups of bandits by now! Long live the Quakersand family!"

'WHAT?!' Zetarus became shocked as he heard the word 'Quakersand'.

"Right…" Natasha said.

"Now I must take my leave. Farewell, milords and milady!" Diggersby said before he left the trio and went back to his tent, which was quite far from the rest of the camp.

 _"Geezz…"_ Fenrir Jr. mumbled after the Diggersby left. _"I hate really hate that greedy bustard."_

"Me too." Largo crossed his arms. "He only took us with him because we ARE royals. 'Just came here to thank you'? More like coming here to flatter us by praising Terrus."

"Nah…" Natasha said. "Both of you don't have to say something like that…"

 _"Did you see what happened in the last town we passed?"_ Fenrir Jr. continued speaking. _"He treated his underlings like slaves!"_

"And… Another invitation card for his wife? More like a MOUNTAIN of gold he would earn from selling that card… As I remember, that bustard doesn't have any wife…" Largo said.

 _"And the reason his tent is far from the rest of this caravan is because he doesn't want to stay with others he thought was 'lowly'! I wouldn't be surprised if I find that he is actually from Theocracy of Venturnome…"_ Fenrir said.

"Fenrir… Largo…" Natasha said. "Look, the sun already departed from the sky…"

Natasha was right. Right now the twilight already passed and the night already came. Zetarus could see other Pokemon in this camp started to make a campfire.

 _"Too bad…"_ Fenrir Jr. mumbled. _"I prefer the time of twilight more than this…"_

"We already have seen plenty twilight during our stay in Shadowlost Territory." Largo said. "Wasn't that enough for you?"

"P…Please…" Natasha said as she saw Fenrir Jr. and Largo about to start another quarrel. "L…Let's go and have dinner."

"Fine." Fenrir and Largo said. Then the trio walked up to join another Pokemon at the campfire for dinner.

"…" Zetarus said nothing and silently continued watching everyone have dinner.

* * *

After dinner, several Pokemon at the camp, include Fenrir Jr., Natasha and Largo, went back into their tents to get rest. There were still a few Pokemon left outside the camp for the watch. Zetarus then silently walked up to the Diggersby's camp, which was quite far from the rest of the camp. He then saw that there are no guards at the Diggersby's camp!

'…Good.' Zetarus thought and entered the Diggersby's camp…

* * *

 **Several minutes later…**

"Do you hear something?" Natasha spoke up as she was about to fall asleep.

"Hm… I think I heard something…" Fenrir Jr. said. He was still awake too.

"ZZZZZZZZZZ" Largo snored.

 _"Oh…"_ Fenrir Jr. mumbled. _"It must be Largo's snore. I didn't know he already learned the move 'Snore'."_

"Then… Good night, Fenrir." Natasha said.

"Good night." Fenrir Jr. said. Then both of them fell asleep.

* * *

 **Meanwhile…**

Zetarus silently left Diggersby's tent with a bag in his arms. He then quickly got away from the caravan to the other side of the oasis.

'Let's see…' Zetarus took out the things in the bag. There was a fissure-patterned sleeping bag, a large amount of ration, several bullets, three bottles, a cloth, a black cloak, a silencer, several bags full with PokeCoin, some travelling gadgets which Zetarus didn't know what they are, and, of course, two invitation cards for Prince Terrus' Succession Ceremony.

 _'You disgusting mortal…'_ Zygarde spoke up. _'The thing you did in that tent….'_

"Come on, Zygarde. Do not forget that I was a prisoner!" Zetarus said and picked one of the travelling gadgets. "Do you know what is this?"

 _'It's a compass.'_ Zygarde answered.

"Kom-bass?" Zetarus said.

 _'…Forget it.'_ Zygarde said as he saw Zetarus put everything back into the bag. _'I am surprised to see that you know nothing about a pencil and a compass, yet you know about a sleeping bag and a pistol…'_

"I sometimes saw a guard sleeping in a sleeping bag back there at Desert Prison." Zetarus answered. "And I always saw those guards carrying a pistol with them too."

 _'Anyway, you should leave this oasis before they find you…'_ Zygarde suggested.

"Oh, don't worry about that." Zetarus said. "I know what to do."

* * *

 **The Next Morning…**

Zetarus rose up from the ground. He had been sleeping beneath the surface of the earth for a whole night to avoid letting anyone see him. He then walked up to where the caravan was and saw that they were already gone…

'…As I thought…' Zetarus thought. 'When they found the corpse of that Diggersby, they would flee from this oasis as soon as possible because the one who killed that Diggersby may be around here somewhere…'

Zetarus then walked up to the lake and took off his prisoner garb before jumping into the lake. He then enjoyed swimming in the lake for a while before climbing up from the lake. This time, he didn't put his prisoner garb back on his body. Instead, he put on a cloth he mugged from the Diggersby last night. It was a navy vest, a long khaki jacket, a black trousers. He also wore a cowboy hat on head hammerhead too. Despite being the cloth Zetarus mugged from a Diggersby, they all fit him. It seemed like they were the cloth for selling, not the cloth that Diggersby himself wore.

"That's much better…" Zetarus commented on his new look. Then he equipped a silencer to his Raider Pistol and put on a black cloak. After that, he picked 'his' bag and continued his journey…

* * *

 **The Next Day…**

In the afternoon of the next day, Zetarus had arrived at a small town in the middle of Dustorm Desert. This will be the first time he got into a settlement…

As Zetarus entered this town, he noticed that no one was suspicious of him despite him being an escaped prisoner. He then got into a store to buy some things for his journey such as bullets for his pistol with the PokeCoin he mugged from the Diggersby.

As he left the store, the twilight already came. Zetarus then went to this town's tavern to get something to drink.

After ordering a low-quality spirit, Zetarus noticed that several Pokemon who dressed like mercenaries were standing near a board with many posters. He then walked up to the board and saw that those were posters of outlawed Pokemon.

Zetarus carefully looked at the posters. Once he saw that there's no poster with his face, he went back and sat down at the counter. The bartender then served Zetarus the drink he ordered. Zetarus then picked a glass of spirit and started drinking it.

And then…

"Hey! Aren't you a wanted criminal who have just escaped from a prison?!"

 **To Be Continued…**

* * *

 **Dragon of Vale: So many characters made an appear in this tail. We have Terrus the Garchomp, Soryl the Aerodactyl, Natasha the Dragalge, Fenrir Jr. the Zoroark and Largo the Alolan Marowak. Terrus is a prince of Dustorm Empire and Soryl is his friend. Natasha is a princess of Dustorm Empire and Largo is also a prince of Dustorm Empire too. Fenrir Jr., on the other hand, seemed like he is a prince of Shadowlost Territory.**

 **Zetarus did so many disgusting things in this tail… But at least we finally learned that he is, like Terrus, a Garchomp.**

 **And at the end of this tail… It seemed like the next tail will be started with a brawl.**

 **A special thanks to Ridin Valon for helping me with the error correction.**


	13. Tail 2-3: True Intention

**A Dragon's Tail**

 **Tail 2: Zetarus' Tail – Ambivalence**

 **Tail 2-3: True Intention**

Zetarus quickly turned back to the owner of that voice and saw several mercenaries who were standing near the board of outlaws. But… Their attentions weren't at him. Their attentions were at a Pokemon who had just entered this tavern. That Pokemon was...a Charizard.

"…So what?" That Charizard spoke when he saw that the attention of everyone in this tavern, especially the mercenaries, was at him.

"Yes, you are!" A Krookodile mercenary said and showed the Charizard an outlaw poster with the Charizard's face on it. "A Charizard who tried to assassinate Prince Apollo and Regent Orion of Fireview Kingdom… It must be you!"

"…And what if that was me?" The Charizard asked.

"You speak as if you don't know, punk!" A Rhydon mercenary spoke.

"Ha!" A Gliscor mercenary spoke up after looking at the outlaw poster with Charizard's face. "The bounty on your head is extreme! If we capture you, it would be sure that we would live like kings for the rest of our life!"

"…Really?" Charizard said before he drew out his weapon, which looked like a spear. "Then I will send you to hell!"

Five mercenaries surrounded the Charizard. They were a Rhydon, a Krookodile, a Gliscor, an Excadrill and a Golem.

"Give up, Charizard." Excadrill spoke up. "You can't with against five of us, especially when some of us have a type advantage over you."

"…Will you SHUT THE FXXK UP WITH YOUR WORDS!" The Charizard roared and breathed his flame at the Excadrill.

"YAHH!" Krookodile and Gliscor used the chance when Charizard used the Flamethrower at the Excadrill to attack him! But the Charizard used his weapon to stab the Krookodile before flinging him at the Gliscor, making the Krookodile land on the Gliscor and both fell onto the floor! He even did this while he still used a Flamethrower at the Excadrill!

"Y…You…" Kroododile said as he stood up after being flung at the Gliscor. "You will pay for this! GRARAR!"

Krookodile charged at the Charizard, trying to attack him with Crunch, but Charizard jumped and used his weight to stab the Krookodile's head! Then he flung the Krookodile at the Gliscor, making both of them hit the wall! The Charizard then grabbed the Excadrill and flung him at the Krookodile and the Gliscor too. This made Excadrill, Krookodile and Gliscor fainted.

"Rollout!"

Using the chance that Charizard's attention was at Krookodile, Gliscor and Excadrill, Golem used the move Rollout at him! But Charizard did nothing more than dodging the attack. Because Golem rolled at a fast speed and the tavern was small, Golem couldn't stop his attack and hit the unconscious Krookodile, Gliscor and Excadrill instead!

Charizard then turned his attention to the last mercenary, a Rhydon. The Rhydon then rammed at him, but Charizard could dodge it, making him hit the wall instead!

"Y…You!" Rhydon was about to turn his face from the wall to the Charizard when he realized that the Charizard was standing behind him, with something in his paw…

"Take this!" Charizard roared and smashed something in his paw at Rhydon's eyes!

"ARRRRGGGRR!" Rhydon covered his eyes with his paws as his eyes were burned by the thing that Charizard smashed at his eyes!

"Do you like a Spelon Berry I feed to your eyes?" Charizard spoke brutally as the Rhydon suffered. "If not, then… HOPE YOU LIKE HELL!"

Charizard stabbed his weapon at Rhydon's abdomen and shoved it up to his chest!

"GRRRRARARA!" Rhydon roared before collapsing on the floor. Charizard then kicked it to the other four unconscious mercenaries.

"Whew…" Charizard wiped his sweat and walked up to where five unconscious mercenaries were. He then took their bag of PokeCoin before going to the counter. Right now, there were only three conscious Pokemon left in this bar; a bartender, a Charizard and a Garchomp.

"One bottle of Pecha Rum." Charizard ordered. The bartender quickly got it for the Charizard.

"Here." Charizard placed a bag of PokeCoin he got from the mercenaries. "This is for Pecha Rum and cleaning. And why don't you call it a day right now?"

Upon hearing the Charizard's words, the bartender grabbed the bag of PokeCoin Charizard gave him and quickly left this tavern.

"Hm!" Charizard poured one quarter Pecha Rum from its bottle into his throat and let out a small burst of flame. He walked up to where five unconscious mercenaries were before pouring the rest Pecha Rum onto their bodies. And…

"…Ember."

Charizard spit a little ember at the mercenaries! With the Pecha Rum that covered their bodies, the ember quickly became a blazing flame that burned their bodies!

"Ah…" Charizard mumbled as he saw the flame burning five Pokemon's bodies. "The smell of burning flesh… If only…" Then Charizard left the tavern.

"…" Zetarus looked at the burning bodies of five Pokemon. Then he left the tavern and followed the Charizard.

* * *

"…What do you want, mxxxxxxxxxxr?" Charizard asked as he left the town and noticed that a Garchomp from the tavern had followed him.

"I was in that tavern with you." Zetarus said. "And when I saw you battle, I think that…perhaps you could help me."

"Fxxk off." Charizard said. "Why should I help a bastard like you?"

"And why shouldn't you?" Zetarus asked.

"You little son of a—" Charizard cursed. "I am a wanted criminal from Fireview Kingdom, if you fxxxxr forget what those mercenaries said."

"Yes, I forgot." Zetarus said. "I forgot to tell you that I am in the same status as you, but I am from Dustorm Empire instead."

"Really?" Charizard looked at Zetarus. "Still, I don't help a weakling."

"Then, want to go on a hunt?" Zetarus asked, making the Charizard a bit surprised.

"What?!" Charizard said.

"You don't seem satisfied with a hunt at that tavern." Zetarus said. "And if we go on a hunt together, you could also see my power too."

"…Fine." Charizard said. "But you know what will happen if I found that you are such a loser."

"Don't worry." Zetarus said. "It won't happen."

"Then, hurry up." Charizard said. "Before I fxxxxxg burn you down right here."

* * *

A Garchomp and a Charizard stopped in front of a cave guarded by two sleepy bandits. This cave was a lair of 'The Mirage Dust', an infamous group of bandits that had raided several villages and killed many merchants that traveled across the Dustorm Desert. Many mercenaries were sent here to subdue them, but none had ever returned from here alive.

"Here we are." Zetarus spoke up as he and the Charizard were hiding behind a rock to avoid letting the bandits see them.

"How do you know about this place?" Charizard asked.

"They often came to where I was imprisoned and 'bought' some prisoners from guards." Zetarus answered with a voice that showed a disgusting feeling towards them.

"Then, let's go." Charizard said.

Zetarus and Charizard appeared from where they were hiding and dashed up to the bandits. Because those bandits who guarded the entrance of their lair were sleepy, they didn't notice what had happened until they were opened fire by a Garchomp and a Charizard! The next thing that happened was those guards were now 'sleeping peacefully' on the ground.

"That's fxxxxxg easy." Charizard said.

"So, shall we continue our hunt?" Zetarus said. Then both of them entered the lair of The Mirage Dust.

* * *

The 'hunt' of a Charizard and a Garchomp went out smoothly as none of The Mirage Dust bandits could stand a chance against them. They all fell to Charizard's burning flame and Garchomp's bullets.

"Whew!" Charizard said after he burned the last bandit down to ash. "They are such fxxxxxg weaklings. But… At least you aren't weak like them, Garchomp. I must say that I am… quite impressed by your skill with that pistol."

"You too, Charizard." Zetarus said. "You are very skilled with your spear."

"Fxxk it, Garchomp." Charizard said and showed his weapon to Zetarus. As he saw it at a close range, Zetarus noticed that Charizard's weapon wasn't a spear. "Drive it into your axxxxxe brain if you still have it that my weapon is a Naginata."

"Nagi…What?" Zetarus said.

"NAGINATA, you axxxxxxn!" Charizard roared.

"Whatever…" Zetarus mumbled. "Now the only thing left is… their boss. Actually, when you finish him, do not kill him."

"Why?" Charizard asked.

"I have a bad memory with him. So, let me take care of him. Don't worry about this. You will love what punishment I have for that axxxxxe." Zetarus said.

"Fine." Charizard said. "But where is that bastard?"

"I don't know." Zetarus said. "But I think I have a good idea about this."

* * *

Zetarus led the Charizard to the deepest part of this cave. In front of both of them was a big steel door.

"That fxxxxxr must be behind this door." Zetarus said.

"And how the fxxk could we open it?" Charizard asked.

Zetarus didn't answer Charizard's question. Instead, he just kicked the door with his foot and the door opened!

"What the…" Charizard mumbled as he and Zetarus entered the room.

"As I thought." Zetarus said. "This fxxxxr had his mind on something else."

There were three Pokemon in this room. Two of them were female Pokemon that cuddled the last one, which was a male Rhyperior.

"BANG!"

"What?!" Rhyperior turned his attention from those female Pokemon to the source of the sound, which is Zetarus' Raider Pistol. The other two female Pokemon, however, seemed to be unaware of a sound of gunshot.

"Hi there." Zetarus said.

"Y…YOU?!" Rhyperior said and stood up. "W…Wait a minute… Y…You are that fxxxxr from Desert Prison. H…How could you have come here?!"

"That doesn't matter." Zetarus said. "Let's just say that I came here to give back the pain you gave me while I was at Desert Prison."

"Do you think you can do it?!" Rhyperior said and charged at Zetarus and Charizard, but both of them dodged the attack easily, making the Rhyperior hit the steel door instead!

"Ouch!" Rhyperior covered his head with his paw.

"Charizard." Zetarus turned his attention to the Charizard. "While I fought him, take care of his bxxxxxs."

"…Fine." Charizard said and walked up to the two female Pokemon, who still seemed to be unaware of what's happening right now.

Zetarus turned his attention to the Rhyperior, who had now recovered from hitting the door. "Y…You will pay for this! RRRAGAG!"

Rhyperior summoned a giant rock and then threw it at the Garchomp, attacked him with the move Rock Wrecker! But just before the rock hit the Garchomp, Zetarus disappeared into the ground!

"Hey! Show your face, coward!" Rhyperior said.

"Right here!" Zetarus's voice came from behind the Rhyperior! The Rhyperior quickly turned back and saw Zetarus in midair, pointing his pistol at him!

"Take this!" Zetarus barraged the Rhyperior with a rain of bullets fired from his pistol!

"Y…You!" Rhyperior roared as he used his paw to shield the bullets.

"And… now!" Zetarus said as he landed on the ground and placed his paw on the ground to summon Zygarde again!

 _"Thousand Waves!"_

The Rhyperior was attacked by several seismic waves beneath the ground. Not only that, the Rhyperior also found that after he was attacked, he couldn't move his body as if he was glued to the ground!

"Damn you!" Rhyperior said and tried to struggle free, but it was no avail!

"Well… That was much easier than I thought." Zetarus said and walked up to the Charizard, who now carried a blood-soaked Naginata in his paw. "Did you take care of those bxxxxxs already?"

"Yes. I killed them." Charizard answered. "But… They didn't seem to know what was happening even when I stabbed their hearts…"

"Well… It was because of this." Zetarus picked a small pack that contained a gray powder. Upon seeing it, Charizard became a bit shocked.

"T…That…" Charizard seemed to know what it is. "I understand now…"

Zetarus walked up to the Rhyperior, who was still stuck into the ground.

"I think you remember what you did to me using this." Zetarus showed the pack of gray powder to Rhyperior, which made his face pale.

"N…No." Rhyperior mumbled.

"I still remember that day when you poured it into my mouth…" Zetarus continued speaking. "It made me stuck between life and death for many months…"

"I…I am sorry about that!" Rhyperior said and struggled again, but it was still useless.

"Well… Today, I am in a good mood, so, I will let you live…" Zetarus said.

"Wha—" Rhyperior was about to speak when Zetarus continued his words.

"IN HELL!" Zetarus said and walked up to the Rhyperior. He then used his claw to grabbed the Rhyperior's chin and forced him to open his mouth, then he poured all of the gray powder into Rhyperior's throat! While Zetarus did this, Rhyperior struggled very hard, but Zetarus was too strong. And finally…

"Rrrrr…" Rhyperior stopped struggling. He seemed to doze off after Zetarus poured the gray powder into his throat. His condition right now was no different than the condition of those two female Pokemon whom Charizard killed.

"…Garchomp…" Charizard walked up to Zetarus.

"Well… It seems like our hunt is over." Zetarus said. "Let's get out of here."

* * *

 **Outside The Mirage Dust's lair…**

"Garchomp." Charizard spoke up once they left the cave. "You said that you were forced to take that…powder, yet you seem fine right now… But as I know…"

"There was no cure for it." Zetarus said. "Anyone who took it once and didn't take it again will live in suffering until they died. For me, I don't know why, but I am still alive even after that suffering…"

"…" Charizard said nothing after hearing Zetarus' story a bit.

"Anyway…" Zetarus changed the topic of conversation. "What do you think about that hunt? Did you enjoy it?"

"Of course." Charizard said. "And… It seemed like you are not a 'weakling' as I said. So, you said that you want me to help you with something, right? Let me hear about it…"

"Well…" Zetarus said. "As I said, right now, I am doing something and I think that you may like to help me with it. It's a dangerous thing to do, though…"

"…And what is it?" Charizard asked.

Zetarus closed his eyes and recalled a thought that came into his head when he was about to be executed. Then he opened his eyes and spoke it up.

"…To kill the emperor of Dustorm Empire!"

* * *

"What?!" Charizard became a bit shocked after hearing Zetarus' word. "Are you fxxxxxg serious?"

"Yes." Zetarus answered. "During my life, since the day I was born in Desert Prison until right now, that was the duty I must do, no matter what."

"Wait a minute…" Charizard spoke up. "Why must you do something like this, especially when you said that you was born in Desert Prison and spent your whole life there?"

"I don't know." Zetarus answered, much to Charizard's confusion.

"What?!" Charizard said. "You don't know why you must kill the emperor, yet you must do it no matter what?! That's fxxxxxg stupid!"

"As I said, I don't know why, but I felt like I must kill the emperor, no matter what." Zetarus said.

"…Alright..." Charizard crossed his arms. "As I know, the place where the emperor stayed must be a very well-guarded place, so how will you get in there and kill the emperor?"

"That's easy." Zetarus said and showed the Charizard something. It was two invitation cards of Prince Terrus' Succession Ceremony. "I 'got' this from a merchant. As I know, there will be a 'Succession Ceremony' of the emperor's son, and anyone who have this card can join this ceremony too."

"Really?" Charizard looked at those invitation cards.

"Yes. As I know, there will be some Pokemon that will join this ceremony too, such as Pokemon of Dustorm Empire and Pokemon from other nations too, because I saw a Zoroark who said that he is a prince of Shadowlost Territory. He also said that he will join this ceremony in the name of Shadowlost Territory too."

"What?!" Charizard said. "…I see…"

"Well…" Zetarus said. "What do you think about it? Will you help me or not? I know that you may not want to help me with this as this is a dangerous thing to do… And I have nothing to give you for helping me with this…"

Charizard looked at Zetarus before he spoke up. "…You may be strong in a battle, but… You really are a fxxxxxg IDIOT!"

"What?!" Zetarus looked back at the Charizard.

"Why didn't you say about all of this sooner?" Charizard spoke up.

"…Does that mean…" Zetarus said.

"I will help you." Charizard said. His answer surprised Zetarus.

"REALLY?!" Zetarus said.

"Do I look like I was fxxxxxg kidding?!" Charizard said.

"But… Why?" Zetarus asked.

"I will get something by helping you too." Charizard answered.

"Really… Fine." Zetarus said.

"But…" Charizard looked at Zetarus again. "Why did you ask 'me' to help you about this?"

"Again, I don't know." Zetarus answered. "I just think that… you may want to help me."

"Well… You are fxxxxxg right." Charizard said.

"Now, let's go." Zetarus said. "We have a lot to do…"

"Okay." Charizard said. Then both of them was about to get back to the town when Zetarus remembered something.

"By the way, we still don't know each other's name yet." Zetarus said. "I am Zetarus the Garchomp. I am a prisoner who escaped from Desert Prison. What about you?"

"I am a gladiator who escaped from Brawl Arena in Fireview Kingdom." Charizard said. "And my name is Diego the Charizard."

 **To Be Continued…**

* * *

 **Dragon of Vale: And thus the second tail has fallen deeper into the abyss of darkness, and it seems like it will fall even deeper into darkness as right now, Zetarus finally got a comrade, Diego the Charizard, who is a Charizard who like to battle and kill other Pokemon.**

 **And… We finally learn what is Zetarus' goal; he wants to assassinate the emperor of Dustorm Empire! Not only that, he also wants to do it without any reason! Wow… That was a very… extreme thing to do…**

 **A special thanks to Ridin Valon for helping me with the error correction.**


	14. Tail 2-4: A Thing to Do

**A Dragon's Tail**

 **Tail 2: Zetarus' Tail – Ambivalence**

 **Tail 2-4: A Thing to Do**

 **-One week later, at Desert Palace, Dustorm City**

"…So." Terrus spoke up. "There is no record of the prisoner who has escaped from Desert Prison last week?"

"R…Right!" A Sandshrew in a suit of armor responded with a shaking voice. "There are no survivors at Desert Prison. And we have checked the corpses of prisoners there with the Prisoner Roster and found that all prisoners that were recorded in the roster were already found as a corpse at Desert Prison…"

"…What does this mean?" Terrus mumbled. "There is a prisoner who doesn't have a record in the roster…"

"Sir, what should we do next?" Sandslash asked.

"Have you already contacted the families of the guards who died at Desert Prison?" Terrus asked.

"B…But sir…" Sandslash became a bit frightened. "That will make everyone know about what happened at Desert Prison…"

"That doesn't matter." Terrus said. "It was our fault that we let a prisoner escaped and killed everyone at Desert Prison. We will take all responsibility of this incident by capturing this prisoner as soon as possible!"

"As you say, sir." Sandslash said.

"For the prisoner who has escaped from Desert Prison… If they already destroyed Desert Prison and killed everyone there, there is a high chance that they will try to destroy the towns and kill the Pokemon of Dustorm Empire too. So, send word about this prisoner to every town and city in Dustorm Empire. Don't forget to tighten the defense of those settlements too." Terrus ordered.

"Yes, sir." Sandslash said.

"Also… That prisoner may try to escape to other nations. They couldn't escape to Republic of Civilight via foot because of a vast valley that bordered two nations. Our nation's border with Theocracy of Venturnome is tightened right now. All that's left are Principality of Leafburg and Fireview Kingdom…" Terrus spoke up. "Tighten the immigration at the border with Principality of Leafburg and Fireview Kingdom. Don't forget the Sandust Port too, as the prisoner may try to escape from Dustorm Empire to other nations by the ship."

"Yes, sir." Sandslash said.

"Then, do you have anything more to report?" Terrus asked.

"Yes, about a group of bandits called 'The Mirage Dust'…" Sandshrew continued reporting. "Three days ago, a group of mercenaries who went to their lair to subdue them found that all of them are already dead."

"What?!" Terrus mumbled.

"It seemed like they were already dead for several days…" Sandslash reported. "And… For their leader, who is a Rhyperior, the mercenaries found him already dead with his body stuck on the ground in his room, but he is the only one that doesn't seem to die from the wounds. It seemed like he suffered from something very hard before he died. And… In that room, the mercenaries also found an empty pack that once contained a drug called 'Gray Reaper'."

"Gray Reaper?!" Terrus spoke it out as Gray Reaper is a very dangerous drug that if someone takes it, even only once, they will not be able to live without it and will have to depend on it for the rest of their life or they will suffer very hard. It is used for torturing and slavery. This drug is illegal in all seven nations of Symmetria, but is invaluable among the black markets of Symmetria.

"Right, sir." Sandslash said. "But other than an empty pack that once contained it, the mercenaries didn't find any more Gray Reaper at The Mirage Dust's lair."

"…Gray Reaper… In Dustorm Empire…" Terrus mumbled. "Where did it come from?"

"What should we do about it, sir?" Sandslash asked.

"I will take care about it." Terrus answered. "Don't forget my orders about the prisoner who escaped from Desert Prison. Now you are dismissed."

"Thank you, sir." Sandslash said and left the hall of Desert Palace at the same time an Aerodactyl entered this hall and flew up to the prince of Dustorm Empire.

"Still busy as ever, eh?" Soryl asked.

"Right." Terrus answered. "First, an escaped prisoner, and now, Gray Reaper…"

"Well." Soryl said. "At least I have good news for you."

"And what is that?" Terrus asked.

"A soldier told me that right now, Princess Natasha and Prince Largo have already arrived at Dustorm City." Soryl said.

"Really?!" A smile appeared on Terrus' face. "It has been…how many years? I couldn't remember… Anyway, I can't wait to meet them!"

"Then, I will take my leave right now…" Soryl was about to leave when Terrus continued speaking. "No, Soryl. You are coming with me."

"Me too?!" Soryl said. "But I don't want to interrupt your family reunion!"

"Don't worry about it." Terrus said. "Plus, I want to introduce you to both of them too, since you never met them, right?"

"Geez…" Soryl mumbled. "Fine."

"Then, let's not keep them waiting for long." Terrus said. Then Soryl and he left Desert Palace together.

* * *

 **In front of Desert Palace…**

"Ah! Terrus!" Natasha the Dragalge said as she saw her brother and an unknown Aerodactyl walking up to her. "It has been…nine? Or ten years?"

"It seemed like you are still as perfect as ever, Terrus." Largo the Alolan Marowak said.

"Natasha? Largo?" Terrus looked at his siblings. "Both of you have changed drastically! The last time I saw you, Natasha, you were just a Skrelp and now you are such a beautiful Dragalge!"

"Oh, my…" Natasha said.

"And… Largo?" Terrus turned his attention to the Alolan Marowak. "You evolved into Alolan Marowak? You also look amazing!"

"Yeah." Largo said. "And I think I did a good job with it…"

"Anyway, Natasha, Largo, how were your lives in Shadowlost Territory?" Terrus asked.

"It was still marvelous as ever, Terrus." Natasha answered. "Pokemon at Venom Island were very nice to me as ever."

"At first, I thought that they would try to kill me because I departed from Fireview Kingdom…" Largo said. "But they didn't, and they were also nice to me too."

"It's good to hear that." Terrus said.

"And what about you, Terrus?" Natasha asked. "Still busy as ever?"

"Right." Terrus answered. "Dustorm Empire is vast and full with many troubles…As a prince, I must do whatever I can to make this nation a peaceful once where everyone can live without fear."

"Even so…" Natasha said. "Why didn't you send any words to both of us?"

"Yeah…" Largo said. "All you have to do is write a letter, tie it to a bullet, and shoot it at the direction of Theocracy of Venturnome!"

Everyone (Except Terrus) laughed after hearing Largo's joke.

"Largo…" Terrus mumbled. "Please… We have just met and you don't have to humiliate me…"

"Oh, sorry!" Largo said with a crafty smile on his face. "I forgot that you are the worst at shooting. I still remember when you tried to shoot the target in front of you, but the bullet ended up hitting our—"

"That's enough, Largo!" Terrus said. "Sign… And I forgot that being a ghost type made you a lot more crafty than before…"

"Exactly…" Natasha said before she remembered something. "Oh, I forgot! Terrus, I want you to meet someone."

Natasha then turned her attention to a Pokemon who came with her and Largo, which was a Zoroark. "This is Fenrir Illunight Jr. the Zoroark. He is the son of the Heroine of Legend who holds the power of dark type and the next heir to the throne of Shadowlost Territory. Fenrir, this is Terrus Quakersand the Garchomp. He is the first prince of Dustorm Empire and our beloved brother."

 _"Geez…"_ Fenrir Jr. mumbled before shaking hands with Terrus. _"I am Fenrir Illunight Jr. the Zoroark. I come here as a representative of Lord Noctis Shadisas the Absol of Shadowlost Territory for your Succession Ceremony. It's an honor to meet you, Prince Terrus."_

"The honor is mine too, Prince Fenrir." Terrus said.

 _"Please, just call me 'Fenrir', Prince Terrus, as I am not the direct descendant of Lord Noctis."_ Fenrir Jr. said.

"Same goes for me, Fenrir, as I am not the crown prince of Dustorm Empire until this Succession Ceremony is over." Terrus said. "Anyway, I have someone to introduce to all of you too."

Terrus turned his attention to the Aerodactyl who had been waiting for quite some time. "Natasha, Largo and Fenrir, meet Soryl Hurricloud the Aerodactyl. He is the son of Windsky Village's elder."

"Nice to meet you, Soryl." Natasha said with a graceful voice. "I am Princess Natasha Venomist the Dragalge, the first princess of Dustorm Empire."

"Me too, Soryl." Largo said. "And I am Prince Largo Boneskull the Alolan Marowak. I am the second prince of Dustorm Empire."

"Hey! Nice to meet you too!" Soryl said. "I am Soryl Hurricloud the Aerodactyl. I am a hosta— Oops! I mean, an 'Exchanging' child from Windsky Plateau."

"Oh!" Upon hearing Soryl's introduction, Natasha, Largo and even Fenrir Jr. quickly understood what was hidden in his words. "W…We are sorry about this."

"It's alright." Soryl said.

"That reminds me…" Natasha said when she remembered something. "How about Freya? How is she doing now?"

"…She is still at Windsky Plateau." Terrus answered. "She will be back here in the next two weeks, which is actually one week before my Succession Day."

"…" Everyone was silenced after hearing Terrus' answer…

"…Anyway." Terrus changed the topic. "We should go and meet our father right now. I am sure he will be glad to see both of you come back, Natasha and Largo. Also, Fenrir, please come with us too."

"Right." Fenrir Jr., Natasha and Largo said.

"Then, I will take my leave right now." Soryl said before he spread his wings and flew away from all of them.

"…Let's go." Terrus said. "We shouldn't keep our father waiting too long for us."

* * *

 **-Desert Palace, Throne Room**

The door of the throne room opened, and four Pokemon walked into the room. There were some Pokemon here. Most of them were nobles while the others were the guards. But the most outstanding Pokemon in this room was the one who sat on the throne at the other side of the room. He was a matured Garchomp in a suit of the emperor. This Garchomp was none other than the emperor of Dustorm Empire, as well as the father of Terrus, Natasha and Largo, Emperor **Garland Quakersand the Garchomp**.

"Princess Natasha and Prince Largo have returned!" One of the guards announced, turning the attention of everyone in this room to the four Pokemon who had just entered this room. As they walked up to the throne, most nobles whispered with others and looked at Natasha, Largo and Fenrir Jr. with the eyes that showed a disgusting feeling toward them.

Four Pokemon stopped in front of the throne, where the emperor of Dustorm Empire was sitting. Terrus then bowed at his father and spoke up. "Father, your children have returned from Shadowlost Territory."

"…Welcome back, my children." Emperor Garland spoke up. "Natasha, you have evolved into a beautiful Dragalge… I am proud of you."

"Thank you, father." Natasha said and bowed down.

"And you, Largo." Emperor Garland turned his attention to the Alolan Marowak. "…You are now an Alolan Marowak. I hope that your mastery over Fire and Ghost will bring glory to our desert nation."

"…Right, father." Largo bowed down.

"And father…" Terrus said. "This Zoroark is Fenrir Illunight Jr. the Zoroark. He is a representative from Shadowlost Territory."

"What?" Emperor Garland mumbled as Fenrir Jr. stepped forward.

 _"Greeting, your highness."_ Fenrir Jr. bowed down. _"I am Fenrir Illunight Jr. the Zoroark. I am the son of a chancellor of Shadowlost Territory. I come here in the name of Lord Noctis Shadisas the Absol as a representative of the Shadowlost Territory in Prince Terrus' Succession Ceremony."_

"I see…" Emperor Garland said. "Then, I hope you enjoy your stay in Dustorm Empire."

 _"…"_ Fenrir Jr. said nothing.

"Then, father, we shall take our leave right now." Terrus spoke up.

"Hm." Emperor Garland nodded. Then Terrus, Natasha, Largo and Fenrir Jr. left the throne room.

* * *

Terrus brought Natasha, Largo and Fenrir Jr. to his private reading room in Desert Palace. As this is his private room, none could enter it without his permission, making it a perfect place for having a private conversation.

As they entered the room, they found that Soryl was already here.

"I knew that you would be here, Soryl." Terrus said.

"And I knew that you want me to come here." Soryl said.

For Largo and Natasha, this was the first time in ten years that they had stepped into this room, but for Fenrir Jr., this is his first time.

 _"…"_ Fenrir Jr. looked around this room. This looked like a luxurious reading room that was meant for the prince or princess. But the things that caught his attention were seven pictures that hung on the wall. The first three pictures were above the last four pictures. Among three pictures in the first row, the middle one was a picture of Emperor Garland. The left one was a picture of a female Dragalge that looked like Natasha. And the right one was a picture of a female Marowak.

"That are… the pictures of our family." Terrus spoke up as he saw Fenrir Jr. looked at them. "As you already known, the middle picture on the first row is a picture of our father, Emperor Garland Quakersand the Garchomp. The right picture on the first row is a picture of Right Empress **Lylalia Boneskull the Marowak**. She is Largo's and my mother."

"And the left picture on the first row is a picture of Left Empress **Sharon Venomist the Dragalge** , who is my mother." Natasha said.

 _"So…"_ Fenrir Jr. spoke up. _"Terrus, you and Largo shared the same mother while Natasha has a different mother, right?"_

"Right." Terrus answered.

 _"And…"_ Fenrir Jr. looked at four pictures in the second row. He could identify most of them. The first one was a picture of Prince Terrus. The second one was a picture of Princess Natasha. The third one was a picture of Prince Largo. And the last one was a picture of an unknown Pokemon.

"Yup." Largo spoke up. "Those are the pictures of Terrus, Natasha, me and Freya."

 _"Freya?"_ Fenrir Jr. mumbled as he remembered that he heard Natasha said this name before. _"Is she another child of Emperor Garland?"_

"Yes." Natasha answered. "She is the second princess of Dustorm Empire and a younger half sister of Terrus, Largo and me. Right now, she is at the Windsky Plateau."

Hearing the identity of the youngest child of emperor Garland made Fenrir Jr. became more curious, but he had a feeling that he shouldn't ask anything more right now.

"Anyway…" Soryl spoke up after listening to the conversation for some time. "How was your meeting with…him?"

"Father…" Natasha answered. "He seemed to be cold and distant to all of us…"

"He always acts like that to me." Largo said. "But I don't know why he acts like that to Natasha too."

"…He's just too tired." Terrus answered with a serious voice. "Ruling a vast empire isn't an easy job."

"…" Anyone said nothing after hearing Terrus' word.

"Anyway." Terrus changed the topic. "Fenrir, this is the first time you came here, and Natasha and Largo, you haven't been here for so long, so how about letting me show you around the city?"

"That's a good idea." Natasha said, and both Largo and Fenrir Jr. also agreed with her.

"Then, let's go." Terrus said, and then all of them left the room together.

* * *

 **-That night, Dustorm Desert…**

Zetarus and Diego were now camping near a big rock in the middle of Dustorm Desert. It's already night time, so they decided to call it a day. Diego was making a campfire while Zetarus was carving the dead Mudsdale both of them had just killed. After he finished, he gave half of the meat he carved to Diego, who had just finished making a campfire. Diego then roasted the meat he got from Zetarus until it was charred. As when Diego was about to start eating, Zetarus already finished his meal.

"…I still don't fxxxxxg understand you, Zetarus." Diego spoke up. "Why the hell do you always eat your meat raw?!"

"Because raw meat is better than cooked meat." Zetarus answered as he licked the lingering taste of raw meat on his lip. "And I also don't understand why you must burn your meat until it is black before you eat?"

"Because I like charred meat." Diego said and took a bite of his food.

* * *

 **-The Next Day…**

"Are you sure that we go on a right way?" Diego asked. Now they were travelling across Dustorm Desert. Their destination was Dustorm City, the capital of Dustorm Empire

"No." Zetarus answered. "I really don't know where we are going right now."

"You fxxxxxg son of a—" Diego cursed.

"Hey! There's an arrow over there!" Zetarus said and pointed his claw at a signboard not too far from them. They then walked up to it and saw that the signboard was pointing to south of where they were right now.

"Diego, can you read where this will lead us to?" Zetarus asked.

"Fxxk your axxxxxe, Zetarus." Diego mumbled. "I don't have any fxxxxxg idea of what is written on this thing!"

"You couldn't read?" Zetarus said. "Shame on you."

"What?!" Diego held his fist at Zetarus.

"And so do I." Zetarus said, making Diego face palmed himself.

"So…" Diego mumbled. "Both of us couldn't read what the hell is written on this thing…"

"Anyway, let's follow this." Zetarus said and started following the signboard's direction. "If it doesn't lead to Dustorm City, it may lead to the nearest town and we can get more information there."

"W…Wait!" Diego said and followed the Garchomp. But neither of them had no idea of what was written on the signboard.

 _"To Windsky Plateau."_

 **To Be Continued…**

* * *

 **Dragon of Vale: This chapter focuses on a story of Terrus, Natasha and Largo. We learn that their father is Emperor Garland Quakersand the Garchomp, who is a Pokemon that Zetarus wants to assassinate… We also learn that they have another sister, Freya. But she hasn't appeared yet…**

 **Zetarus and Diego got some roles at the end of this chapter. And now both of them want to go to Dustorm City, but where they go now is the way to Windsky Plateau, which located south of Dustorm City…**

 **A special thanks to Ridin Valon for helping me with the error correction.**


	15. Tail 2-5: Plateau of the Wind

**A Dragon's Tail**

 **Tail 2: Zetarus' Tail – Ambivalence**

 **Tail 2-5: Plateau of the Wind**

 **-Four Days Later…**

"WHAT?!"

Zetarus and Diego cried out in shock as they found that, instead of arriving at the Dustorm City, the capital of Dustorm Empire, they had arrived at a vast, breezing plateau instead! This place was actually the Windsky Plateau, a breezing plateau homed to Flying type Pokemon.

"… I think that… we screwed it up." Zetarus mumbled.

"Fxxk you, Zetarus." Diego cursed out.

"Nah…" Zetarus seemed to be unburden of what he had done. "Since we are already here, why don't we go to Windsky Village? From the last town we went, I heard that everyone here hates Dustorm Empire very much, so…"

"You think that a wanted criminal from Fireview Kingdom like me want to walk around the village?!" Diego looked at Zetarus. "Don't you remember what happened in the town we passed three days ago?!"

"Yeah, I still remember the sound of death from that day…" Zetarus said. "But don't worry about it. I heard that Windsky Plateau is a rather isolated area on Symmetria, so I think that you will be alright."

"And fxxk you if it isn't." Diego mumbled.

* * *

After crossing the plateau of the wind, Zetarus and Diego arrived at Windsky Village, the only village around here. This village looked not much different than an ordinary rural village, but the thing that made it different from others were several windmills located everywhere around this village. This village was also the largest settlement of Flying type Pokemon.

As they enter the city area, Diego found that Zetarus was right. It seemed like no one in this village knew that he was actually a wanted criminal. In the other hand, they all were VERY friendly to him. But…

"This village is... strange…" Zetarus mumbled as he saw all villagers looked at him suspiciously and mumbled something as he walked passed them.

'W…What the hell is this village?!' Diego thought. As normally, when they passed through the town in Dustorm Empire, they will say nothing when they saw Zetarus (It seemed like no one knew that Zetarus was actually a prisoner who escaped from Desert Prison), but they, especially the mercenary, were ferocious toward Diego. But that wasn't a problem as, if anyone tried to arrest Diego, Diego and Zetarus will kill them right there.

"Lalala…Oops!"

Someone bumped into Zetarus. He turned his attention to the one who bumped into him and saw that she was a Flygon.

"I…I am so sorry!" The Flygon quickly apologized him.

"…" Zetarus said nothing and was about to walk away when the Flygon called him.

"W…Wait!" Flygon called the Garchomp and flew up to him. "T…Terrus?! Is that you?!"

"…" Zetarus still said nothing.

"Terrus? Why aren't you saying something?" Flygon said and approached Zetarus again, before she realized that she had mistaken a Garchomp in front of her for someone else!

"O…Oh!" Flygon quickly became timid. "I…I…am…sorry… I…m…mistook y….you for…s…someone else."

"…" Zetarus said nothing as he was sure that the one whom that Flygon mistook him for was Prince Terrus. It was not surprising as both Prince Terrus and he were a Garchomp, which was a rare Pokemon.

"U…Um… I…I am sorry about this!" Flygon spoke up before she quickly flew away from him.

"…Strange girl…" Zetarus mumbled.

"Whatever…" Diego said. "Geez… Let's find something to drink…"

* * *

As Zetarus and Diego stopped at the tavern of Windsky Village, they had learned about the history of Windsky Plateau from the conversation of the villagers…

Before the Fallen Crisis, Windsky Plateau was a floating island in the sky, but after the Fallen Crisis, the floating island had fallen down onto the earth and became a plateau instead. After that, Windsky Plateau was a part of Theocracy of Venturnome, until 21 years after the Fallen Crisis, which is 9 years ago…

It was Emperor Garland of Dustorm Empire. He started a war with Theocracy of Venturnome for an unknown reason. Because Theocracy of Venturnome and Dustorm Empire were the two most powerful nations on Symmetria, this war was listed as the second greatest war among five great wars of Symmetria, the War over the Windsky Plateau. It got this name because the Windsky Plateau was the main battlefield of this war…

The war was brutal… Several Pokemon had their lives taken… But it seemed like it will never end… Until finally, the Archsage of Venturnome decided to make a truce with Emperor Garland of Dustorm Empire, thus ended this cruel war… But the price of it was that Theocracy of Venturnome had to give the Windsky Plateau to Dustorm Empire…

After the Windsky Plateau became a part of Dustorm Empire, this land was ruled by Emperor Garland's iron fist, making everyone here hate the Dustorm Empire, as well as the Ground type Pokemon…

'…So, the reason while they all looked at me like that was because I am a ground type Pokemon… But they were friendly to Diego because he is a flying type Pokemon…' Zetarus thought.

* * *

 **-The Next Day…**

After spending one night in Windsky Village, Zetarus and Diego prepared to leave Windsky Village and go to Dustorm City. However, just when they reached the entrance of the village, they found two Pokemon there. One was a Braviary while the other was a Flygon.

"Are you sure that you will go alone, Princess Freya?" Braviary asked the Flygon.

"Don't worry about it, elder." Flygon answered. "The Pokemon of Windsky Village has already done so many things for me… I don't want to be a burden to you…"

"N…No!" Braviary said. "You are not a burden to us at all! Oh!"

Braviary exclaimed softly as he saw Zetarus. "P…Prince T…Terrus?! W…What are you doing here?!"

"Sigh…" Zetarus sighed. "Old man, drill it in your brain that, just because I am a Garchomp doesn't mean I am that prince!"

"W…What?!" Braviary looked at Zetarus again. "Y…You are not Prince Terrus?! I…I am so sorry about this!"

"Whew…" Zetarus sighed again and turned his attention to Diego. "Let's go. We still have a long way to go to Dustorm City…"

"Pardon me?" Braviary spoke up. "Did you say that you will go to Dustorm City?"

"…" Zetarus didn't answer Braviary's question.

"Then, would you mind taking her with you too?" Braviary asked, much to Zetarus, Diego and Flygon's shock.

"B…But…" Flygon spoke up. "I…I would be a burden to them if I go with them!"

"Right." Diego spoke up. "We are not a group of happy-go-lucky merchants!"

"Please…" Braviary said. "If you want money, we have it for you…"

"Elder!" Flygon said. "Y…You don't have to do that!"

"But if you are hurt, we wouldn't know what to do…" Braviary said.

"…Understood." Zetarus spoke up. "Alright, Flygon, you can come with us." His answer surprised both Braviary and Flygon, and shocked Diego.

"A…Are you mad?!" Diego looked at Zetarus with a shocked face. "D…Don't you remember what we are—"

"Don't worry about it. It will be fine." Zetarus spoke.

"B…But…" Flygon spoke up.

"Don't worry about it, Flygon." Zetarus said. "You can come with us for free."

"Oh, really?!" Braviary said. "T…Thank you, sir!"

"B…But…" Diego tried to say something, but Zetarus spoke up first.

"Besides, we don't know the way to Dustorm City. If we go right now, we may get lost again. But if she comes with us, at least she would be able to guide us."

"Hm!" Diego crossed his arms.

"T…Thank you, sir…" Flygon spoke timidly.

"Don't worry about it." Zetarus said.

"And…" Braviary spoke up. "It seemed like we haven't introduced ourselves yet. I am the elder of Windsky Village. What about you two?"

"I am Zetarus the Garchomp." Zetarus said.

"And I am Diego the Charizard." Diego said.

"I…I…" Flygon said timidly. "I am Princess **Freya Mirasert the Flygon** …"

'Princess?' Zetarus thought in his mind. During his journey, he had heard the name of Prince Terrus, Princess Natasha and Prince Largo already, but he hadn't heard the name of Princess Freya before…

"Let's go, Zetarus." Diego spoke. "We still have a long way to go."

"Bye, elder." Freya the Flygon spoke up. "And thanks for everything."

"Give my regard to Soryl for me, Princess Freya." Braviary said.

* * *

With a new companion, Princess Freya, Zetarus and Diego continued their journey across the vast Dustorm Desert once again. This time, with Freya's guidance, they didn't get lost again.

For Diego, he still didn't understand why Zetarus let Freya come with them. It was true that they didn't get lost again, but letting the princess of Dustorm Empire coming with them, who were the criminals who tried to kill the emperor, wasn't a good idea in certain. Every time Diego asked Zetarus about this, Zetarus only answered…

"I don't know. I just think that she should come with us."

'Sigh…' Diego thought. 'But again, he doesn't know why he wants to kill the emperor in the first place…'

Other than guiding them, Freya also proved to be a useful companion. Despite she wasn't good at fighting, she was capable of healing Zetarus and Diego by using an arcane power she drew from the earth.

During the first few days of their journey, Freya was too timid to talk with both of them, but as the time passed, Freya became a bit more comfortable to speak with them, especially to Zetarus. Freya often spoke about her life when she was at Dustorm City. She also liked to talk about her elder siblings, Prince Terrus, Princess Natasha and Prince Largo. With this, Zetarus learned that, while Prince Terrus always stayed in Dustorm Empire, Princess Natasha and Prince Largo were sent to study abroad at other nations. Princess Natasha was sent to Shadowlost Territory while Prince Largo was sent to Fireview Kingdom before he moved to Shadowlost Territory to join his sister.

'…This explained the time I met them at the oasis…' Zetarus thought.

This night, they already camped. Usually, Diego and Zetarus would take turn for watching and let Freya rest. Now, Diego was already sleeping while Zetarus was on the watch, and Freya was still awake too.

"…Freya." Zetarus spoke up, turning the attention of a Flygon to him.

"Do you need something, Sir Zetarus?" Freya asked. She always called Zetarus and Diego 'sir', which both of them didn't mind.

"…You said that you are the princess of Dustorm Empire, right?" Zetarus asked. "Then, why did you want to go back to Dustorm City alone? Don't you have any guard to protect you?"

"W…Well…" Freya became a bit sad. "A…Actually, I am not that much of a princess…"

"…What?" Zetarus looked at Freya.

"…It is true that my father is Emperor Garland…" Freya spoke up. "But… my mother is actually a maid who served him… Unlike Terrus, Natasha and Largo that their mothers were the empresses…"

"…" Zetarus said nothing and let Freya continued her story.

"Well… Emperor Garland has two wives, Right Empress Lylalia the Marowak, who is Terrus and Largo's mother, and Left Empress Sharon Venomist the Dragalge, who is Natasha's mother…" Freya said.

"…And you?" Zetarus asked.

Freya lowered her head before continued speaking. "W…Well… My sibling told me that, it started when Empress Lylalia died after giving birth to Largo and Emperor Garland fell into grief… A…And one day…W…When mother went into his bedroom for her usual cleaning… E…Emperor… H…He…"

"I see…" Zetarus understood what happened. "And then?"

"Then my mother gave birth to the egg that contained me. W…When emperor knew this, he ordered my mother to kill me…B…But… M…Mother refused…S…So…" Freya said with a shaking voice. Zetarus noticed clear water flowing out of her eyes.

"…I am sorry…" Zetarus mumbled.

"…It's alright…" Freya mumbled. "It was because of Empress Sharon that I am still alive… Natasha told me that she tried to stop Emperor Garland from…f…from… But she failed… A…And if she didn't protect my egg, I…I…"

"…" Zetarus was silenced after hearing Freya's sad tale.

"After that, I grew up under the care of Empress Sharon, along with Terrus, Natasha and Largo… Because I am not the daughter of the empress, many nobles doesn't count me as the princess of Dustorm Empire… But when Empress Sharon died ten years ago…" Freya continued her story.

"…" Zetarus understood everything right now. When Empress Lylalia died, it caused Emperor Garland to do a terrible thing to Freya's mother… And when Empress Sharon died ten years ago, War over the Wind Sky Plateau started one year later with an unknown reason of Emperor Garland…

'…Grief.' Zetarus thought.

"Ah!" Freya raised her head and looked at Zetarus. "I… I am sorry for making you hear my story! I am so sorry!"

"…The one that must say sorry is me, Princess Freya." Zetarus spoke up. "Is it a good thing to let a…commoner like me hear something like that?"

"I…I don't know…" Freya spoke up. "But I always feel good when I speak to you… Same as when I speak to Terrus, Natasha and Largo…"

"…Anyway." Zetarus changed the topic. "What were you doing in Windsky Village?"

"I was an exchange child." Freya answered. "After War over the Windsky Plateau ended and Windsky Plateau became a part of Dustorm Empire, Emperor Garland said that, in order to tighten the relationship between Dustorm and Windsky, both places will send a son of their ruler to each other's place for studying the culture of each other. It was me whom Emperor Garland sent to Wind Sky Village, and it was the elder's son, Soryl the Aerodactyl, that was sent to Dustorm Empire…"

"…" Zetarus also understood this one too. The true intention of this exchanging thing wasn't to tighten the relationship between both places, but was for Dustorm Empire to have a 'hostage' to prevent Windsky Village from uprising. And it was not a problem for Emperor Garland to send Freya to Windsky Village as Freya was his bastard daughter.

"…Then, the reason for you to go to Dustorm City is to join Prince Terrus' Succession Ceremony, right?" Zetarus asked.

"Right." Freya answered. "Terrus is now 25 years old, so he will attain to the Succession Ceremony in order to be crowned as the heir to the throne of Dustorm Empire and to inherit the title of Hero of Legend."

"Hero of Legend?" Zetarus repeated Freya's word. "What is that?"

"According to legend, Hero of Legend are Pokemon who received the power of each type from the god to use it to protect the world from evils. Should the evil rises, it is their job to defeat them. The last time this happened was 30 years ago, during the Fallen Crisis. 14 Hero/ine of Legend had defeated the demon and brought the peace back to Symmetria once again. Emperor Garland is actually one of 14 those Hero/ine of Legend. He holds the power of Ground type. And Terrus is the one who will receive the power from Emperor Garland and become the next Hero of Legend who holds the power of Ground type." Freya explained.

"?!" Zetarus was confused as there were many words in Freya's tale that he didn't understand, but he at least known that Emperor Garland was now the Hero of Legend who holds the power of Ground type, and Prince Terrus will be the next.

"I really can't wait to see them again." Freya spoke. "Right now, Terrus is 25, Natasha is 23, Largo is 19 and I am 16."

"?" Zetarus looked at Freya, who seemed to be sleepy.

"I should get some rest right now…" Freya spoke. "Good night, Sir Zetarus."

"Good night, Princess Freya." Zetarus said. But in his mind, he was still thinking of something…

"25, 23, 19, 16?"

* * *

 **-Several Days Later…**

"Oh! Here we are!" Freya said as the trio arrived in a large city. This city was the largest settlement Zetarus had ever seen. It was an arabic city with many merchants selling their goods in the bazaar. Most of Pokemon here were Ground type Pokemon. As Zetarus and Freya entered the city area, Zetarus also noticed that this city was already decorated for the Succession Ceremony next week.

"Thank you, Zetarus!" Freya thanked before she noticed that Diego didn't come with them when they entered the city. "Oh! Where is Diego?"

"Don't worry about him." Zetarus spoke as Diego didn't come into the city with them because he was a wanted criminal. "And Princess Freya, what will you do next?"

"I must go to Desert Palace first to meet everyone." Freya answered. "And Zetarus, why don't you come with me? I will introduce my siblings to you!"

"…No, thanks." Zetarus answered. "I have things to do."

"That's too bad…" Freya said.

"And…" Zetarus looked at Freya. "Princess Freya, I want you to speak nothing of Diego and me, okay?"

"W…Why?!" Freya asked.

"Is it a good thing if anyone knows that you come here with two strangers, right?" Zetarus answered.

"B…But…" Freya mumbled.

"Now I must go…" Zetarus spoke. "And please… forget everything about Diego and me too."

"W…Wait!" Freya tried to say something, but Zetarus already left her.

"…Sir Zetarus…" Freya mumbled before she decided to head to Desert Palace.

* * *

"…Is she gone?" Diego asked when he saw Zetarus walked out of Dustorm City.

"Yes." Zetarus answered, but he seemed to be troubled by something.

"What's wrong, Zetarus?" Diego asked.

"…I'm starting to regret letting Freya come with us." Zetarus answered. "I think she is too innocent to travel with 'sinners' like us."

"That's what I tried to tell you, fxxxxr." Diego said.

"…Never mind that." Zetarus spoke. "We have a thing to do. Prince Terrus' Succession Ceremony will be held one week later. Meanwhile, we have a lot to do."

"What should we do first?" Diego asked.

"We must come up with a plan for this." Zetarus answered.

 **To Be Continued…**

* * *

 **Dragon of Vale: We meet Princess Freya, the youngest princess of Dustorm Royal Children. She is such a tragic character for me…**

 **Also, we see the side of Zetarus we have never seen before. While he is an escaped prisoner, Zetarus actually is very kind to Freya! I wonder why…**

 **And Zetarus and Diego finally arrive at Dustorm City… The next chapter will be the day of Succession Ceremony…**

 **A special thanks to Ridin Valon for helping me with the error correction.**


	16. Tail 2-6: Two Successors

**A Dragon's Tail**

 **Tail 2: Zetarus' Tail – Ambivalence**

 **Tail 2-6: Two Successors**

 **-Six Days Later…**

 _"Daimyo_ _ **Augustine Leafisite the Parasect**_ _of Principality of Leafburg has arrived!"_

Every in the throne room bowed down as a Parasect accompanied by several grassy type and bug type Pokemon walked up from the door to the throne, where Emperor Garland was sitting.

"This sucks…" Diego mumbled. Right now, Zetarus and he were among the guests that came to join Prince Terrus' Succession Ceremony. The real ceremony will start tomorrow. Right now, there was a night banquet in the main hall of Desert Palace, and most guests were already here.

"Yeah…" Zetarus mumbled and looked around. "Why do we have to bow to someone just because they are a king or something?"

"Plus, the security system here sucks." Diego mumbled. "We could get here easily by just showing our card. Those idiots have no idea that they have led two criminals into this place…"

Zetarus looked around the hall. There were many Pokemon here. Most of them were nobles. At the back of the hall were two thrones. The one who sat on the thrones were Prince Terrus and the one Zetarus wished to kill, Emperor Garland. Behind the throne of Prince Terrus stood an unknown Aerodactyl.

Zetarus turned his attention from Garland and Terrus, who were greeting the ruler of Leafburg, to three Pokemon who stood near the throne. They were the trio he saw at the oasis, Princess Natasha, Prince Largo and Prince Fenrir Jr. of Shadowlost.

Zetarus looked around here again and finally saw Freya. She stood a bit far from everyone else. Zetarus could see a timid look on her face. But it seemed like she didn't notice Zetarus and Diego as they tried not to let her see them.

* * *

 _"Queen_ _ **Nyxier Tundrafrost the Aurorus**_ _and Princess_ _ **Misvale Tundrafrost the Aurorus**_ _of Queendom of Riverbrine have arrived!"_

Everyone in this hall turned their attention to a group of Pokemon who had just entered the hall. The most outstanding Pokemon among them was a female Aurorus in a sophisticated dress that glittered as if it was made from ice. She also wore a crown made from Never Melt Ice on her head. Beside her was a smaller female Aurorus in a modest but beautiful dress. The rest of the group was either water type or ice type Pokemon.

As they walked toward the throne, the smaller Aurorus acted modestly toward everyone that bowed down to her. The other Aurorus, however, acted vainly toward everyone she met, be commoners or nobles.

* * *

"Hohoho!" The arrogant Aurorus spoke in a high-pitched voice as he reached the throne. She didn't even bow at Emperor Garland. "Long time no see, Emperor Garland! The last time we met was Empress Sharon's funeral, wasn't it?"

"…Queen Nyxier…" Emperor Garland mumbled.

"And you are Prince Terrus?" Queen Nyxier the Aurorus looked at Terrus. "What a fine Garchomp you have become!"

"Thank you, Queen Nyxier." Terrus said and turned her attention to another Aurorus. "You too, Misvale. You looked beautiful as ever."

"…Thanks, Prince Terrus." Misvale the Aurorus said with a calm voice.

"Hohoho!" Queen Nyxier laughed again and looked around the room until she saw Natasha, Largo and Freya. "That must be Princess Natasha, Prince Largo and Princess Freya, right? But where is another one?"

"…" Emperor Garland didn't answer Queen Nyxier's question, but it was noticeable that he was tightening his fist in rage. Prince Terrus also became restless once he heard Queen Nyxier's words.

* * *

"…One thousand PokeCoin that everyone in this room wants to give that bxxxh a slap." Zetarus mumbled as he looked at Queen Nyxier.

"Make it two thousand PokeCoin." Diego mumbled.

After she finished greeting Emperor Garland, Queen Nyxier and Princess Misvale walked up to where Princess Natasha, Prince Largo and Prince Fenrir Jr were, but Zetarus didn't pay any attention to them as he heard another announcement from the guards.

 _"President_ _ **Voltson Millechu the Raichu**_ _of Republic of Civilight has arrived!"_

Everyone turned the attention to another group of Pokemon that had just entered this hall. The first Pokemon was a Raichu in a white suit while the rest of them were Electric type and Steel type Pokemon in black suits. All of them except the Raichu wore blackglasses too.

'Geez…' Zetarus thought as he watched President Voltson and his subordinates walked up to the throne. 'What's up with everyone from this nation?'

Zetarus looked at President Voltson, who was now greeting Emperor Garland. He then left the throne area at the same time the guards announced the arrival of the next guests.

 _"Prince_ _ **Apollo Inferoar the Pyroar**_ _and Princess_ _ **Artemis Inferoar the Pyroar**_ _of Fireview Kingdom have arrived!"_

The fourth group that came into this hall were all either Fire type or Rock type Pokemon. Their group was led by two Pyroar, one male and one female, in royal garbs.

"That must be Prince Apollo and Princess Artemis…" Zetarus mumbled as he looked at two Pyroar that led the group into this hall. Then he noticed something.

"Diego?" Zetarus called his comrade's name as he noticed that the Charizard seemed like he was filled with rage. He tightened his fist and had a scary look at his face.

"Them…" Diego mumbled angrily. "Blood must spilled… Vengeance must be quenched… I will kill them…"

"Diego? What's wrong?" Zetarus asked and poked Diego's back.

"What?!" Diego turned his attention to the Garchomp. "Oh, it's you, Zetarus…"

"What was that reaction?" Zetarus crossed his arms. "And what's wrong with you when you saw those Pyroar? It seemed like—"

"I want to kill them…" Diego finished Zetarus' sentence. "In the most painful way possible."

"Why?" Zetarus asked.

"It's a long story." Diego answered. "Trust me, you don't want to hear it right now."

"…I don't know the meaning of the word 'trust'." Zetarus mumbled. "But if you don't want to tell me right now, it's fine."

Zetarus and Diego then looked at Prince Apollo and Princess Artemist bowed in front of Emperor Garland. They then had a little conversation before they walked up to join with other royals.

And at the very same time, the guards announced an arrival of special guests from the last nation.

 _"Pontifex_ _ **Hawkins Gale-norval the Lugia**_ _of Theocracy of Venturnome has arrived!"_

* * *

It seemed like everything had stopped for a moment as special guests from the last nation walked gracefully into the hall. All of them were Fighting type, Psychic type and Fairy type Pokemon. The most outstanding Pokemon among them, and also the most outstanding Pokemon in this hall right now, was a Legendary Pokemon, Lugia, in a royal garb suited for a bishop of the highest rank. Everyone's attentions were on him as he walked gracefully into the hall and to the throne. He then stopped in front of Emperor Garland.

* * *

"It's good to see you again, Emperor Garland." Pontifex Hawkins greeted. "Our meeting here must be a blessing from Goddess Yggdrasil…"

"…You too, Pontifex Hawkins." Emperor Garland answered with a softer voice, but before any of them spoke anything more…

"EHAEAEAH!" Their attractions were drawn to a high-pitched voice, followed by the coming of the Riverbrine Queen. "Pontifex Hawkins! Hohoho! I am so glad you are also here too!"

"The pleasure is mine too, Queen Nyxier." Pontifex Hawkins spoke with a soft voice. "And thanks to the blessing of Goddess Yggdrasil and God Arceus too…"

"EAHAEA!" Queen Nyxier let out a high-pitched laughed again.

"And a blessing for you too, Prince Terrus." Pontifex Hawkins turned his attention to Terrus.

"Thank you, great Pontifex Hawkins." Terrus said, but Pontifex Hawkins didn't look at him. It seemed like he was looking at something else.

"…Pontifex Hawkins?" Prince Terrus called the Lugia.

"Oh!" Pontifex Hawkins turned his attention from the thing he was looking back to Terrus again. "My fullest apologies, Prince Terrus."

"Hohoho!" Queen Nyxier laughed again, and three rulers continued their conversation, with Zetarus looked at them. Although he couldn't hear what they say, he could hear Queen Nyxier's words clearly.

"…A bxxxh strikes back…" Zetarus mumbled.

* * *

The banquet continued after all special guests had arrived. Everyone seemed to be very happy with this feast. Sometimes, a guest or two would approach the throne to speak with Emperor Garland and Prince Terrus. Prince Terrus seemed to be friendly to everyone he met while Emperor Garland had a grim look on his face.

The banquet continued until late night. Some guests started to leave for a rest and prepared to come back here tomorrow for the Succession Ceremony, but there were still some guests left at the banquet such as some nobles, most royals, Zetarus and Diego.

"Diego." Zetarus spoke up. "I will sneak into the other areas of this palace to start my work. Will you come with me?"

"No." Diego answered and looked at two Pyroar, who were speaking to Princess Misvale. "I will continue observing them, and I will kill them when the time comes. So, good luck, Zetarus."

"I hope you succeed with your kill." Zetarus said before he sneaked out of the main hall into the other areas of Desert Palace.

* * *

Zetarus sneaked silently in the shadow around Desert Palace. With his high sneaking skill, the guards didn't notice him, making him able to sneak around this place easily. He first went to the eastern wing, which the first floor had no room worth of his time. He then went to the second floor and found many rooms there such as reading quarters. He also found three bedrooms on this floor. He then sneaked into all of them and found that all rooms were very luxurious as if they were meant for royals. The difference between these three rooms were the first room had several bookshelves full with books, the second room had many training gears such as Macho Brace and Thick Club, and the last room had nothing extraordinary, but Zetarus noticed that it seemed like the last room was empty until recently.

'…The first room is Princess Natasha's. The second room is Prince Largo's. And the last room is Princess Freya's.' Zetarus thought.

Zetarus then moved to the third floor, which had only two bedrooms. When Zetarus went into those rooms, he found that they were bigger than the bedrooms on the second floor. But both rooms were very different from each other. While the first room was full with many things such as books and training gears, the second room was…empty. There was nothing here, not even a single bed or chair.

'…Why?' Zetarus thought.

As there were no more floors to go, Zetarus decided to leave the eastern wing and headed to the western wing.

In order to head to the western wing, Zetarus had to walk across a lonely balcony located above the main hall of Desert Palace. Luckily, it seemed like no one was around here.

"…" Zetarus walked silently across the balcony, but just as he reached the middle point of the balcony, he saw someone coming here from downstairs!

"!" Zetarus quickly hid behind a pillar and used the shadows to conceal himself. He then found that the one who came here to this balcony was the Aerodactyl who were standing behind Prince Terrus' throne.

"…" The Aerodactyl flew up to the balcony and looked at the crescent moon. He continued looking at it until another Pokemon appeared.

"Soryl? What are you doing here?"

It was Prince Terrus' voice. Soryl then turned his attention back to the Prince of Dustorm Empire who was walking up to him.

"…Just catching some fresh air." Soryl answered as the prince of earth stopped beside him. "What about you, Terrus? Shouldn't you be in the banquet?"

"I told father that I need some rest." Terrus answered. "Today I am so tired, especially…"

"Because of Queen Nyxier, isn't it?" Soryl spoke up. "I agree with you, Terrus. I still don't understand how could you endure her…attitude."

"Right." Terrus nodded. "But… Soryl, did you know that she is actually one of 14 Hero/ine of Legend who saved Symmetria from Fallen Crisis?"

"What?!" Soryl looked at Terrus. "A…Are you sure?!"

"Yes. It is because I have read the record of the Fallen Crisis." Terrus answered. "Right now, most of 14 Hero/ine of Legend are still alive, and three of them have come to this banquet too."

"Three?" Soryl recalled. "We have Emperor Garland and Queen Nyxier. What about the last one?"

 _"It's me."_

A heavenly voice turned the attention of Terrus and Soryl (And Zetarus) to a Lugia who had just appeared at this balcony. This Lugia was none other than the Pontifex of Theocracy of Venturnome.

"Pontifex Hawkins?!" Terrus spoke up. "Why are you here?"

"We will talk about it later." Pontifex Hawkins answered. "But both of you were talking about 14 Hero/ine of Legend who saved Symmetria from the Fallen Crisis 30 years ago, right?"

"Right." Terrus answered. "And I was telling my friend that you, father and Queen Nyxier are also one of them too. And… Father is the Hero of Ground type, Queen Nyxier is the Heroine of Ice type and you are the Hero of Flying type, right?"

"That's right." Pontifex Hawkins nodded. "But do you know about the other 11?"

"The Chancellor of Shadowlost Territory, Prince Fenrir's mother, is the Hero of Dark type." Terrus answered. "And if I remember correctly, the Archsage of Theocracy of Venturnome…"

"That's right." Pontifex Hawkins spoke up. "The Archsage of Theocracy of Venturnome, who is actually my wife, is also one of them too. She is the Heroine of Psychic type."

"And there's one more…" Prince Terrus continued. "It is the 'Hero of Justice', right? He is the Hero of Fighting type."

"Correct." Pontifex Hawkins nodded. "And what about the other 8?"

"I don't really know much about them…" Terrus answered. "But I remember that they have the power of Normal, Grass, Fire, Water, Electric, Rock, Steel and Poison type, right?"

"Excellent." Pontifex Hawkins complimented. "As expected from the perfect prince of Dustorm Empire."

"Thank you." Terrus nodded.

"But…" Soryl spoke up after listening for some time. "You spoke about the Hero/ine of Normal, Grass, Fire, Water, Electric, Flying, Rock, Steel, Ground, Ice, Fighting, Psychic, Poison and Dark type. What about the Hero/ine of Fairy, Bug, Ghost and Dragon type?"

"They didn't appear during the Fallen Crisis." Pontifex Hawkins answered. "They may appear soon in the future crisis of Pokemon World. But right now, only 13 Hero/ine of Legend exists."

"13? But what about the other one?" Soryl asked.

"…Both of you may don't know this…" Pontifex Hawkins looked at Terrus and Soryl. "Empress Sharon was also one of 14 Hero/ine of Legend who saved Symmetria from the Fallen Crisis."

"What?!" Terrus spoke up.

"Right. She was the Hero of Poison type, but she had passed away since ten years ago. So, right now, there is no Hero/ine of Poison type, but I believe that her title and power will be passed to Princess Natasha when the time come."

"…So, you want to tell me that Natasha will one day become the Heroine of Legend, just like me after my Succession Ceremony tomorrow?" Terrus asked.

"Absolutely." Pontifex Hawkins replied. "I feel a bit bad that, while you and Princess Natasha will become the Hero/ine of Legend, Prince Largo and Princess Freya will never become one…"

"It's alright." Terrus spoke up. "I live with them almost my whole life and I am sure that Largo and Freya will understand this."

"He is right." Soryl spoke up. "He always told me about his siblings and I must say that bonds between four royal children of Quakersand family are very strong."

"…And it would be better if…" Pontifex Hawkins' face became serious. "The other one is still alive, right?"

Terrus spoke nothing but nodded in response, while Soryl seemed to be confused by Pontifex Hawkins' word. "What does that mean?" Soryl asked.

"…When Prince Terrus and Prince Natasha were born, Emperor Garland's life was filled with happiness…" Pontifex Hawkins spoke up. "But 21 years ago, 2 years after Princess Natasha's birth and 2 years before Prince Largo's birth, Emperor Garland was supported to have another child with Empress Sharon. Unfortunately, that child was never born into this world. I don't know what happened that day, but Emperor Garland had fallen into grief. The grief became worse when Empress Lylalia died and Princess Freya was born, and it reached its peak when Empress Sharon died…"

"…I remember that…" Terrus spoke up. "Father was very kind to me, but after the incident 21 years ago, he became much more serious than before… And when Empress Sharon died, I had never seen him smile again…"

"He had changed drastically." Pontifex Hawkins continued. "Emperor Garland was a great ruler, but after all he had endured, he was turned into a merciless emperor who ruled his empire with an iron fist… And… What happened at the Windsky Plateau…"

"…You want to tell me that Emperor Garland started the War over the Windsky Plateau because he was mad after his empress died?!" Soryl spoke up. "Sure, I feel a bit bad after hearing what had happened to Emperor Garland, but there's no way I could forgive him for the thing he had done!"

"…I knew you would say that…" Pontifex Hawkins said. "But that's not what I come here for… I come here to ask you, Soryl Hurricloud the Aerodactyl, for a huge favor."

"…And what is that?" Soryl looked at Pontifex Hawkins.

"…As you may already know, I have only one son." Pontifex Hawkins continued speaking. "And I am sure that he will inherit the title and power of the Hero of Psychic type from my wife instead of me. And do you know what will happen when the Hero of Legend died without a descendant to succeed their power?"

"The power of legend will choose a new Pokemon to become the next Hero/ine of Legend." Soryl answered.

"Correct." Pontifex Hawkins said. "If I die, a new Pokemon will become the Hero/ine of Flying type, and that Pokemon is now standing in front of me."

"WHAT?!" Soryl looked at himself, and then looked at Pontifex Hawkins. "Y…You mean that I will be the next Hero of Flying type?!"

"Yes." Pontifex Hawkins nodded. "21 years ago, I had a vision of a certain Pokemon born at the plateau of the wind that will inherit my power. And when I saw you at the banquet, I knew that you must be the one…"

"…It's true that I was born 21 years ago…" Soryl spoke up. "But are you really sure that it is really me?"

"Absolutely." Pontifex Hawkins said. "And… I come here in order to… pass my power to you, Soryl."

"WHAT?!" Soryl became shocked. "A…Are you really sure about this?!"

"Yes, I am sure." Pontifex Hawkins spoke up.

"B…But, why now?!" Soryl asked.

"I have my own reason, but I can't tell you. The only thing that I can tell you is, if I don't give my power to you soon, something terrible would befall on the continent of Symmetria for sure." Hawkins spoke up.

"B…But…" Soryl said. "I…I can't! I am just a commoner! I couldn't receive a power like that from you!"

"Please, Soryl. I beg you." Pontifex Hawkins said and kneeled down in front of Soryl, which made everyone around here surprised. The ruler of Theocracy of Venturnome kneeled down before an unnamed Aerodactyl…

"…Are you really sure about this?" Soryl asked again.

"I have already answered that question, and I will not answer it again." Pontifex Hawkins answered.

"…Fine." Soryl spoke up.

"Thank you, Soryl." Pontifex Hawkins stood up. "I thank you from the bottom of my heart."

"…What must I do?" Soryl asked.

"Just stand still and I will take care of it."

Pontifex Hawkins reached his wing-like paw forward at the Aerodactyl and released a violet aura from his paw to Soryl. The aura then surrounded Soryl, giving him an enormous power!

"I… feel…" Soryl slowly spoke up as he felt a new power awaken from within his body. "So…light and…nimble… Is this the power of being a Hero of Flying type?"

The violet aura now faded from Soryl's body. Pontifex Hawkins then wiped his sweat.

"Whew…So, this is the feeling of living without the power of legend flowing through my veins…" Pontifex Hawkins mumbled.

"Pontifex Hawkins, are you alright?" Soryl asked.

"Don't worry about me, I am fine." Pontifex Hawkins spoke up. "And now, Soryl, you are the Hero of Legend who holds the power of Flying type. I hope that you will use your power in the right way."

"Thank you for the power, Pontifex Hawkins." Soryl answered. "I promise to use my power to protect this world from evil."

"And, as you are now the Hero of Flying type, this thing is yours."

Hawkins picked something up and handed it over to Soryl. It was a circular weapon with a spiky outer edge. The spikes on the outer edge were glowing violet as if they were made from some kind of gemstone.

"That's Amethyst Chakram." Pontifex Hawkins explained. "Each Hero/ine of Legend carries their personal weapon, and the Amethyst Chakram is the personal weapon of the Hero of Flying type."

"This chakram… I could feel its power by having it on my paw…" Soryl mumbled.

"Terrus." Pontifex Hawkins turned his attention to the perfect prince. "You will also receive the personal weapon of the Hero of Ground type from Emperor Garland tomorrow too. If I remember correctly, his weapon is Garnet Rifle."

Upon hearing Pontifex Hawkins' word, Terrus became restless about something. "What's wrong, Prince Terrus?" Pontifex Hawkins asked.

"While he is called 'The Perfect Prince', his skill with a ranged weapon is the worst." Soryl answered instead. "He always misses his target no matter what."

"P…Please, Soryl!" Terrus spoke up. "It's embarrassing!"

"Oh, I see…" Pontifex Hawkins looked at Terrus. "Don't worry about it, Prince Terrus. I heard that a personal weapon of Hero/ine of Legend will change their kind of weapon to match the new Hero/ine of Legend's skill. So, if you aren't good with ranged weapons, I am sure that Emperor Garland's Garnet Rifle will change into something that suits your fighting skill."

"Well, it was lucky for me that I usually fight with a chakram, so I am pretty good with it…" Soryl said.

"…Thank you, Pontifex Hawkins." Terrus spoke up.

"Me too." Soryl said.

"Don't worry about it. But, Soryl, do not tell anyone that you inherited the power of legend from me until the right time comes, okay?"

"I promise." Soryl answered."But why?"

"It wouldn't be a good thing if everyone knows that you, instead of me, have the power of Flying type, right? They may think that you stole my power from me…" Pontifex Hawkins said.

"Okay…" Soryl said.

"Well then, why don't you go back into the hall? The banquet isn't over yet…" Pontifex Hawkins said.

"Alright. Thank you for everything, Pontifex Hawkins." Terrus and Soryl said and left the balcony to go back to the main hall of Desert Palace, leaving Pontifex Hawkins (And Zetarus) here…

* * *

"'If I don't give my power to you soon, something terrible would befall on the continent of Symmetria for sure'… That's it?" Hawkins repeated the words he told Soryl as he saw that Terrus and Soryl already left the balcony. "Well… Giving the power of legend to him or not will result in a very same thing, a catastrophe. No matter what happens, my death will bring a great terror upon the continent of Symmetria, and this terror will raise ten monsters from their slumber… Ten monsters… They will plague Symmetria and bring her an absolute destruction… Thus, begins a new task for 17 Hero/ine of Legend… But I wonder… Who is the monster and who is the hero?"

Pontifex Hawkins then ended his mumbling and left the balcony to go back to the main hall. Now only one Pokemon remained here on the balcony, Zetarus.

"…" Zetarus left his hiding place and continued heading to the western wing of Desert Palace, but Pontifex Hawkins' last question was still stuck in his mind…

* * *

The western wing of Desert Palace, like the eastern wing, had many rooms. The most notable room on this wing was Emperor Garland's bedroom, which is located on the fourth floor of the western wing, but the way to that room was guarded heavily, so Zetarus had no choice other than leaving it alone. The third floor of the western wing was the location of the deceased empresses' bedroom, which both were empty. The second floor had no room worth of his time. And finally, Zetarus reached the first floor of the western wing…

"Who's there!?"

'Crap!' Zetarus thought as there were two guards around here, and they already spotted him! Zetarus then started running away from them with high speed!

"Hey! Come back here!" The guards said as they chased after Zetarus.

Zetarus said nothing and ran away from the guards along the dark corridor of Desert Palace. It was lucky for him that the darkness prevented the guards from seeing what kind of Pokemon he is, but it was unlucky that…

'Sxxt!' Zetarus found that this corridor led him to a dead end! The only way to go forward was the door at the end of the corridor. Zetarus then decided to open the door and went into the room the door led to!

"W…Where did that bustard go?" One of the guards said.

"I saw them going into that room." Another guard said and pointed his paw at the room Zetarus just went it.

"They went into that room?!" The first guard said. "Then, our job is over."

"Right." The second guard said. "No one, other than the Royals, had ever gone into that room and came back alive…"

"Just let them take care of our work…" The first guard said, and then both of them left here and went back to where they were before chasing after Zetarus…

* * *

Zetarus was now in a very dark room. He couldn't see anything in this room.

"…What the heck did I get myself into?" Zetarus mumbled, and then…

"WHAT?!" Zetarus was shocked when he saw several blue flames suddenly appeared on the floor. The flames were surrounding something in the middle of the room that seemed like an altar…

Zetarus slowly approached the altar. This altar seemed like it was to be used for some important ceremony…

"WHAT?!" Zetarus was shocked again because as he reached the altar, he saw someone standing at the other side of an altar. That Pokemon was… very strange because it didn't seem like a Pokemon, it seemed more like a…spirit.

"W…Who are you?" Zetarus asked.

 _"…You've finally come." The spirit spoke up. "I have been waiting for you my whole life, Zetarus,_ _my one and only great-grandson."_

 **To Be Continued…**

* * *

 **Dragon of Vale: This chapter is long and boring, but we learn more about Emperor Garland's past and Diego's target. We also see Soryl becomes the new Hero of Flying type!**

 **And now, the second tail almost comes to the end. Only a few more to go…**

 **A special thanks to Ridin Valon for helping me with the error correction.**


	17. Tail 2-7: The Last Quakersand

**A Dragon's Tail**

 **Tail 2: Zetarus' Tail – Ambivalence**

 **Tail 2-7: The Last Quakersand**

Finally, after a very long wait, the day of Prince Terrus' Succession Ceremony has finally arrived…

The Succession Ceremony was held in order for Emperor Garland to appoint Prince Terrus to be the 'real' crown prince of Dustorm Empire, and Emperor Garland will pass his power and title of Hero of Legend who held the power of Ground type to Prince Terrus, making it one of the most important days for Dustorm Empire.

The first part of this ceremony was for Emperor Garland to appoint Prince Terrus to be the crown prince of Dustorm Empire. Everyone who was at the banquet last night was also here to witness the ceremony, including…

'Where the hell is Zetarus?!' Diego looked around the main hall, where the first part of this ceremony was held. The last time he saw Zetarus was last night, when Zetarus told him that he would sneak into Desert Palace, but he had never seen that Garchomp again until now…

'Fxxk that bastard.' Diego thought. He then gave up looking for Zetarus and turned his attention to a prince and a princess of Fireview Kingdom instead…

'…How painful should I kill them? They must die in the most painful way possible for the thing they have done to me…' Diego thought to himself… And then… He decided to…

* * *

After the first part of the Succession Ceremony ended, it moved to the second part, the part where Prince Terrus inherit the power and title of Hero/ine of Ground type from Emperor Garland. Unlike the first part, where the ceremony was being held in the main hall of Desert Palace, the second part will be held in the 'Terra Room', a room that only allows the member of Quakersand Royal Family to enter. There were many tales of burglars who had broken into Desert Palace and had entered this room, only to be found as a skeleton…

Because of this, only five Pokemon were allowed to witness this ceremony. They were Emperor Garland, Prince Terrus, Princess Natasha, Prince Largo and Princess Freya. And now, all of them were in the Terra Room, preparing for the ceremony…

But they had no idea that there were actually six Pokemon in this room…

* * *

'Where the hell is that shark-dragon?!' Diego thought to himself as he walked around the main hall of Desert Palace, trying to find Zetarus. And then…

"…Wait a minute, I remember you."

Diego turned his attention back and saw an Aerodactyl standing not too far from him. As he turned his face to the Aerodactyl, he quickly spoke up.

"Hey! Aren't you a wanted criminal from Fireview Kingdom?!" Aerodactyl pointed his paw at Diego.

"Crap!" Diego mumbled and quickly ran away from the Aerodactyl and headed to the exit of Desert Palace.

"Hey! Where are you going?! Get back here you criminal scum!" Aerodactyl said and quickly flew after Diego, who already left Desert Palace…

* * *

 **-Meanwhile…**

Behind the altar, the sixth Pokemon waited silently… That Pokemon was none other than Zetarus the Garchomp. The reason why he was here was to finish his task of killing Emperor Garland.

Zetarus waited silently behind the altar. He had learned that Emperor Garland will walk up to the altar to place his weapon here, and then he will turn back and pass his power to Prince Terrus who would stand at the door of this room. After receiving the power from Emperor Garland, Prince Terrus will walk up to the altar to take the weapon from there, thus ending the Succession Ceremony…

'When Emperor Garland transferred his power to Terrus, he will turn his back against the altar, and his weapon will not be with him…' Zetarus thought. 'That's my chance to bury a bullet into his skull…'

And now… The time had come…

Emperor Garland slowly walked up to the altar while Prince Terrus stood at the entrance of this room. Princess Natasha and Princess Freya stood left to the door while Prince Largo stood right to the door.

'Just a bit more…' Zetarus thought as he heard a sound of Emperor Garland's footstep.

When he reached the altar, Emperor Garland placed a glowing orange rifle that seemed like it was made from gemstone on the altar.

"The spirit of my ancestors…" Emperor Garland spoke up. "Witness this sacred ceremony!"

Emperor Garland turned back to where Prince Terrus was, and then he charged up his power, preparing to transfer it to his son!

'That's it!' Zetarus thought and aimed his Raider Pistol at the Emperor of Dustorm Empire's head. And…

"…My descendant." Emperor Garland spoke up and reached his paw forward. "I grant you my power!"

'NOW!' Zetarus pulled the trigger of his Raider Pistol!

* * *

"BANG!" The sound of a gunshot could be heard by everyone in this room, and then…

'WHAT?!" Zetarus was shocked because a bullet he shot didn't hit Emperor Garland! It missed and hit the wall instead!

"EAHA!" Freya covered her ears after she heard the sound of a gunshot. Natasha and Largo were panicking and weren't sure what to do next. Terrus looked around and tried to find the sniper, and Emperor Garland just stood there silently.

"W…Who's there?!" Largo spoke up.

"The bullet… was from there!" Terrus looked at the altar. "You there, show yourself!"

"…" Zetarus said nothing and decided to appear from behind the altar and revealed his existence to everyone. Upon seeing him, everyone, especially Emperor Garland, was shocked!

"W…What?!" Largo looked at the Garchomp who had just appeared from behind the altar.

"W…Who are you?!" Terrus asked.

"I have no need to answer your question, Prince Terrus." Zetarus spoke and turned his attention to Emperor Garland. "Emperor Garland, I challenge you to a duel!"

"What?!" Terrus said, but Emperor Garland didn't even panic. He just stood and looked at Zetarus before he revealed a crafty smile.

"Interesting…" Emperor Garland spoke up. "You tried to assassinate me, but you missed… And now, you think that you could defeat me, right?"

"Right." Zetarus answered.

"Then, I accept your challenge." Emperor Garland said, much to the surprise of everyone else in the room.

"What?!" Natasha and Largo spoke up.

"F…Father, you can't—" Terrus said, but his words were cut off by his father.

"Shut up, Terrus." Emperor Garland scolded. "The one who interrupt the sacred ceremony must be punished. Terrus, Natasha, Largo and Freya, stand still and let me murder this scum. This is an order!"

"Father…" Terrus mumbled, Natasha seemed to be restless, Largo spoke nothing, and Freya seemed to be anxious.

"Excellent." Zetarus said and pointed his Raider Pistol at Emperor Garland. "Now, die!"

Zetarus shot several bullets at Emperor Garland at high speed, but Emperor Garland could dodge all of them easily!

"WHAT?!" Zetarus cried out in shock.

"You idiot…" Emperor Garland spoke with a creepy voice. "I wasn't a Hero of Legend for nothing, you fool!"

Emperor Garland dashed up at Zetarus and slashed him at his abdomen! His action was so sudden that Zetarus couldn't defend himself!

"ARRGE!" Zetarus fell down onto his knees and dropped his Raider Pistol. In front of him was Emperor Garland, who looked at him with a creepy face.

"Only a scratch and you have already done for? Pathetic…" Emperor Garland spoke sarcastically.

"You!" Zetarus tried to stand up, only to find that his face was pointed by a pistol held by the Emperor of Dustorm Empire.

"Did you really think that I, without the Garnet Rifle, would be unarmed and vulnerable? Pathetic." Emperor Garland said. "I may not have the Garnet Rifle, but I still have my pistol, 'Black Sniper'. Beautiful, isn't it?"

"Damn you!" Zetarus roared.

"And… It's time for your punishment." Emperor Garland said while still pointed Black Sniper at Zetarus' face. "Normally, the sentence of interrupting the sacred ceremony is death, but… You were so pathetic that I, the merciful Emperor Garland, chose to lessen your punishment."

Emperor Garland shifted his Black Sniper a bit and made it pointed at Zetarus' right eye! "In the name of Emperor of Dustorm Empire, I sentence you to the half world of darkness for eternity!"

"BANG!" Emperor Garland shot Zetarus in his right eye, making Zetarus roar in pain!

"ARRRRRRRRR!"

"EAHEAEAEAEA!" Freya cried. "F…Father! W…What you have done?!"

"F…Father?!" Natasha said and covered Freya's eyes with her fins.

"W…What?!" Largo was shocked by his father's action.

"Tss…." Terrus was shocked too, but he was good at keeping cool.

"Do you love my punishment?" Emperor Garland said with a cold-blooded voice as Zetarus covered his right eye with his paw. "Now, your right eye will be blind forever! That's my punishment."

"DAMN YOU!" Zetarus cried in pain and tried to stop the blood that flew out of his right eye. Right now, he realized half of his vision was cut off.

"Well then, let's continue the ceremony." Emperor Garland said as if nothing had happened and passed his power to Terrus by surrounding him with orange aura, giving him an enormous power.

"And now, the ceremony is over." Emperor Garland said after he finished transferring his power of Ground type to Terrus. "I will leave right now. For this pathetic Garchomp…" Emperor Garland looked at Zetarus. "I will leave his fate in your paw, Terrus. Spare him or kill him, I don't care."

After finishing everything, Emperor Garland walked up to the door of the room and left the room, but…

"COME BACK, YOU BASTARD!" Zetarus said and tried to follow Emperor Garland, but was stopped by Terrus.

"Give up, you criminal!" Terrus spoke. "As the crown prince and the Hero of Ground type, I order you to surrender or face death!"

"…Hahaha…" Zetarus slowly stood up and uncovered his right eye. The red liquid slowly dripped from the place that was once his right eye and fell on the floor. "So, you won't let me kill that bastard, right? Then, I must kill you first, Prince Terrus."

"Never!" Largo and Natasha walked up and stood beside Terrus, with Freya reluctantly following them. "If you want to fight Terrus, you must fight us too!"

"…So be it." Zetarus said and picked up his Raider Pistol, and the royal children also prepared for a battle too…

* * *

 **-Meanwhile…**

"Stop!" Soryl roared and threw his Amethyst Chakram at Diego, which the Charizard barely dodged it. Right now, Soryl had chased after Diego until both of them were in Dustorm Desert west of Dustorm City. They were now having a sky battle!

"Sxxt." Diego mumbled as his opponent was an Aerodactyl, a rock and flying type Pokemon, which had a huge advantage over a fire and flying type Pokemon like him. Moreover, his opponent seemed to be very skilled in aerial battle, which wasn't a thing that Diego was good at.

"Curse my flying type…" Diego thought. 'Why must I be a flying type Pokemon too? Being a fire type is good enough for me…'

"What's wrong, scumbag?" Soryl spoke. "You finally realize that a Charizard like you couldn't win against an Aerodactyl like me, right? And it seemed like you are only good at a land battle, but a Sky Knight like me is very good at aerial battle! You will never defeat me!"

"…For a gladiator like me…" Diego spoke up. "There's one thing I always keep in my mind. IT'S KILL OR BE KILLED! RRRRR!"

Diego grabbed his Naginata, and then continued his battle with the Aerodactyl!

* * *

 **-Meanwhile…**

 **Royal Children of Dustorm Empire**

 **Prince Terrus Quakersand the Garchomp**

 **Princess Natasha Venomist the Dragalge**

 **Prince Largo Boneskull the Alolan Marowak**

 **Princess Freya Mirasert the Flygon**

Zetarus looked at his opponents, Terrus, Natasha, Largo and Freya. Zetarus then figured out that Terrus was a Paladin, Natasha was a Valkyrie, Largo was a Spiritual Shaman, and Freya was a Healer.

"This is madness…" Terrus spoke up and looked at Zetarus. "Your opponents are the royal children of Dustorm Empire, and you are one-eye blind. No matter how I look, you are at a huge disadvantage."

"And I prefer to make it double." Zetarus said and grabbed the Garnet Rifle that was placed on the altar and threw it at Terrus. Terrus quickly grabbed it before it fell onto the floor.

"W…What are you doing?!" Largo said.

"Prince Terrus, you are now the Hero of Ground type, so, what's the deal of a Hero of Legend without his personal weapon?" Zetarus answered.

Everyone turned their attention to Terrus, who held the Garnet Rifle in his right paw. Suddenly, the Garnet Rifle glowed a mysterious light before it changed its shape into a huge sword with an orange blade that glittered like a huge sparkling gemstone.

"T…This…" Terrus mumbled.

"…The tale was true after all." Zetarus spoke up. "The personal weapon of Hero of Legend will change its shape to match its owner's skill."

"…For me, it changed into a giant blade…" Terrus mumbled. "Alright, I will call it, Garnet Blade."

"Spare the moment of naming for later, okay?" Zetarus spoke up. "For now, let me kill all of you first."

"Right." Terrus said and equipped his newly-obtained Garnet Blade. Natasha and Largo also equipped their weapons, which were a whip and a club respectively. However, Freya seemed to be reluctant.

"I…" Freya spoke up. "I don't want to fight you, Zetarus."

"What?!" Terrus, Natasha and Largo looked at the Flygon. "Do you know him?!" Largo asked.

"Right." It was Zetarus who answered the question. "I was the one who escorted Princess Freya from Windsky Plateau to this place one week ago."

"WHAT?!" Terrus, Natasha and Largo said.

"And… Did you say that I would lose because this battle is 4 against 1?" Zetarus looked at his opponents. "I must say that I already killed everyone at Desert Prison, so… It won't be hard for me to kill all of you."

"W…What does that mean?" Terrus asked.

"It means that I am a prisoner who has escaped from Desert Prison and killed everyone there one month ago." Zetarus answered.

* * *

Zetarus' word shocked everyone in this room, especially Freya.

"Y…You!" Largo said. "W…We will kill you right now!"

"Wait!" Terrus spoke up. "You said that you have escaped from Desert Prison and killed everyone there, but you were the one who escorted Freya here… That doesn't make sense!"

"R…Right." Freya said. "If you are truly that prisoner, then why didn't you kill me back then?!"

"I have my own reason, which I refuse to tell any of you." Zetarus answered. "But I may tell you if you all could defeat me in a battle."

"Then…" Terrus, Natasha and Largo got into an offensive stance, while Freya was still reluctant about what to do next.

"Idiots…" Zetarus mumbled and looked at the Ring of Balance on his claw. "You shall suffer under the wrath of earth! Zygarde, I summon you!"

Zetarus placed his paw on the floor and summoned the Order Pokemon!

"LAND'S WRATH!" Zygarde roared and attacked the foes with seismic waves generated from underground! Luckily, Terrus' Garnet Blade created a shield that protected him from Zygarde's Land's Wrath, and Freya didn't get any damage thanks to her Levitate, but Natasha and Largo were attacked severely!

"ARGAGR!" Natasha and Largo fell down on the floor.

"Natasha! Largo!" Freya quickly went up to them and tried to heal them with her power, leaving Terrus to face Zetarus alone.

"That was easy…" Zetarus spoke up. "Only one attack and three of four enemies already done for…"

"Shut up." Terrus said and pointed his sword at Zetarus. "You are the scum of the earth, and I, Terrus Quakersand the Garchomp, won't allow you to contaminate the earth any further!"

"Sigh…" Zetarus mumbled. "Couldn't you use easier words? Oh, well…"

Zetarus pointed Raider Pistol and Terrus and shot several bullets at him! However, something strange happened. Despite Zetarus only had one eye left, all bullets that were shot from his Raider Pistol were very much more accurate than before, and Terrus would be done for if he didn't use his Garnet Blade to block some of them!

'What?!' Zetarus thought. 'I usually shoot several bullets at a target at the same time because if I shoot only one or two bullets, I may miss the target. But now…'

"YAH!" Terrus dashed up to Zetarus and slashed him with Garnet Blade, but Zetarus was able to dodge it!

'This guy…' Zetarus thought. 'His weapon is a giant blade that others normally wield it two-handed, but he could use it one-handed…'

Zetarus shot several bullets at Terrus again, but his attack was blocked by Terrus' Garnet Blade again!

'His defense is good.' Zetarus thought. 'But his speed isn't as good as mine…'

"Bulldoze!" Terrus stomped on the ground to attack Zetarus, but Zetarus dodged the attack by jumping into the air!

"Aerial Ace!" Zetarus dived at Terrus with high speed, but Terrus used Garnet Blade to block his attack again!

"DAMN YOU!" Zetarus roared and jumped backward. He then dashed up to Terrus again!

"CRUNCH!" Zetarus roared and buried his sharp fangs on Terrus' back!

"GREER!" Terrus roared in pain. "SLASH!" Terrus slashed Zetarus with his sharp claw, making Zetarus's back bled red blood!

But then…

"STOP!"

Zetarus and Terrus' attentions were turned to a Flygon who had just spoken up. They then got away from each other and realized that Freya was… crying…

"W…Why…" Freya spoke up. "W…Why do you have to fight each other?"

"Because he tried to kill our father!" Terrus answered.

"Because he stands in my way of killing Emperor Garland!" Zetarus answered.

"Z…Zetarus…" Freya spoke up again. "W…Why do you have to kill father?"

"I want to know too." Terrus spoke up. "Zetarus, what is the reason for you to kill Emperor Garland?"

"There is no reason for this." Zetarus answered. "I want to kill Emperor Garland because I know it is the thing I must do, and I will do it even if it means that I must face death!"

"You… You are psychopathic…" Terrus mumbled. "Didn't your parents teach you about the value of life?!"

"Sadly, I have grown up in Desert Prison since when I was in an egg." Zetarus answered. "Have I killed someone? Have I committed any treason? The answer is no, but why did I have to suffer alone while all of you live here in such a better life?"

"W…What?" Terrus was confused by Zetarus' words. "W…What does it mean?!"

"You still don't know, pathetic…" Zetarus answered. "This room is Terra Room, the room that only allowed the member of the royal family to enter, but here I am, standing here safe and fine… Do you know what does it mean?"

"…You have the blood of Quakersand, right?" Terrus mumbled.

"Yes." Zetarus said. "And there's more. Prince Terrus, Princess Natasha, Prince Largo and Princess Freya, your ages are 25,23,19 and 16, right? Well, let me tell you that my age is 21."

"W…WHAT?!" Terrus, Natasha and Largo were shocked as they realized something. "I…It can't be!"

"But it's the truth." Zetarus said. "My real name is **Zetarus Quakersand the Garchomp** , and I am the third children of Quakersand Royal Family."

 **To Be Continued…**

* * *

 **Dragon of Vale: Only two more chapters and the second tail will end!**

 **Wow… Many things happened in this chapter… Especially at the last paragraph…**

 **A special thanks to Ridin Valon for helping me with the error correction.**


	18. Tail 2-8: Decision

**A Dragon's Tail**

 **Tail 2: Zetarus' Tail – Ambivalence**

 **Tail 2-8: Decision**

 **-Last night…**

 _"Your great-grandson?" Zetarus repeated the words he heard from the spirit in front of him. "What does it mean?"_

 _"Idiot." Spirit spoke up. "It means that I am your great-grandfather."_

 _"…Great-grandfather?" Zetarus mumbled. "I don't have time to deal with a dead one like you, now go to hell."_

 _"I already did that since 1,150 years ago." Spirit answered. "The only reason I came here is to speak with you."_

 _"Knock it off, old man." Zetarus said._

 _"Idiot…" Spirit looked at Zetarus. "Don't you know anything about the room you are in right now?"_

 _"No." Zetarus crossed his arms._

 _"This is 'Terra Room'" Spirit explained. "This room harbored the ancestral spirit of Quakersand. It only allowed a member of Quakersand Royal Family to enter. If anyone who does not have the blood of Quakersand enters this room, the ancestral spirit will kill them immediately!"_

 _"Boring as hell." Zetarus mumbled. "If that's true, then why I am here, safe and sound?"_

 _"Because you are the member of Quakersand Royal Family."_

 _The room fell into silence after the spirit stopped speaking. Zetarus seemed to be shocked after hearing it._

 _"It can't be." Zetarus finally spoke up. "I am just a criminal who was imprisoned at Desert Prison for 21 years…"_

 _"And what happened to Quakersand Royal Family 21 years ago?" Spirit asked._

 _Spirit's words reminded Zetarus of what Pontifex Hawkins spoke of at the balcony, about the third son of Emperor Garland that was supported to be given birth 21 years ago, but that child never came to life…_

 _"Don't tell me…" Zetarus mumbled. "I am the child of Emperor Garland and Empress Sharon?!"_

 _"Yes." Spirit said. "Empress Sharon is your mother. Prince Terrus is your elder half brother. Princess Natasha is your elder sister. Prince Largo is your younger half sister. Princess Freya is your younger half sister. And the one you wanted to kill, Emperor Garland, is your real father."_

 _"…That doesn't make any sense." Zetarus said. "You don't have anything to prove that I am that 'prince' and if that's true, how could I end up in Desert Prison instead of living in Desert Palace?"_

 _"I usually don't interfere with mortal affairs, so I don't know what happened 21 years ago and how you ended up in Desert Prison." Spirit said. "But when I saw Terrus, Natasha, Largo and Freya, I knew that there's one missing prince, and that prince is you, Zetarus. The proof of my words is, if you aren't that prince, you would be dead from the moment you stepped into this room…"_

 _"…" Zetarus found everything that spirit told him was very hard to swallow… His true identity was the prince of Dustorm Empire… But for some reason, he ended up in Desert Prison instead… And… The Pokemon he wanted to kill was actually his father!_

 _"Well…" Sprit looked at Zetarus again. "After knowing all of this, do you still want to kill Emperor Garland?"_

 _"…Of course." Zetarus answered. "My only wish in my life is to kill Emperor Garland, and I won't stop it even if he is my father nor not."_

 _"Great job, my great-grandson." Spirit said. "Your tenacity... That's the thing that only you, among five children of Quakersand, have, thus, you are the only one I am proud to call my great-grandson."_

 _"…" Zetarus looked at the spirit._

 _"If you want to kill Garland, I won't stop you." Spirit said. "Instead, let me help you by telling you about what will Emperor Garland do in the Succession Ceremony tomorrow…"_

* * *

 **-Back to Today…**

"…And that's the thing I was told last night." Zetarus said.

Terrus, Natasha, Largo and Freya were shocked when they learned the truth of an assassin who tried to kill their father. Zetarus, the criminal of Dustorm Empire, was actually the prince of the very same nation and also their brother! All of them wanted to say that Zetarus was lying, but they couldn't!

"The two things I still don't know are what happened to Emperor Garland's third child 21 years ago and how could I end up in Desert Prison." Zetarus said. "And I doubt any of you know what happened that day since two of you were very young back then while the rest two weren't given birth yet."

Zetarus was right. Largo and Freya knew nothing about what happened that day, and Terrus and Natasha couldn't remember anything that happened on that fateful day…

"T…That…" Freya broke the silence. "During our journey together from Windsky Plateau to Dustorm City, I always felt good every time I talked to you, Zetarus. It was the very same feeling I have when I talk with my other siblings… And now… I know why…"

"Whatever!" Largo pointed his bone club at Zetarus. "You may be Emperor Garland's son, but for me, you are not my brother! You are just a monster scum!"

"I…" Natasha said with a reluctant voice. "I don't know about this… It's…so hard…"

"…" Terrus said nothing. He just stared at his opponent, who turned out to be his younger half brother!

"What will you do, Prince Terrus?" Zetarus asked. "The one who wanted to kill your father, me, is your younger brother. What will you do? Will you continue to fight me? Or will you do anything otherwise? But I doubt a crown prince like you will let me kill the emperor of Dustorm Empire…"

"…No." Terrus said. His eyes were gazing at Zetarus. "Zetarus, you may be a criminal and a prisoner, but deep in your heart, you are not a bad guy."

"W…What?" Zetarus was shocked after hearing Terrus' words.

"That's right!" Freya spoke up. "Zetarus, if you are really a bad guy, you would kill me since when we travelled from Windsky Plateau to this place!"

"Moreover." Terrus said. "During our battle, you quickly knocked Natasha and Largo out because you don't want to fight them, and if they were hurt, Freya would have to heal them, making only I left in the battle. Your true intention was to have a one-on-one battle with me, right?"

"…" Zetarus said nothing.

"That's why I choose to offer you mercy." Terrus said and reached his paw forward. "Zetarus, for the sake of everyone, abandon your wish of killing our father and come with us. We will find the truth of what happened 21 years ago together, and all of us can be a…family once again."

Terrus' word gave different reaction to everyone in the room. Freya seemed to agree with him. Natasha wasn't sure what to do right now. Largo did not agree with Terrus. And Zetarus lowered his head.

"…Despite everything I had done…" Zetarus spoke up without looking at anyone. "You are willing to forgive me?"

"Yes." Terrus said. "All you must do is abandon your past and walk a new path of future, a path which all of us will walk…together…"

"…I…" Zetarus mumbled. He still didn't look at anyone…

"…Thank you, Terrus." Zetarus said, making a smile appeared on Terrus and Freya's faces.

However, their smile suddenly disappeared when Terrus raised his head and continued his words.

"But I am afraid that would be impossible." Zetarus said. His words shocked everyone in the room!

"W…Why?!" Freya asked after hearing the answer from Zetarus. She still couldn't believe what she just heard.

"Right." Terrus was in the very same reaction as Freya. "Why would that be impossible?"

"Because I have come too far to change my path." Zetarus answered. "I couldn't turn back right now, no matter what happened. I must walk my path until the end, no matter what is the outcome of my action."

"T…That doesn't make any sense!" Freya cried.

"…" Terrus said nothing. He still gazed at Zetarus.

"So, that's my answer." Zetarus said. "And I will hold on my decision until the end. None of you could change my mind."

"…I understand." Terrus spoke up. "You chose to remain as our enemy, right?"

"Right." Zetarus said. "If any of you stands in my way, then I will have to get rid of you."

"…It seemed like I won't be able to change your mind…" Terrus said. "But… At least, would you do me three requests?"

"…What are they?" Zetarus crossed his arms.

"First, would you mind accepting us as your sibling?" Terrus asked. His request made Largo very shocked!

"I…Impossible!" Largo said. "He is not my brother! I will never think of that monster scum as my brother!"

"…Prince Largo is right." Zetarus said. "I won't be able to call any of you my sibling."

"Then, my next request." Terrus said. "If you won't accept us as your sibling, at least accept us as the member of 'Quakersand'."

"…My name is Zetarus Quakersand the Garchomp." Zetarus spoke up. "But that is just a name. Are you fine with it?"

"…That's enough for me." Terrus said. "And my last request, please leave this place, right now."

"What?!" Zetarus said after hearing Terrus' last request. "Do you have any reason for that?"

"Because if you want to kill Emperor Garland, you must defeat all of us first." Terrus explained. "But… None of us wants to fight you right now, and your right eye is still bleeding."

"…So, you want me to give you some time before our real battle?" Zetarus asked. "And to do that, you will let me, a prisoner who escaped from Desert Prison, go?"

"Right." Terrus said. "I will take the full responsibility of letting you go."

"…Fine…" Zetarus said. "But you must not forget that a snake's venom will be more intense as the time passes."

"And the blade that will cut that snake will be sharper as the time passes." Terrus said.

"Very well, then…" Zetarus said. "I will leave Dustorm Empire right now, but the next time I return to this nation, blood of Quakersand will spill."

"And I hope that day would never arrive, though I know it is impossible." Terrus said and turned his attention to Freya. "Freya, please warp him out of this place."

"R…Right…" Freya mumbled and flew up to Zetarus. She then pointed her weapon, which is a staff, to Zetarus, creating a ring of light that surrounded him.

"Zetarus…" Freya spoke. "Despite everything that happened, you are my brother and will always be…"

After she finished, Freya used her magic to teleport Zetarus out of Terra Room, out of Desert Palace, and out of Dustorm City…

 _"…Thank you for counting me as your brother, Freya, but I wouldn't dare to become a brother of someone like you…"_

* * *

Zetarus found himself in a middle of Dustorm Desert after he was teleported out of Desert Palace. He then found that Dustorm Desert was far away from him, but right now, there was a sandstorm blowing in the desert, making the Dustorm City covered in a veil of sandstorm.

"…I am sorry, everyone." Zetarus mumbled as he looked at Dustorm City in a cloak of sandstorm from far away.

Then…

"Zetarus?"

A familiar voice called him. Zetarus turned his attention to the one who spoke and found that it was none other than his only comrade.

"Diego?" Zetarus looked at a Charizard, who seemed to be exhausted as if he was just entering a battle. "What are you doing here?"

"Someone from Desert Palace found out that I am a criminal and chased after me." Diego answered. "But I could escape thanks to the sandstorm."

"Really… Thanks goodness…" Zetarus said.

"What about you, Zetarus?" Diego asked. "Did you succeed in your task? And what happened to your right eye?!"

"This?" Zetarus pointed at where he was shot. "Nah… It wasn't a problem…"

"Sit down!" Diego ordered Zetarus to sit down before he picked a first-aid box from his bag. Then he started bandaging Zetarus' wound. "Zetarus, tell me what happened to you."

"…Well…" Zetarus said, and while Diego was bandaging his wound, he started telling everything that had happened to him since when he separated himself from Diego last night…

* * *

 **-After a long explanation**

"You are a prince of Dustorm Empire?!" Diego asked in a surprised voice after hearing everything from Zetarus.

Right now, the night already came, so Zetarus and Diego had set up a camp. Diego already finished making a campfire. Both of them now sat next to the campfire across each other.

"Yes." Zetarus answered. "But I am the prince only in a name. In reality, I am a very same Zetarus you know; a prisoner who escaped from Desert Prison."

"And you failed to kill Emperor Garland, so you promised those royals that you will escape from Dustorm Empire." Diego crossed his arms.

"True. With my strength right now, I would never win against Emperor Garland. I must acquire more power first…" Zetarus said.

Diego already finished removing the bullet from Zetarus' right eye and bandaged his wound. There were several bandages on Zetarus' body, including on where his right eye was.

"Your wound wasn't serious, except where Emperor Garland shot you…" Diego said. "I think you will be one-eye blind for the rest of your life."

"So be it. I don't care." Zetarus said. "But for me, I think that having only one eye make my attack much more accurate than before."

"For me, I prefer to have both of my eyes." Diego said.

Zetarus and Diego then had dinner. After dinner ended, they decided to plan what to do next.

"That reminded me…" Zetarus spoke up. "Diego, what about your task of killing Prince Apollo and Princess Artemis of Fireview Kingdom? Did you succeed?"

"For now, no." Diego answered. "Unlike you, Zetarus, who want to kill Emperor Garland without any reason, I have my own reason. And with that reason, I plan to kill them in the most painful way as possible. In order to do that, I must let the preys go for now. Then I will go to hunt them at their lair!"

"… You mean that you will now head to Fireview Kingdom, right?" Zetarus said. "Alright, then, I will go with you again."

"Glad to have you again, Zetarus." Diego said. Then he picked a map from his bag and unfolded it, then he pointed to a location on the map.

"This is where we are right now, Sandstorm Dune." Diego pointed at a dune west of Dustorm City. "We have two ways of going to Fireview Kingdom. The first way is passing through Quake Quarry." Diego pointed at a quarry located north of Sandstorm Dune. "However, I think this was too risky, as there will be many soldiers guarding the border for sure, so…" Diego moved his claw to the next location. "A better way to enter Fireview Kingdom is to travel from here…"

Diego pointed at a location at the western edge of Dustorm Empire, which was happened to be the westernmost place of Symmetria too. "This place is Sandust Port, the biggest port of Dustorm Empire. We can travel from here to Fireview Kingdom by ship."

"… How did you learn all of this?" Zetarus asked.

"I heard it from someone while I was at Desert Palace today." Diego said and folded the map.

"…Still." Zetarus looked at Diego. "Aren't you afraid of being spotted as a criminal again?"

"If they did, I will just kill them." Diego answered.

"But I know a better way." Zetarus said and looked at Diego's cloth, which was an old and worn-out armor suit made from low-quality iron, but it was the very same armor that 'Diego' in the wanted poster wore! "All I must do is finding something new for you to wear. Alright, when we arrive at that port, I will buy you a new and better armor suit, okay? Think of it as a thanks for bandaging me."

"Fine with me." Diego answered, and then he picked his Naginata and started sharpening it with a hammer and a fire he breath from his throat.

"I never knew you could sharpen a weapon…" Zetarus asked as he looked at Diego hammering his Naginata in the fire.

"Don't forget that I have been a gladiator since the day I was born, which is 21 years ago." Diego answered. "Having a dull blade may equal to having a reaper's scythe at my throat. However, my skill of forging is still at a rank of a novice."

"So, you are 21 too…" Zetarus said. "It means that we are at the very same age."

"I guess so." Diego said and turned his attention back to his work.

As Zetarus' weapon was a pistol, he had no need to sharpen it, so he continued watching Diego hammering his weapon. He looked at the Charizard's sweaty body as he continued hammering his weapon… Somehow, he felt like he could watch this for a whole night…

"Shouldn't you go to sleep?" Diego asked as he almost finished his work.

"With the sound of forging echoing through my ears?" Zetarus asked with a sarcastic voice.

"Haha… I am sorry." Diego said and put away his tool as he finished his work. He then wiped his sweat before looking at his newly-tempered naginata. Seeing this reminded Zetarus of something…

"By the way, does your Naginata have a name?" Zetarus asked.

"Name? No, I don't need one." Diego answered.

"Nah…" Zetarus said. "Giving it a name will make your weapon a lot cooler than before."

"Fine, you fxxxxxg Garchomp…" Diego cursed. "Then, I will call my weapon 'Iron Naginata'."

A moment of silence followed after Zetarus heard the name Diego gave to his weapon. Then Zetarus continued speaking. "Your skill of naming is very bad, Diego."

"Whatever." Diego said and put away his 'Iron Naginata'.

"That also reminded me…" Zetarus seemed to remember another thing. "Other than a name of your weapon, do you have a last name?"

"No." Diego gave a short answer. "Don't tell me you want me to create one."

"No, I won't let you. This time, I will give you one." Zetarus said and looked at Diego. "Let's see… You are a fire type Pokemon… So… How about 'Pyrotorch'?"

"Whatever, but it sounds great." Diego answered.

"Then, your name would be **Diego Pyrotorch the Charizard** , okay?" Zetarus said.

"Yes… Yes… Yawn…" Diego released a huge yawn from his mouth.

"You seem to be really tired." Zetarus said. "Why don't you get some rest? I will keep watching here."

"Okay…" Diego said and picked his sleeping bag, which was burning flame-patterned, and got into it. "Good night, Zetarus."

"Good night, Diego." Zetarus said, and then the Charizard quickly went into a deep sleep after a long day…

For Zetarus, he was tired too, but he couldn't sleep, especially since there were so many things happened today. So, he decided to look at the sky at night, which was decorated with several spots of stars. Seeing this somehow calmed Zetarus' anxiety a bit… And…

'Zygarde?' Zetarus called his Dragon Legend by telepathy, making his Ring of Balance glow a mysterious aura.

 _'What do you want, Zetarus?'_ Zygarde asked. _'You haven't called me for a very long time…'_

'I just want to ask you something…' Zetarus said. "You once told me that, in order to form a pact with you, I will be cursed to lose something… Is this..." Zetarus touched a bandage that covered where his right eye was. "…the price I have to pay?"

 _'The answer is no, Zetarus.'_ Zygarde answered. _'You lost your right eye because someone took it from you, not because you decide to lose it. The thing that you will lose from forming a pact with me will be the thing that you choose to lose, not a thing that someone takes away from you'_

'…Then, what is that thing?' Zetarus asked.

 _'You still have no idea about that thing, despite you have lost it already?'_ Zygarde asked.

'Yes…' Zetarus answered.

 _'…You will know soon, Zetarus.'_ Zygarde said before the conversation stopped, and Zetarus' Ring of Balance stopped glowing…

"…The thing I choose to lose…" Zetarus mumbled and continued gazing at the dark sky above his head.

 **To Be Continued…**

* * *

 **Dragon of Vale: One more chapter to go and the second tail will finally end!**

 **In this chapter, Zetarus and Diego are thinking of what to do next, and Zetarus still has something in his mind. What was the thing he chooses to lose? Do you know the answer?**

 **A special thanks to Ridin Valon for helping me with the error correction.**


	19. Tail 2-9: Overture

**A Dragon's Tail**

 **Tail 2: Zetarus' Tail – Ambivalence**

 **Tail 2-9: Overture**

 **-Several Days Later, At Desert Palace**

After the Succession Ceremony ended, Terrus was crowned as the heir to throne of Dustorm Empire and became the next Hero of Legend who held the power of Ground type, special guests from other nations started to depart to their own home. Right now, Daimyo Augustine of Principality of Leafburg and President Voltson of Republic of Civilight already left. Pontifex Hawkins will stay in Dustorm Empire for a while longer. And…

"Hohoho!" Queen Nyxier laughed happily. Now she and her daughter, Princess Misvale, were in the foyer of Desert Palace to say goodbye to the Quakersand Royal Children, Prince Terrus, Princess Natasha, Prince Largo and Princess Freya. Soryl and Fenrir Jr. were also here too.

"Good bye, your majesty." Terrus said and bowed down. "Thank you for your kindness of joining the Succession Ceremony."

"Hohoho! That's very nice of you, Prince Terrus." Queen Nyxier spoke with a high-pitch voice. "Actually, I want to stay here a little longer, but as a queen, I have my nation to take care of. See you soon, Prince Terrus, Princess Natasha and Prince Largo!"

Everyone spoke nothing after hearing Queen Nyxier's words of farewell, as she didn't say farewell to Princess Freya and Prince Fenrir Jr., who were also here too…

"Thank you for your kind hospitality…" Misvale bowed down. "May we meet again, Prince Terrus, Princess Natasha, Prince Largo, Princess Freya and Prince Fenrir Jr."

"Hohoho!" Nyxier laughed as she walked toward the exit of Desert Palace with her daughter.

When everyone realized that Queen Nyxier was already out of their range, Largo spoke up. "Terrus, do you mind if I curse that queen?"

"Yes, my brother." Terrus said. "Despite her attitude, we must pay our sincere respect for her, the queen of Queendom of Riverbrine…"

"But Princess Misvale was nice and gentle, wasn't she?" Natasha spoke up. "It's hard to believe that she is Queen Nyxier's daughter…"

The group's conversation was cut off when two guests walked up to them. They were none other than Prince Apollo and Princess Artemis of Fireview Kingdom.

"Good day, everyone." Prince Apollo and Princess Artemis spoke up. "It's time for us to depart back to our beloved nation, so we come here to say goodbye…"

"Thank you for joining my Succession Ceremony, Prince Apollo and Princess Artemis." Terrus spoke up.

"The honor is mine too, Prince Terrus." Prince Apollo said. "I hope that you and your siblings will come to my Coronation Ceremony too."

"Oh, that's right." Largo spoke up. "Apollo, you will be 20 this year, right? And so, you will succeed King **Leonardo Inferoar the Pyroar** soon…"

"That's right, Largo." Prince Apollo said. "So, in the name of crown prince of Fireview Kingdom, I give my sincere invitation to my Coronation Ceremony to all of you, Prince Terrus, Princess Natasha, Prince Largo, Princess Freya, and you too, Prince Fenrir."

Terrus, Natasha, Largo and Freya nodded while Fenrir Jr. just crossed his arms and spoke up with a cold voice. _"…I will think about it…"_

"And I hope you will come, Prince Fenrir." Princess Artemis said.

"Don't forget to invite Chronos and Dinus too, Apollo-kay?." Largo said.

The foyer fell into a silence for a moment after Largo finished his words, and it was Prince Apollo who broke it.

"Of course, Largo." Prince Apollo said. "I will never forget my beloved friends who study under the Volcano Guardian with me."

"Then, see all of you soon." Prince Artemis said, then both Pyroar left Desert Palace.

After they left, everyone's attention was on Largo. "Largo, you…" Natasha spoke up.

"Come on!" Largo said. "Apollo and I studied together while I was in Fireview Kingdom before I moved to Shadowlost Territory!"

"Sigh…" Terrus mumbled before he remembered something. "Speaking of Shadowlost Territory…Natasha, Largo and Fenrir Jr., will you go back to Shadowlost Territory soon? And Freya, will you go back to Windsky Plateau soon?"

"Well…" Largo spoke up. "I think I will stay here until a month before Apollo's Coronation Ceremony, and then I will go to Fireview Kingdom to join his ceremony before going back to Shadowlost Territory."

"Me too." Natasha said.

"Father allowed me to stay here for a bit longer!" Freya said with a cheerful voice. "So, I will have more time to play with all of you!"

"… _I will go to Theocracy of Venturnome."_ Fenrir Jr. said. His words shocked everyone here.

"Prince Fenrir Jr., are you mad?!" Largo spoke up. "It's suicide for a dark type Pokemon like you to go to Theocracy of Venturnome! That nation is racist as hell!"

"I know…" Fenrir Jr said. "But I want to go to there to visit my father and my younger brother. It had been an age since the last time I saw them…"

"Oh, that's right." Natasha said. "While your mother is the chancellor of Shadowlost Territory and a Heroine of Dark type, your father is the 'Hero of Justice' and a Hero of Fighting type, right?"

" _True."_ Fenrir Jr. said. _"It also meant that I will be the next Hero of Dark type while my brother will be the next Hero of Fighting type."_

"That's good…" Freya mumbled. "Both you and your brother became the Hero of Legend…"

"A…Anyway…" Terrus quickly changed the topic as he knew what Freya was thinking. It was because, among the royal children of Quakersand, only Terrus and Natasha would become the Hero/ine of Legend while Largo and Freya wouldn't. "I think I am a bit hungry. Does anyone want to go and find something to eat with me?"

Upon hearing Terrus' words, everyone (Excluding Soryl) stepped away from Terrus.

"I…I think it's time for my studying. See you later!" Natasha said and moved to the stairs that led to the second floor of the eastern wing.

"A…And it's time for my training! See ya!" Largo said and left the foyer of Desert Palace.

"W…Well… I think I have something to do… S…See you soon, Terrus." Freya said and left the foyer and entered the western wing.

"… _I will go and prepare for my journey to Theocracy of Venturnome."_ Fenrir said and left Desert Palace too. Right now, only Terrus and Soryl remained.

"So, shall we go, Soryl?" Terrus asked. "I was so upset that they didn't serve my favorite dish during the banquet of my Succession Ceremony."

"Sigh…" Soryl sighed. "Who would believe that the crown prince of Dustorm Empire's favorite dish would be 'soil'."

"Come on, Soryl." Terrus said. "Soil is the most delicious thing to each. Let's go and find some to eat!"

"Yeah, yeah… But I will have something else…" Soryl said. Then both of them left Desert Palace to find something to eat together…

* * *

 **-Meanwhile…**

"So, you were thrown into a fxxxxxg Desert Prison since when you were in your egg." Diego said. "And you still don't know what happened in that day that made your life become such a fxxxxxg hell like this."

"Yes." Zetarus answered. "But I don't care about it at all. Someday, I might find the truth, or not…"

Right now, Zetarus and Diego were on their journey again. Their next destination was the Sandust Port, where they would find a ship to go to Fireview Kingdom. Zetarus and Diego were now in Sandstorm Dune, a dune that separated Dustorm City from Sandust Port.

"That reminds me…" Zetarus said. "What about you, Diego? You said you were a gladiator since the day you were born…"

"Half-true." Diego answered. "I was born in a care of a knight of Fireview Kingdom…"

"Knight?" Zetarus asked. "So, you are actually a son of a knight of Fireview Kingdom."

"No, he is not my real father." Diego said. "He was my step-father. He told me that my parents died before I was born, so he took care of me instead, which I remembered that he did a really good job at that… But…Everything ended when he and I were thrown into a pit of arena."

"…For what reason?" Zetarus asked.

"They said he and I have committed treason against the king of Fireview Kingdom, so it was our punishment." Diego answered. "But I don't believe in that bxxxxxxt. I knew that he and I did nothing wrong, but why did they do that to us, I don't know…"

"…" Zetarus carefully listened to Diego's story.

"You know, in the arena, its kill or be killed." Diego said. "So, he and I had to fight and kill in order to survive, but he wouldn't make it. One day, he had fallen to a stronger opponent, leaving only me alone in that pit of hell…"

"…Oh, look…" Zetarus changed the topic of conversation to distract Diego from his tragic story. He pointed his claw at a port town in front of both of them. This town was quite smaller than Dustorm City, but it was still a lively town. Two most outstanding places in this port town were a huge port and a big strange-shaped building near the port. "That must be Sandust Port."

"Then, I will wait outside the town." Diego said.

"Right. And I think… I will buy us tickets for a ship to Fireview Kingdom too." Zetarus said.

"Just don't be an idiot and buy the wrong tickets, okay?" Diego said.

"Sure." Zetarus said and went into the town.

* * *

Zetarus walked around the port town freely without anyone knowing that he was a wanted criminal ('They are all idiots…' Zetarus thought.) He first went to the armor shop to buy a new armor set for Diego. He also bought an eyepatch for him too.

'When the wound at my right eye is healed, I will wear this instead.' Zetarus thought.

When he had finished, Zetarus went to the port area to buy tickets for him and Diego.

"Where the hell they sell tickets?" Zetarus mumbled. He then walked around the port until…

"Ah! It must be there!" Zetarus looked at a line of several Pokemon in front of a big strange-shaped building he had seen when he first arrived in this town. Because the line was very long, Zetarus had to wait for several hours before it's his turn.

"Good afternoon, sir." The ticket seller greeted when it's Zetarus' turn. "How can I help you?"

"Two tickets." Zetarus answered bluntly.

"What time of this round do you want?" The ticket seller asked again.

"As soon as possible." Zetarus answered.

"That would be the 19.00 round." The ticket seller said and picked two tickets. "Three hundred PokeCoin, please."

Zetarus opened his purse and gave the money to the ticket seller, and then he took the tickets.

"Thank you, sir." The ticket seller said. "It will start at 19.00, but you can come early at 18.00. Have fun!"

"…" Zetarus said nothing and left the place where they sold the ticket. He then went back to the town area and left the town.

* * *

 **-Outside the town…**

"What the hell took you so long, Zetarus?" Diego asked as he saw a Garchomp walked up to him. Right now, they were at Sandstorm Dune near Sandust Port. There's no one around here, so Diego could wait here without worry of being spotted.

"There's so many Pokemon at where I buy tickets." Zetarus answered. He then opened his bag and took an armor set he bought for his comrade out. "Hey, this is for you. Now change it."

"Thanks." Diego said and took the armor set from Zetarus, but he still didn't get changed.

"What's wrong, Diego?" Zetarus asked. "Hurry up and change your clothing!"

"C…Could you turn your face away for a while?" Diego asked.

"Why?" Zetarus asked. "I heard that an armor suit is difficult to wear, so wouldn't it be better if I help you?"

"T…That's not it…" Diego said. His face blushed red while he spoke.

"…Oh, I see…" Zetarus realized what's wrong with Diego's action. "Don't be shy, come on."

"H…Hey!" Diego said as Zetarus approached him and started removing some pieces of his armor.

"Next…" Zetarus said while removing Diego's shoulder pads. "Take off your pants."

"WHAT?!" Diego said. His face was now very red.

"Come on! Hurry up or I will do it for you!" Zetarus said.

"WHAT?!" Diego said, but it was too late…

* * *

"S…Stop it!"

"Would you stand still?! I can't help you if you keep struggling!"

"I…I can do it myself! Get away from me!"

"Just shut up! And next, the underwear…"

"WHAT?!"

* * *

 **-After twenty minutes of struggling…**

"…There! All finished." Zetarus said and looked at his friend, Diego, in a new armor suit.

".Y….You idiot…" Diego mumbled. He now wore a flaming red armor plate with spiky shoulder pads and flaming red greaves. He also wore gauntlets and boots of the same color on both of his arms and legs. The upper half of his head was covered with a flaming red helmet in the shape of a dragon's head.

"You look much better in this armor suit…" Zetarus commented.

"…" Diego said nothing. If Zetarus could see behind his helmet, he could see that Diego's face was still blushing red.

"How about you, Diego? Do you like this new armor suit?" Zetarus asked.

"…It's a bit heavy." Diego commented. "But overall, it's much better than my last one."

"And…" Zetarus looked at Diego's wings, which were one of the few parts of his body that weren't covered by the armor suit. "I didn't buy the armor for your wings because I think it would hinder your ability to fly, but that means you must be careful with your wings while in a battle, okay?"

"…Fair enough." Diego said. "I don't usually fight an aerial battle, so that won't be much of a problem for me."

"Now, here's your ticket." Zetarus said and handed over a ticket to a Charizard. "Let's go, Diego. They said the ship will depart at 19.00, but we can go aboard since 18.00. I think it's about a right time for us to go..."

"Right." Diego said.

* * *

Zetarus and Diego walked into the port town. Zetarus was right. No one could recognize Diego in his new armor suit, making it a breeze for both of them to walk around the town without worrying about being caught. They then went to the harbor area to find where they would go aboard the ship. But…

"Good evening, sirs." A ticket inspector who stood at the entrance of a ship greeted. "Welcome to S.S. Symmetria. Do you have a ticket?"

"Here" Zetarus and Diego handed over their ticket to the ticket inspector. He then took a look at it before speaking up. "I am sorry, sirs, but these tickets are invalid."

"…What?" Zetarus mumbled.

"You see…" The ticket inspector handed over the tickets back to Zetarus and Diego. "These are tickets for tonight's show at the Sunset Opera House over there."

The ticket inspector pointed his paw at a big strange-shaped building that Zetarus went to buy these tickets.

"…Do you know where could we buy tickets for S.S. Symmetria?" Diego asked.

"It's over there, so." The ticket inspector pointed at a ticket office not too far from them.

"Alright, thank you."

Diego and Zetarus then left the port. Once they were in an area where there's no one around, Diego started speaking up in an angry voice.

"YOU FXXXXXG SXXXXXXXN!" Diego roared. "YOU IDIOT GARCHOMP! YOU DXXXXXXD!"

"Hey, calm down…" Zetarus mumbled.

"YOU ASH-FILLED BRAIN IDIOT!" Diego still roared.

"…Alright, I am sorry." Zetarus apologized. "But, let's go and buy new tickets."

"Hm!" Diego mumbled. "Alright, but this time, I will buy them myself!"

* * *

Diego then walked up to the ticket office of S.S. Symmetria and bought two tickets for him and Zetarus before walking back to the Garchomp and gave him a true ticket.

"Here!" Diego said. "You fxxxxxg dxxxxxxd, didn't you read what the sign says when you bought the first ticket?"

"Don't forget that I couldn't read, and so do you." Zetarus said.

"Hm! Thanks to you, we now got a ticket for a ship that will leave this port at 21.00!" Diego said with an angry voice. "We have to wait for 3 fxxxxxg hours!"

"Hey…. At least I know what to do for killing time." Zetarus said and showed Diego the ticket he mistakenly bought. "While waiting for the ship to depart, why don't we go and see the show at that Opera House?"

"Are you serious?!" Diego said.

"Unless you want to go and kill someone, I think this is the best way of killing time, and it wouldn't be a good thing to waste the money I used to buy these tickets…"

"Hm! Fine!" Diego said, and then both of them walked up to the Opera House together.

* * *

Sunset Opera House is a famous tourist attraction of Dustorm Empire. It got its name from being located at the westernmost point of the continent of Symmetria. This place is famous for being a place that hosted many beautiful shows such as opera, exotic dancing, drama and musical show.

Right now, it's 18.55. The next round of the show will start at 19.00. Zetarus and Diego now were sitting at their seats, waiting for tonight's show to start.

" _Mother! I can't wait to see this show! I heard there's a new dancer here, right?!"_

" _Right! And you will love tonight's show! It's about two lovers who got separated by their fate, and at the end, the woman dies so the man commits suicide in order to join his lover!"_

" _WAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH…"_

" _Oh! Your brother is crying! Such a cute little boy you are!"_

" _Daddy! This snake is so tasty! Do you want some?"_

" _Yes, thank you. Yab yab yab…"_

"…Zetarus, do you mind if I stab someone right now?" Diego asked.

"Yes, because it will be me who buries bullets into their skulls." Zetarus answered.

" _Ah! The curtain!"_

Zetarus and Diego saw a curtain that veiled the stage being lifted, and then, a show started!

* * *

Tonight's show started with an overture, which was a classic song that relaxed everyone who heard it, including Zetarus and Diego…

And then…

Everyone's attention was turned to the center of a stage when a songstress appeared from behind the curtain and walked up to the middle of the stage. She was a slime snail Pokemon with gooey light-violet skin and violet belly. Her slimy tail had a curled tip. She had two long horns on her head and several green spots on her body; three on each side of her tail and two on each side of her head. Her paws and her chin had a dripping green goo. She wore a beautiful and graceful white dress that was usually worn by a songstress or a dancer. She also carried a long, white ribbon made from silk.

'…It seemed like she will perform a show for the overture…' Zetarus thought.

The symphony started playing a new song. It was a calm and beautiful song that soothed the soul of everyone who heard it. The songstress then started performing a beautiful and graceful dance and sang a song. Her voice was beautiful and graceful like a song, but it also hid a tone of sadness, as if…

 _Jade leaves fall from a newborn tree_

 _Falling free to a bottomless chasm with no return_

 _The stream of time, I want it to flow back_

 _But it's impossible; the god of time will punish me..._

 _The future of the world is bright_

 _God of ideal gave us a civilized world of light_

 _The world walks forward every day goes by_

 _But yet it abandoned me behind..._

 _The ocean waves, created by the god of sea, are like a love_

 _Sometimes they cry, sometimes they calm, and sometimes they crash_

 _No matter what happens, they always end gracefully_

 _But why for me, the ending is so cruel..._

 _My wrath is more than the erupting volcano_

 _Both can destroy, dispose and devour_

 _Although they plead for the god of truth's mercy_

 _But for me, they stir my rage..._

She paused, and continued dancing while the music still played. While the music was beautiful, the audience started booing at the songstress.

" _What's that ugly song?!"_

" _Your language sounds like the one an alien uses!"_

" _We don't understand everything you sang!"_

" _Booo!"_

'Why did they say something like that?' Zetarus thought. 'I think her song is beautiful… And what they did right now… So rude…'

The songstress continued dancing on the stage despite everyone's booing until… Another Pokemon appeared on the stage. His appearance made everyone who was booing suddenly stop their action…

The second Pokemon who appeared on the stage wore a black armor suit covered his body, including his tail, and his head was covered with a black horned helmet, making it unable to tell what kind of Pokemon he is. He also carried two long blades made of an unknown material. Overall, his appearance gave him an intimidating appearance.

The second Pokemon walked up to the middle of the stage and stood behind the songstress. He then started performing an aggressive dance using his double blades. The music then changed into a much faster and much more passionate tone. And the songstress started singing the second half of the song with a stronger and more powerful voice.

 _The god of absence's betrayal was harsh..._

 _Like the snow that melts away and reveals its true form..._

 _But it is still acceptable, unlike me..._

 _He will never forgive me, and I will never beg for his mercy..._

 _Time passed, everything changed_

 _I lurk under the stream of time, from the ancient era_

 _I wait for the day, since the birth of the realm by the hand of an Ancient God._

 _The day I will get a chance of revenge..._

 _Struggle in the endless cycle means nothing_

 _Like the busy life of steel, never last long_

 _Just end everything, and leave them behind_

 _I will devour your soul, free you from the torment..._

 _I am the cursed blood who betrayed my own kin_

 _I have taken countless lives, all with no mercy_

 _Even it seemed cruel and heartless, I have no regret_

 _That is me, this is my life…_

While he couldn't understand some words in the song that the songstress sang, Zetarus had to accept that her song was beautiful and mysterious…

As the second half of the song ended, both songstress and the sword dancer performed their dance for a while longer until the music ended. Then both of them left the stage and disappeared. This was a sign that showed that the overture was now over, and the real show will start soon…

"Zetarus, what do you think of that show?" Diego asked.

"…I think that it's beautiful." Zetarus said.

"Me too." Diego said. "I don't understand why everyone else said that the song was awful."

"They all say as if they didn't understand the lyrics of that song…" Zetarus commented.

"In my thought, I think that the lyrics of that song has a very good meaning…" Diego said.

"I agree with you, Diego." Zetarus said.

* * *

The music continued playing, and the real show finally started. It started with a scene of ballroom dancing, with many beautiful female Pokemon such as a Lilligant or a Tsareena dancing on the stage. As they saw the female Pokemon, most male Pokemon who watched the show started applauding and whistling, but not for Zetarus and Diego…

"Yawn…" Diego released a yawn from his gaping mouth. "This show is so boring…"

"Yeah…" Zetarus nodded. "I don't understand what happened to those male Pokemon. Why do they have to act like that…"

"Zetarus, let's go." Diego said and stood up. "I would surely fall asleep if I stay here any longer."

Zetarus nodded and stood up. Then both of them left their seats and headed to the exit of the hall…

* * *

After leaving the Opera House, they realized that the time now was 20.30, which was half an hour before the ship departed, so they decided to head to the harbor.

"Good evening, sirs." The same ticket inspector greeted. "How may I help you again?"

"Here" Diego and Zetarus gave their ticket to the ticket inspector. After checking it, the ticket inspector spoke up again. "These are the right one. Please follow me. I will take you to the ship."

The ticket inspector then led Zetarus and Diego to a luxurious ferry that would take them to their destination. Zetarus and Diego then boarded the ship.

"Thank you for your patronage." The ticket inspector said. "And have a good time on our S.S. Symmetria!"

As the ticket inspector walked away from the ferry, S.S. Symmetria then started departing from the port.

"All aboard!"

"So…" Zetarus spoke up. "This will be our new adventure, right?"

"I think so." Diego said. "But still, we don't know what's waiting for us in the future. Maybe we would succeed in what we are doing right now. Maybe we will fail. Or maybe… We may end up being an enemy of each other…"

"Hey…" Zetarus looked at Diego. "Do. Not. Say. Something. Like. That!"

"We will never know, Zetarus." Diego said. "While I was in the arena, I ended up fighting and killing my friends countless time, and who knows, my next victim may be you, Zetarus."

"And I will do anything in order not to let it happen." Zetarus said. "If something bad will happen, it should be something such as you buying wrong tickets for us and we ended up arriving at Republic of Civilight instead…"

"HEY!" Diego roared. "DO. NOT. SAY. SOMETHING. LIKE. THAT! I know what I am doing! There's no way I would make a mistake like that!"

"Haha! Just kidding!" Zetarus said.

Zetarus and Diego then looked at Sandust Port, which was gradually getting further and further away from them as the ship already set sail, until the port town was in the distance, where they couldn't see it anymore… It told them that they were now in the middle of an ocean far from the land where their adventure started, the Dustorm Empire…

* * *

What fate waited for them? What will happen?

No one will know… Because it wasn't a thing that was destined…

It was a thing to be decided…

 **-End of Tail 2: Ambivalence-**

* * *

 **To Be Continued…**

 **Dragon of Vale: And this is the end of Tail 2: Ambivalence. I think you may already know the answer why this tail is called 'Ambivalence'…**

 **Zetarus and Diego decided to leave the Dustorm Empire and headed to Fireview Kingdom. What will happen to them? No one knows…**

 **This tail, in my opinion, is one of the darkest tails in this story, but don't worry, the next tail would not be as dark as this one! I promise!**

 **The next chapter will be the interlude of the second tail, and after the second interlude, I will write the third tail. And… There's one thing I forgot to tell you. The end of the second tail took place before the start of the first tail! And the start third tail will take place after the end of the first tail. So… Rachael, Jasper and Zenpai will appear in the third tail too! Yay!**

 **A special thanks to Ridin Valon for helping me with the error correction.**


	20. Tail 2-Interlude: A Revived Darkness

**A Dragon's Tail**

 **Tail 2: Zetarus' Tail – Ambivalence**

 **Tail 2-Interlude: A Revived Darkness**

 **"Ah… This is such a perfect castle for a lord of darkness like me…"**

 **I was standing on the balcony of my castle, looking at the black sky with nothing but a moon and sparkling stars. The unweaving realm of darkness here completely soothed my demonic soul, or should I say, awakened my thirst for blood?**

 **"Master…"**

 **I turned my attention to the one who called me. It was a Pokemon surrounded by dark aura, just like everyone who lived here, including me.**

 **"Master, we have finished our rescue as you command." He reported.**

 **"What about those wretched creatures?" I asked.**

 **"They are in a dungeon." He reported. "What should we do with them? Should we execute them right now?"**

 **"No." I answered. "Inflict as much pain as possible to them, but no matter what, do not kill them. Let them taste that feeling first…"**

 **"Certainly, master." He bowed at me.**

 **"Also, I may stop by at the dungeon, so, don't forget to leave some for me." I said. "But that would be after I went to see the one we rescued. Now, take me to where they are."**

 **"Yes, master." That Pokemon said before he led me along the dark corridor of this castle. Then he stopped in front of an old wooden door.**

 **"…" I reached my paw to the doorknob and opened the door.**

* * *

 **I left that room with a heavy heart. Was that thing they had done to my kin? Didn't they think that we were also a living creature?**

 **"It was… worse than a nightmare…" I mumbled. And…**

 **"They didn't treat us like a living creature, so I will treat them worse than they could imagine!" I roared and drew something out. It was my weapon, which looked like a spear, but with three sharpened tips instead.**

" **Oh, Darkness Trident…" I mumbled. "Today, your thirst of blood shall be quenched… Your owner, the embodiment of evilness, shall serve you with the life of those who bathed themselves in the blessing of light!"**

 **I walked along a dark corridor again. This time, I head downstairs to the first floor of my castle, then I headed lower into the basement of this place. Right now, only a dark and long corridor with mirrors on both sides of the wall separated me from my destination…**

"…" **I slowly walked along the corridor. My reflection in the mirror was reflected from one to one, creating infinity reflections of myself…**

"… **?" I turned my attention to one of my reflection in the mirror, but… What I saw wasn't my reflection. It was…**

* * *

" _Are you sure you want to start a pilgrimage?"_

" _Please don't worry about me, Archsage Iris. I am sure that I would be alright."_

" _But you have just recovered, haven't you? And you still didn't recover your memory…"_

" _I don't know if my memory will return or not. I may not be able to recover my memory for the rest of my life."_

" _Do not say anything like that. You are the priest of light. You must not fall into despair!"_

"… _Thank you. I swear to my blessed gift from the god, the Light Scepter, that I will cherish your words…"_

" _Alright then… From Theocracy of Venturnome, you can go to Principality of Leafburg and Dustorm Empire by foot, but I would suggest you go to Principality of Leafburg because the border between this place and Dustorm Empire was too… extreme. Plus, the Pontifex of Venturnome still hasn't returned from Dustorm Empire yet, so we couldn't help you about this much."_

" _You have blessed me with enough kindness, Archsage Iris. There's nothing for you to regret…"_

" _Okay then… Be seeing you, the priest of light. I will pray to Yggdrasil for your safety."_

" _And I will pray to Yggdrasil for your safety too, Archsage Iris."_

* * *

 **"W…What's that?!" I spoke out after the picture I saw in the mirror returned to the picture of myself. "W…Why did I see something like that?"**

 **I tried to find the answer of my question, but yet I couldn't find it…**

 **"…I don't have time with this nonsense. I have something else to do." I shook my thought out of my head and continued walking until I reached my destination, the castle's dungeon. I could hear a faint sound of someone screaming in pain from behind the door…**

 **"Now… Let's see how many wretched creatures will get impaled by my Darkness Trident today…" I said with a cold-blooded voice before entering the dungeon…**

* * *

 **To Be Continued…**

 **Dragon of Vale: And this is the second interlude… Wow… This interlude focuses on a different character than the first one. This one, though, has a darker story…**

 **And… This is the end of the second tail. The next chapter would be a start of the third tail! Don't worry. The third tail won't be as dark as the second tail…**

 **A special thanks to Ridin Valon for helping me with the error correction.**


	21. Tail 3-1: A Busy Life

**A Dragon's Tail**

 **Tail 3: Richard's Tail - Ignorance**

 **Tail 3-1: A Busy Life**

"Where did those bastards go?!"

"Don't dare to think yer could escape from us like that!"

That was a voice from a group of Pokemon, which consisted of an Electabuzz, a Mawile, a Bisharp, a Klang and an Electrode that ran around dark and small alleys. It seemed like they were chasing after someone…

"There! I think they went that way!"

A Klang spoke up, and all of them ran in the direction the Klang said.

"…Are they gone yet?"

A small and high-pitched voice came from one of the dark alleys, with three Pokemon who were hiding there. The one who had just spoken up was a female Heliolisk.

"I think so." The second Pokemon spoke up. He was a male Aggron.

"Whew…" The female Heliolisk wiped her sweat. "Thank goodness…"

"Yeah…" The male Aggron said.

"AND ALL OF IT WAS YOUR FAULT!" The female Heliolisk suddenly became angry at the male Aggron.

"Hey!" The male Aggron looked at the female Heliolisk. "Why'd yer have to shove that onto me?!"

"BECAUSE YOU ARE AN IDIOT!" The female Heliolisk said and pointed her paw at the Aggron's face.

"Hey! You want some from me?!" Aggron stood up and rolled his sleeve.

"I am not afraid of you, you overgrown rust!" Heliolisk said.

The Aggron and the Heliolisk then looked into the eyes of each other. Both of them were about to get into a fight of each other if it wasn't for the third Pokemon who was with them.

"Could you miserable creatures cease your disgusting action right now. Don't you realize how much annoyance you have caused?"

The third Pokemon spoke up with a calm and a sharp voice without looking at both Heliolisk and Aggron. Instead, his eyes were focused on the book he was reading instead.

"Oh, Sorry!" The female Heliolisk suddenly changed her mood as she heard that voice.

"Sigh…" The male Aggron sighed. "I will never get used to an erratic nature of thunder…"

"AH! There yer're yer bastard!"

Suddenly, the five Pokemon that were trying to find them appearing and surrounded the Heliolisk, the Aggron and her other friend who was still reading a book!

"SxxT!" Aggron cursed.

"What's wrong, dude?" Electrode spoke up. "Too scared to fight all of us?"

""Yer may be strong, but yer won't win against all of us!" Electabuzz said.

"Heehee! What's wrong, Viola?" Mawile said and looked at the female Heliolisk. "Now it's time to show us what good are Grimlock's brawl and your brain!"

"Tsk…" Heliolisk mumbled. "I'd hate to say this, but we're outnumbered right now."

"…Idiots…"

The third Pokemon who was reading a book spoke up. He then closed the book and moved forward. "If both of you are too scared to fight, let me handle this."

When the five Pokemon saw him, the thing they did next was laugh.

"A bookworm like you?!" Bisharp said.

"What can a weakling like you did against all of us?!" Klang asked.

The 'bookworm' said nothing. He then reached his paw to a pendant he was wearing. As she saw him doing this, Viola quickly spoke up.

"Grimlock! Cover your eyes!"

The Aggron quickly covered his eyes with his paw, and the Heliolisk did the same thing. All of this was just before…

"Lord of Blindness, I summon you!" The 'bookworm' said and called a silhouette of a Legendary Pokemon!

 _"Luster Purge!"_

The silhouette of a Legendary Pokemon loosed a sudden burst of light from his body that brightened everywhere around here and dazzled everyone who didn't protect their eyes!

"ARRRAAA! My eye!" Bisharp said in pain and rubbed his eyes.

"Y…You dirty little brat!" Electabuzz said and did a very same thing as the Bisharp.

"It's because of your eyes couldn't adapt to a sudden light as the retina didn't—" The 'bookworm' was about to explain what had happened to their eyes when the Heliolisk spoke up.

"Yeah, yeah… Save your lesson for later. Grimlock, carry him!" Heliolisk said. Then the Aggron grabbed the bookworm's body, and then the trio ran away from the group of gangsters.

"Damn you!" Electrode roared.

* * *

The trio ran out of a dark alley to a big road in a huge and civilized city. This place was none other than the Gamma City, the capital of the Republic of Civilight. The trio then walked up along a dark road at night. While it's almost midnight, the road was still lively. The road was full with cars while there's many Pokemon walking on the footpath beside the road. Most Pokemon are dressed like a businessman who had just finished their overtime work or a student who had just finished their tutoring class at night.

At last, the trio stopped in front of a building with a sign 'Dr. Lumiere's Clinic'. The trio then wasted no time and entered the clinic. Inside the clinic was dark because the lights weren't turned on. As they entered this place, the female Heliolisk spoke up.

"Uncle Lumiere! We are back!"

Her voice echoed into the darkness, but there's no response.

"Hey! Dr. Lumiere! We are back!" The male Aggron shouted, but there's still no response.

"Uncle Lumiere! We are back!" The female Heliolisk shouted again, but the result was still the same.

"Maybe he's busy with his work…" The male Aggron said.

"I think so." The female Heliolisk said.

But then…

"…? Who's there?" The male Aggron said and pointed his paw into the darkness ahead the trio. There's someone there walking up to them… But… He didn't walk… He's actually staggering up to them!

"W…What?!" The female Heliolisk said before she found that the one who was staggering up to them had a darkened face like a zombie!

"EAEAEHA!" The female Heliolisk screamed in fear.

"ARRRARARA!" The Aggron screamed too.

 _"Click!"_

"What are you doing, Viola, Grimlock?"

A familiar voice echoed into the ears of the female Heliolisk and the male Aggron. They then realized that the light was turned on by the 'bookworm' who was with them too. And the Pokemon whom they thought as a zombie was actually…

"U…Uncle Lumiere?!" The female Heliolisk said and looked at the Pokemon in front of her, who was actually an Ampharos in a gown coat and with a stethoscope hanging on his neck. He had raccoon eyes caused by lack of sleep

"That's right. It's me, Dr. **Lumiere Sparkvolt the Ampharos** , your uncle." Lumiere the Ampharos said and looked at the female Heliolisk and the male Aggron. "And why did both of you have to scream, **Viola Sparkvolt the Heliolisk** and **Grimlock Rusteel the Aggron**?"

"I…It's Viola!" Grimlock the Aggron spoke up. "She screamed, so I screamed too!"

"I…I was just… thinking that you were a zombie!" Viola the Heliolisk spoke with a shaking voice. "You staggered up to us and you had raccoon eyes… S…So…"

"Sigh…" Lumiere sighed. "Anyway, where had you been? It's already 23.00!"

"W…Well…" Grimlock said.

"Sigh…" Lumiere sighed again. "I already know the answer from your expression, Grimlock. But… Well… It's getting late. Why aren't you going to sleep right now?"

"Okay…" Viola and Grimlock said and walked up to the stairs and went upstairs.

"…Dr. Lumiere." The third Pokemon who had been silent for a long time spoke up. "Do you have anything I could help with tonight?"

"Hm?" Lumiere looked at the third Pokemon. "Oh, don't worry about it. There's no work tonight."

"Then, can I use your library again?" The third Pokemon asked.

"That's just like you…" Lumiere said. "Okay, you can use it, but be sure not to push yourself too hard, okay?"

The third Pokemon said nothing. All he did was just nod in response. Then he moved up to the door right to the entrance of this place. As he reached it, he opened the door and entered the library…

* * *

A small lantern was lit once the one who had just entered the library sat down on a chair. A light from a lantern revealed him as a male Pokemon who looked like a cross between a bird and a dragon. He had an aerodynamic body, white on the upper body while blue on the lower body include his two plane-wing like wings on his back and two small wings near his torso. His arms are white and blue while his face was white with a blue pentagon across her face. He had a red triangle mark on his chest and a white triangle ears. His eyes were red that hid his hunger-for-knowledge and seriousness within his mind. He always wore a pendant in a shape of a luster orb.

As he sat down, he opened a book he always carried with himself on the table and continued reading it. However, his action was interrupted by a voice that echoed into his mind through the pendant he wore.

 _'We need to talk,_ _ **Richard Lustermist the Latios**_ _!'_

"Not now, Lord of blindness." The Latios named Richard said while his eyes were still focused on the book he was reading. "Go and fetch a bone if you got bored, if you can see one of course."

 _'… Is that the thing a scholar usually speaks?'_

"You talk as if you didn't have a better thing to do." Richard said.

 _'I already did plenty of good things… I was once a great king of the greatest kingdom in the world of Pokemon, I once helped a group of Hero/ine of Legend in their quest, and—'_

"You are now a helpless lord of blindness who couldn't do anything except peck other Pokemon." Richard said.

' _And you would still be a drooling vegetable if I didn't offer you to form a pact with me…'_

"Sigh… I yield." Richard closed the book he was reading. "I will never win a word quarrel with you, Mega Latios."

 _'And you'd better always keep that in mind.'_ Mega Latios said. _'But I think my words are futile because I will never choose to form a pact with an idiot."_

"Alright, what do you want to speak with me about?" Richard asked and touched the pendant that he always wore. "Did you have a problem with me calling you 'Lord of Blindness'?"

 _'…As much as I detest it, I accept that I have no objection of you calling a blind dragon like me 'Lord of Blindness…'_ Mega Latios said. _'The thing I want to talk with you is, don't you remember my words about calling me for a help?'_

"…'You mustn't summon me in front of others…'." Richard recalled what Mega Latios once told him. "But today was an emergency as I couldn't rely on those idiots."

 _'You know…'_ Mega Latios continued speaking. _'When someone forms a pact with a Legendary Pokemon, they will receive an enormous power at a cost of being cursed to lose something in their life. However, being idiots who don't understand anything, most Pokemon, as they heard about a Pokemon trading something in their life for power, think of them as fiends and brand them as banes of the world. That is why I told you not to summon me in front of others!'_

"Yes… Yes…" Richard mumbled. "I don't consider losing something for a power a bad thing, especially what I get in return for doing this was priceless."

Richard turned his attention to the book he was reading. The cover of the book was engraved with an extraordinary pattern, and the content of this book was written in a language that an ordinary Pokemon (Or in Richard and Mega Latios' word, an idiot) couldn't understand.

 _'If it wasn't for me…'_ Mega Latios spoke up. _'You will never get your paw on an invaluable book that contains all knowledge within this world since when the universe was created until the time of Twilight Crisis. It's none other than the 'Chronicle of Twilight'.'_

Richard thought about Mega Latios' words about the Twilight Crisis. It was one of several crises that occurred in the world of Pokemon, but most Pokemon could only remember two, the Fallen Crisis and another one…

"But the Twilight Crisis had occurred since 1,150 years ago…" Richard spoke up. "It was so long that most idiots have already forgotten about it. And since the Chronicle of Twilight has only recorded the knowledge of the world until the time of Twilight Crisis, there's a record of knowledge of 1,150 years from the time of Twilight Crisis until the present that was still lost."

 _'That's why I need your help, Richard.'_ Mega Latios said. _'Despite I am completely blind, I still hunger for the knowledge of the world, so I need help from you, one of the very few Pokemon who isn't an idiot, to help me decipher the thing that was written in this chronicle and uncover its secret. Once we are able to do it, we would be able to unlock the knowledge of the world that was recorded from the twilight crisis until today.'_

"And did we succeed?" Richard asked with a sarcastic voice.

 _'A hero's quest doesn't end in a day, Richard.'_ Mega Latios answered. _'We still have a long way to go.'_

Richard ignored Mega Latios' words and opened the Chronicle of Twilight. He then continued reading it.

 _'Anyway, Richard…'_ Mega Latios spoke up again. _'I saw you—'_

"Saw?" Richard interrupted Mega Latios' words.

 _'I SENSED you reading the chronicle as if you were trying to learn knowledge of something…'_ Mega Latios corrected his words. _'What was that knowledge you were trying to learn?'_

"Couldn't you stay still and not know something?" Richard asked sarcastically.

 _'I afraid I couldn't.'_ Mega Latios answered.

"Sigh… All I could tell you is that I am trying to fulfill a promise I made to my little sister." Richard answered.

 _'Oh, I remember.'_ Mega Latios said. _'You told me you have a younger sister, but both of you were separated from each other when you were turned into a Pokemon…'_

"Right." Richard nodded. "I still don't know where she is, but one day, I will leave this nasty city to find her, and then I will never let anything separate us again."

 _'…Hearing this from you reminds me of my younger sister…'_ Mega Latios said. _'She is a bit annoying, but I really care about her…'_

"…" Richard said nothing in response. He just nodded slightly before turning his attention to the Chronicle of Twilight and continued reading in. As he did this, Mega Latios stopped speaking to him and Richard's Dragon Relic, the Luster Pendant, stopped glowing…

 _'One day, I will find you and I will be able to fulfill my promise to you… Wait for me, Rachael…'_

 **To Be Continued…**

* * *

 **Dragon of Vale: Welcome to the third tail of this story! This tail is called 'ignorance'… What a strange name! Anyway, as you can see, the story of this tail occurred in the Republic of Civilight.**

 **Let's give a warm welcome to the main protagonist of the third tail. His name is Richard Lustermist the Latios. He is a serious scholar who seemed to be… more intelligent than an ordinary Pokemon. He had formed a pact with a Mega Latios, and his Dragon Relic is a Luster Pendant. For his weapon… Richard's weapon is the Chronicle of Twilight. Yes, he uses a chronicle as a weapon.**

 **And… that's right. Richard is Rachael's onii-chan, and they will be reunited with each other soon within this tail…**

 **A special thanks to Ridin Valon for helping me with the error correction.**


	22. Tail 3-2: Republic of Civilight

**A Dragon's Tail**

 **Tail 3: Richard's Tail - Ignorance**

 **Tail 3-2: Republic of Civilight**

If anyone asked what is the most developed city on the continent of Symmetria, the answer would be none other than the Gamma City in the Republic of Civilight. This city was the most civilized place on the Continent of Symmetria as it's the capital of a nation inhabited by Electric and Steel type Pokemon, which was famous for its technology and mineral. This nation can be divided into three parts. The first part was a plain where thunder always stroked down from the sky to the earth for eternity, which was used to support the capital's electricity. This part was located south of the second part, which was the Gamma City itself. The third part was a quarry of mineral, which was located north of Gamma City and was where the industrial complex of Civilight was located.

Other than its technology, Gamma City was also famous for its complexity. The layout of the city was like a spider web. It had eight main roads that ran across eight directions of the city, and each led to eight different places. The northern road led to the Civilight Industrial Complex north of Gamma City. The northwestern road led to border of Civilight and Fireview. The western road led to the Gamma Headquarter, which was where President Voltson Millechu the Raichu, the ruler of the Republic of Civilight, resided. The southeastern road led to a residential area (This was also where Dr. Lumiere's Clinic located.) The southern road led to the Civilight Plain south of Gamma City. The southeastern road led to a slum. The eastern road led to the Civilight Harbor. And the northeastern road led to the border of Civilight and Riverbrine. In the middle of the Gamma City was a Central Square with a huge monument called 'The Civilusion Monument', which was created as a remembrance of the Civilusion War.

But other than all of that, Gamma City was also famous for one more thing,. Its high rate of crime…

"Here."

Grimlock handed something over to a Toxicroak. Both of them were in a dark alley in a slum of the southeastern road. This was also the place where Viola, Grimlock and Richard got into trouble last night.

"Nyee…. Nyee… Nyee…" Toxicroak laughed snidely as he received a pack that contained something inside. That 'something' was a gray powder… "Thanks for the Gray Reaper, punk! Here! Take this and get out of my sight!"

"…" Grimlock said nothing as he received a bag of PokeCoin from the Toxicroak and left the alley. As he got out of the alley, he joined up with Viola and both of them left the slum together.

"Finished yet?" Viola asked while they were walking.

"Here…" Grimlock showed a bag of PokeCoin he received from the Toxicroak. "It's good that we finally got some money…"

"Good?! YOU BASTARD!" Viola roared at Grimlock. "YOU SPEAK AS IF YOU WERE GLAD TO DO THIS!"

"…What about you?" Grimlock looked at the Heliolisk.

"…No." Viola suddenly became saddened. "I don't want you to do this… But… It's the only way we could help Uncle Lumiere…"

Grimlock nodded. It was not a secret to everyone that Dr. Lumiere would treat poor Pokemon for free, but as a result of this, Dr. Lumiere didn't have enough money to cover his cost. So, Viola and Grimlock decided to try to find some money for him. Unfortunately, both of them couldn't get a part-time job due to a certain reason. That left them only two ways of obtaining money; thievery and illegal trading.

With only two options, Viola and Grimlock decided to turn their life into the life of a gangster. Viola became a thief who stole from other Pokemon, but she always chose to steal from a rich Pokemon. For Grimlock, he became a trader who did an illegal business such as trading the Gray Reaper. With this, Grimlock became a leader of a small group of gangsters.

While both Viola and Grimlock didn't want to do this, they had no choice as these were the only two ways of obtaining enough money to cover their cost. They always lied to Dr. Lumiere about how they got the money so that Dr. Lumiere wouldn't know about their scheme, and other than both of them, only one Pokemon knew this; Richard.

"At first, when Richard came, I thought that he would be another burden to us…" Grimlock spoke up. "But he turned out to be a really decent guy."

"Yeah." Viola nodded. "Despite that I don't like his attitude of calling other Pokemon 'Idiot', he really helps Uncle Lumiere with his work."

Other than being a doctor, Lumiere also worked as a translator, a Pokemon who translated a book from one language to another language. This work required much effort from Lumiere, but when Richard came, he always helped Lumiere with this, making Lumiere have a much easier time with this work.

"Enough with this." Grimlock spoke up. "Viola, where will you go to do your 'usual' job today?"

"The southern gate of the city would do just fine." Viola answered.

"Whatever… Let's stop at our secret base first." Grimlock said.

* * *

Viola and Grimlock then entered a dark alley, which was the very same place they got into trouble last night. Then Grimlock removed a drain grate on the ground, revealing a way to enter the sewer of Gamma City. Both of them then got down into the sewer.

The sewer below Gamma City seemed like a huge tunnel that ran across the whole City. Other than being a sewer, this place was also where most illegal business took place. This was also where the base of a gang of thugs, which Grimlock was a leader, located.

"Here we are…."

Grimlock spoke once they reached a hidden room in the sewer. This was their base. Grimlock and Viola then wasted no time and entered it, only to find that someone was here.

"Richard?" Viola spoke up when she saw a Latios, who was reading a book, in their base. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at Uncle Lumiere's place?"

"That place is full of idiots during the day." Richard answered while his eyes were still focused on the book.

Viola and Grimlock said nothing when they, again, heard the word 'idiots' from Richard, and then they left the Latios alone by leaving their secret base.

"Geez…" Grimlock mumbled once they left their base. "His attitude makes me want to blast his face with my bazooka…"

"Trust me, he would be able to dodge it." Viola said. "And… don't you remember how fearsome his weapon is?"

Viola's words made Grimlock's body shivered. He then placed his paws on his helmet-like head and spoke up. "Please… Do not talk about it, Viola…."

"Right. Now if you excuse me, I have a purse to steal…" Viola said and walked up to a ladder and climbed back to the surface, leaving only Grimlock in the sewer.

"And what should I do next?" Grimlock mumbled.

* * *

 **Meanwhile….**

 _"Sir! I come here to give you a report of our experiments at the Civilight Laboratory!"_

 _"Hand it to me."_

 _"Here you are."_

 _"…"_

 _"…"_

 _"…So, our scientists finally successed with the Project Delta…"_

 _"That's right. Thanks to this, we finally got a new specimen for our research. We decided to call it 'Experiment Delta'."_

 _"Experiment Delta? So… Its name followed Experiment Alpha, Experiment Beta and Experiment Gamma, right?"_

 _"Of course, sir. It's too bad that Experiment Beta and Experiment Gamma had escaped from our grasp…"_

 _"…And what about Experiment Alpha?"_

 _"We have made a few adjustments to it. And after our latest demonstration, it turned to be a better destroying tool than we thought…"_

 _"It must be because… that thing… Very well… With Experiment Alpha and Experiment Delta in our grasp, our nation would be unstoppable."_

 _"What about Experiment Beta and Experiment Gamma? Should we continue our search for them?"_

 _"No. Let them go. They would be useless even if we got them back…"_

 _"Very well… If you say so…"_

 _"…Today… The November 18_ _th_ _… It would be one of the most memorable days of Pokemon…"_

 _"That's right, sir. Now, if you excuse me, I shall take my leave right now…"_

 _"Wait a minute… I have something to ask about the Experiment Delta… I read your report and found that there's no record of its type. What type is Experiment Delta?"_

 _"We tried to create it by using the gene from all types of Pokemon. However, it refused the gene of any type other than its normal type gene. So… Basically, it seems as if it doesn't have any type…"_

 _"It doesn't have a type?! Yet it has the gene of all other types… So, if it doesn't refuse the gene of other type, it would actually able to transform into any type of Pokemon…"_

 _"Yes. But right now, we decided to seal its power by shackling it with a mask, thus cancels its ability to utilize the gene of any type other than its normal type gene… And, other than calling it Experiment Delta, we decided to call it 'Type: Null'."_

* * *

 **-Meanwhile…**

'Let's see what we have here today…'

Viola thought as she hid behind a vending machine and looked at several Pokemon who walked around here. Right now, she was at the Southern Gate of Gamma City. This was one of the places where the Pokemon from the outside of Gamma City came into the city. Most Pokemon who entered the city via this gate were from either Principality of Leafburg or Theocracy of Venturnome, both which were wealthy nations of Symmetria. This made Viola have a higher chance to steal more money.

'Hm…' Viola looked around this place carefully. '…Let me see… I should steal from a rich only… A rich who had enough things for their life, yet they still hunger for more…'

"I will go shopping!"

A cute voice attracted Viola's attention. She then turned her attention to the speaker and found three Pokemon who stood not too far from her. They were a Sceptile in a samurai armor suit, a Scyther in a ninja garb and… a Latias in a kimono.

"Shopping?!" Sceptile spoke up and looked at the Latias. "Didn't you shop enough when we went to the Leafburg City?!"

"But I read an advertisement and found that there's an Equinox sale at the Gamma Department Store!" Latias said with an innocent voice. "I think it's for a cerebration of something about Sun and Moon…But… It's for today only!"

"…Rachael…" Scyther looked at the Latias. "How many clothes do you have right now?"

"Teehee!" A Latias named Rachael looked at the Scyther. "Don't worry! It's no more than 20!"

"Sigh…" Scyther sighed and turned his attention to the Sceptile. "Jasper, what do you think about this?"

"I think she had too many…" A Sceptile named Jasper said. "But… Zenpai, if we don't let her go, it will be a guarantee that she will pout at both of us for the rest of our stay in this city…"

"…I think so…" A Scyther named Zenpai nodded.

'…That Latias…' Viola thought after observing them for a while. 'She already had so many clothes, yet she still wants more… Perfect…'

Viola stealthy got out from behind the vending machine and slowly sneaked up to Rachael, Jasper and Zenpai, while waiting for a chance…

"Anyway…" Zenpai spoke up. "Let's get out of here first. We still need to find a place to stay tonight."

"Right." Jasper said. "I am tired of sleeping in the wild."

"Then…" Rachael turned her attention to the map she had just unfolded. "If we go through the Southern Road, we should reach the center square of this city…"

'That's my chance!'Viola carefully sneaked up to Rachael. She was about to steal Rachael's purse when a shuriken stopped her!

"Stop what you are trying to do, thief." Zenpai said. He held several shurikens in his paw.

"What?!" Jasper and Rachael said before they found out that someone was trying to steal Rachael's purse!"

'Crap!' Viola thought and quickly ran away from them as fast as possible.

But…

"Hey! Stop right there, thief!" Zenpai said and chased after Viola.

"We are not done with you yet!" Jasper said and followed Zenpai.

"W…W…Wait!" Rachael said and followed her brothers.

* * *

'Damn it!'

Viola thought as she ran along the streets of Gamma City. Although she was a very fast runner, Jasper, Zenpai and Rachael still managed to chase after her!

"Hey! Come back here!" Zenpai threw a shuriken at Viola, which she managed to dodge it!

'I have made a grave mistake…' Viola thought. 'I must escape to a place where they will never find me… That's right!'

Viola turned right at the next corner that she came across. Zenpai and Jasper quickly followed her, only to find that it led to a dead end, but the Heliolisk who tried to steal Rachael's purse was nowhere to be found!

"Damn it!" Zenpai mumbled. "Where did that Heliolisk go?!"

"Huff… Huff…" Rachael panted as she finally caught up with her brothers. "Zenpai, Jasper, just forget about that thief and let's go…"

"No way, Rachael." Jasper said. "If we left them uncaught, they may try to steal from us again!"

"Right…" Zenpai said. "But where did that thief go?"

"Could it be that they climbed the wall?" Rachael said.

"Impossible." Zenpai answered. "Heliolisk may run fast, but they couldn't climb a steep wall like this for sure."

"…I think I know where that thief went…"

Jasper pointed his paw at a drain grate in front of them. Jasper then walked up to it and found that he could open it easily!

"I see…" Zenpai said. "A sewer is always a hideout for criminals… So…"

"Let's go." Jasper said, much to Rachael's shock.

"W…Wait!" Rachael said.

"If you don't want to go into the sewer, just wait right here." Jasper said.

"…Fine. I will go with you." Rachael said.

* * *

"Pant… Pant…"

Viola panted as she ran along a walk path in the sewer. She then reached the door that will lead to her base and found that Grimlock was here.

"Grimlock?!" Viola said. "What are you doing here?!"

"Hm? Viola?" Grimlock looked at the Heliolisk. "I had nothing to do, so I went to the black market and bought some cool tools. What about you? Why did you look like you were running away from a Gengar?"

"WHAT?!" Viola suddenly became angry. "I AM NOT AFRAID OF A GHOST YOU OVERGROWN AGGRON!"

"Geez…" Grimlock crossed his arms. "Then, why?"

"I was careless." Viola was suddenly calm down. "They caught me trying to steal their purse, so I fled, but they still chased after me, so…"

"You decided to enter the sewer." Grimlock finished Viola's sentence. "That's a good idea. They won't have any idea about where we are right now."

"And your carelessness will lead you to your doom."

A voice came from somewhere, followed by the appearance of a Sceptile, a Scyther and a Latias!

"W…What?!" Viola became shocked. "H…How did you follow me here?!"

"Never underestimate a ninja and a samurai from Principality of Leafburg." Jasper answered.

"And now…" Zenpai spoke up. "Would you mind coming with us peacefully? We will take you to a police station, and you will get a new home, a better one, I must say."

"Like the hell I would let you do something like that to a cute girl like me." Viola spoke up.

"Oh! You are a girl?" Jasper licked his lip. "Then, perhaps you may want to come with me instead? I will take you to a nice hotel and then we will—"

"Shut up, Jasper." Zenpai said and turned his attention back to Viola. "It seemed like you'd prefer to have a bad time…"

"The one who will have a bad time is you." Viola said and equipped her weapon, which was a crossbow. "Grimlock, help me here."

"For a battle?! You know that I will never say no to a battle!" Grimlock said and equipped his weapon, which was a bazooka. Meanwhile, Jasper took out his Emerald Katana and Zenpai took out his Peridot Kunai too.

"Rachael, stand back." Zenpai said.

"R…Right…" Rachael said and took a step away from Jasper and Zenpai.

* * *

Viola and Grimlock looked at their opponents, which were Zenpai and Jasper. All of them were now in a defensive stance.

"What should we deal with them, Viola?" Grimlock whispered.

"Both of them have great speed." Viola mumbled. "But they both have terrible defense and special defense… Grimlock… You know how to deal with this…"

Grimlock nodded. And then…

"YAH!"

Jasper dashed up to Viola with Emerald Katana in his paw. He tried to attack her, but Grimlock stepped in and shielded Viola from Jasper's attack with his body! Because Grimlock's body was covered with steel, he got minor damage from this attack!

"Take this!" Zenpai threw several shurikens at the same time at Grimlock, but Viola stepped in and countered his attack by firing several arrows from her crossbow!

"My turn!" Grimlock fired a blast from his bazooka, which both Jasper and Zenpai managed to dodge it easily!

"Don't think it's already over!" Viola opened her frill and released an attack from it! "Parabolic Charge!"

"Energy Ball!" Jasper released a ball of nature power from his paw at Viola! This made his attack clashed with Viola's attack! It also canceled both of their attacks too!

"Not bad!" Jasper commented. "It's too bad that I wouldn't have a chance of getting to know a cute and strong girl like you better."

"Shut up, Jasper." Zenpai said. "Let's just defeat them and bring them to justice."

"Do you think you could win against us?" Viola said with a sarcastic voice. "You would never stand a chance against me and my friend, right?"

"That right!" Grimlock showed his fist to Jasper and Zenpai. "We will crush you and you will suffer badly! RRRRRRRRRRRRR!"

Grimlock's roar echoed into the sewer. Then he and Viola turned their attention to Jasper and Zenpai. The four Pokemon then prepared for another round of battle!

But then…

'Click!'

A sound of someone had just closed their book could be heard from inside the base of Viola and Grimlock. The sound was soft and not loud, but it made Viola and Grimlock's body shiver!

"C….C….Crap…" Grimlock spoke up with a shaking voice.

"W…We got trouble…." Viola was in the same condition as the Aggron beside her.

"Hey! What's wrong with you?" Jasper spoke up.

"Right. Why do your bodies shake like that?" Zenpai asked.

Before Viola and Grimlock could say anything, the door of their base opened and followed by the appearance of a Latios.

"Didn't the parents of you idiots teach you anything about manners?" Richard spoke with an angry voice. He held the Chronicle of Twilight in his paw. "Oh, I forgot that idiots like you didn't have any brain to store your knowledge…"

Richard looked at Viola and Grimlock, and then he turned his attention to Zenpai and Jasper, and…

"Hm?!"

Richard's attention was on a Latias who was behind Jasper and Zenpai. When she saw him, she also had the same reaction as him too.

"You…" Richard mumbled.

"W…Wait!" Rachael said and moved ahead to the Latios she saw.

And…

Richard's Luster Pendant started glowing! The same thing also happened to Rachael's Mist Pendant too! Richard and Rachael looked at their pendant before looking at each other's pendant and saw that both pendants were almost identical!

"You…" Richard looked at the Latias in front of him.

"Could it be?" Rachael looked at the Latios in front of her.

"Rachael?!" Richard spoke up.

"Onii-chan?!" Rachael said.

 **To Be Continued…**

* * *

 **Dragon of Vale: We learn about the Republic of Civilight in this chapter! And… Viola had got herself into a trouble… But at least… That brought Rachael and Richard together…**

 **And… This chapter was out in the day Pokemon Sun and Moon was released worldwide, so, here's a little easter egg.**

 **A special thanks to Ridin Valon for helping me with the error correction.**


	23. Tail 3-3: Brothers and Sisters

**A Dragon's Tail**

 **Tail 3: Richard's Tail - Ignorance**

 **Tail 3-3: Brothers and Sisters**

"ONI-CHAAAAAANN!"

Richard was hugged by a crying Latias. This Latias was none other than the only person in his life that he cared about, his younger sister.

"Rachael… Thank goodness…" Richard mumbled.

"Onii-chan! I finally found you!" Rachael cried while still hugging her 'true' elder brother.

"Rachael… I am sorry…" Richard mumbled. "I am sorry… For leaving you alone for such a long time… And I am sorry… For not being able to protect you in that day… If only I was strong enough…"

"It's okay, Onii-chan…" Rachael looked at her brother with a cute face. "It's only over now… It's just a bad dream…"

"Rachael…" Richard looked at his sister with a tender face, a face that neither Viola nor Grimlock had ever seen before!

"Wait a minute…" Viola spoke up. "Richard, do you know that Latias?"

"And Rachael…" Jasper spoke up too. "Do you know that Latios?"

Rachael was about to answer those questions when Richard spoke up first. "Couldn't you idiots see that we are in a moment of reunion? Idiots…"

"WHAT?!" Jasper and Zenpai was shocked when they heard Richard's words while Viola and Grimlock were indifferent as they already heard something like that from Richard for countless times.

"And if you excuse me, please give both of us some private time." Richard said before he took his younger sister into the secret base, but before he entered, he spoke up again. "Oh, and please… Do. Not. Make. A. Ruckus. Again."

* * *

 **-After a long explanation…**

"…So… After that event, you and those idiots decided to leave Leafburg…" Richard said after Rachael told him what happened after they were separated, including Rachael's stay at Paradise Farm, her meeting with Jasper and Zenpai, her trip to Leafburg Forest and the event at the abandoned temple, but Rachael couldn't tell what happened after Joshua committed suicide without crying. "And it seemed like the fates have led you here…"

"Right…" Rachael stopped crying. "What about you, Onii-chan? What happened to you after that night?"

"Well…" Richard mumbled before he started telling his story…

* * *

 _"Urr… My head…"_

 _Richard slowly regained his consciousness. He tried to move his body, only to find that he could move neither his arms nor his legs! And… He could no more feel the presence of his legs!_

 _"Where am I? And… Rachael?! Where are you?!" Richard mumbled, but he still couldn't move his arms. And then he found that his arms were tied down to some sort of an operating table! And… His arms… Why were they blue?_

 _"WHAT?!" Richard realized that he had been turned into a creature that looked like a blue plane! With the knowledge he had, he could tell that he was now a Pokemon called Latios._

 _"What happened to my body?!" Richard was panicking. He then tried to look around and found that he was in a room with many lab equipments such as pipets and cylinders._

 _And…_

 _"Good morning, Experiment Gamma."_

 _That voice came from someone who had just entered the room. He was an Alakazam in a white lab coat. He held something that looked like a report in his paw too._

 _"E…Experiment Gamma?!" I spoke with a shaking voice. "W…What does that mean?!"_

 _"Hm… As expected, you are a Latios…" Alakazam said and looked at a report in his paw. "You fell right onto the outskirt of Gamma City, and we found you… Marvelous… Yes… Yes… Marvelous…"_

 _"W…What are you planning to do with me?!" I asked. "A…And where's my sister?! D…Did you find her?!"_

 _"Oh! That's right…" Alakazam spoke. "A Latios has a younger sister, a Latias, right? So… If we found a Latios, we would be able to find a Latias too… And she will be the next experiment specie of us…"_

 _"N…No!" I said while trying to struggle. "Y…You can't!"_

 _"Just stay still, Experiment Gamma." Alakazam said. "And wait for the day of your next demonstration…"_

 _"Wait!" I said, but the Alakazam already left the room…_

 _'W…What should I do?!' I thought._

* * *

"Oh... No…" Rachael said after Richard stopped telling his story for a moment. "O…Onii-chan! T…That was terrible!"

"…" Richard said nothing in response.

"B…But… How did you escape from that place?" Rachael continued asking. "A…And… I think you have… changed a bit… You were so nerdy and clumsy back then… But right now… You are…"

"…That was a weakness I already discarded." Richard answered. "Someone told me that, while I couldn't be a strong and powerful being, I must strengthen the power of my mind."

"…And how did you escape?" Rachael asked.

Richard was about to answer Rachael's question when someone spoke up instead. _"Of course, without me, Richard would have been stuck in that place forever."_

The voice came out of Richard's Dragon Relic, followed by a glowing orb that came out of the Luster Pendant! At the very same time it happened, a glowing orb also came out of Rachael's Mist Pendant too!

 _"Mega Latios, is that you?"_ Mega Latias said from a glowing orb that came out of Rachael's Mist Pendant.

 _"Mega Latias?!"_ Mega Latios said from a glowing orb that came out of Richard's Luster Pendant. _"I am so glad to see you again…"_

 _"Me too, my brother." Mega Latias said._

"Wait…" Rachael spoke up. "What is this, Mega Latias?"

"…Rachael." Richard looked at his younger sister. "…Don't tell me you have made a pact with a Legendary Pokemon…"

"What?! Then… You too, Onii-chan?!" Rachael replied with another question.

"Foolish sister…" Richard said. "Do you know what you have gotten yourself into? Don't you know that forming a pact with a Legendary Pokemon will result in being cursed of losing something in your life?"

"I…I know…" Rachael answered. "B…But it will make me become stronger so I will no more be a burden to everyone. Plus, I don't have anything more to lose… So…So…"

"…I am sorry, Rachael." Richard patted his sister's head. "I was such a bad brother to say something like that to you. Plus, I also made a pact with a Legendary Pokemon too…"

 _"Right."_ Mega Latios spoke up. _"And it seems that your younger sister have formed a pact with my younger sister."_

"So, Mega Latias…" Rachael spoke up. "You have an elder brother too?"

 _"Correct."_ Mega Latias answered. _"And I am so glad to meet you again, Mega Latios."_

 _"Me too, Mega Latias."_ Mega Latios said.

"…Um…" Rachael looked at both glowing orbs between Richard and her. "Both of you always call each other with the name of your species. Do you have your own name?"

"Trust me, Rachael, trying to ask something like that is a waste of time." Richard answered. "Lord of Blindness always refuses to tell me his real name."

"That's right." Mega Latios said. "Instead of learning our names, shouldn't you go—"

 _"Of course!"_ Mega Latias spoke up. _"My name is_ _ **Ilia the Mega Latias**_ _and his name is_ _ **Holmer the Mega Latios**_ _!"_

 _"MEGA LATIAS!"_ Mega Latios, whose real name was Holmer, roared out.

 _"Why not, Holmer?"_ Mega Latias, whose real name was Ilia, said. _"There's no reason to hide our names from them!"_

 _"Hm!"_ Holmer mumbled.

"What's wrong, Ilia?" Rachael asked.

 _"Well… It's just that Holmer doesn't like to let many Pokemon know his real name."_ Ilia answered.

"So, your real name is Holmer… That name really suits you." Richard spoke to Holmer. "However, I'd prefer to call you 'Lord of Blindness'."

"Lord of Blindness? Why did you call Homer like that?"

"Because he used a move 'Luster Purge' when I summon him." Richard answered. "Plus, he is a blind dragon."

"You are blind?!" Rachael looked at a glowing orb of Holmer. "What happened to your eyes?!"

"…" Holmer didn't answer Rachael's question.

"Rachael…" Ilia spoke up. "Did you forget something? About the Equinox Sale…"

"OH! That's right!" Rachael said. "Onii-chan, do you know where is the department store that has an Equinox Sale today?"

"Yes." Richard said. "And I will go with you."

"YAY!" Rachael said. "Let's go! Onii-chan! You too! Holmer! Ilia!"

As she finished speaking, the glowing orbs disappeared into Rachael's Mist Pendant and Richard's Luster Pendant, and Rachael and Richard left this room.

* * *

"Rachael!"

Jasper spoke up as he saw a Latias and a Latios left the room. This also attracted Zenpai, Viola and Grimlock's attention too.

"Hi! Jasper! Zenpai!" Rachael said. "And let me introduce my Onii-chan! His name is Richard Lustermist the Latios!"

"…So, you are Rachael's another brother, hm?" Zenpai looked at Richard.

"No, I am her only 'real' brother." Richard answered, which made Jasper and Zenpai shocked a bit.

"And, Richard, is that Latias your younger sister?" Viola asked and looked at Rachael. "Then, I am so sorry for trying to steal from you…"

"It's okay! I forgive you!" Rachael said with a smile on her face.

"Sigh…" Jasper mumbled. "Easy to forgive… That's just like you, Rachael. But if that's your decision, then I will not complain."

"And what will you do next, Rachael?" Zenpai asked.

"I will go shopping with Onii-chan! Do you want to come too?" Rachael asked.

"Ye—" Zenpai and Jasper was about to answer Rachael's question before Richard spoke up.

"That's not necessary. Rachael, let's not waste our time." Richard said.

"What?!" Zenpai said. "Rachael asked us, not you! Why did you have to say something like that?"

"Because this is the first time you come to Gamma City, right?" Richard answered. "Being a first time in a complicated place like this, idiots like you will surely get lose the first step you get out of the sewer."

Hearing the word 'idiots' triggered Jasper and Zenpai's anger, while Viola and Grimlock just sighed as this was like a thousand times they heard this word from Richard.

"Hey! You!" Jasper said and drew his Emerald Katana out of its sheath.

"You want some from us?!" Zenpai said and equipped his Peridot Kunai.

"…Using brawl over brain… Is that a thing that a 'good' elder brother for Rachael should do?" Richard as with a cold voice.

"What?!" Jasper and Zenpai was shocked by Richard's sharp words.

"O…Onii-chan!" Rachael spoke up. "W…Why did you say something like that?!"

"…True. I don't know why I said something like that…" Richard answered. "Because it would be pointless to knock some sense into those idiots' thick skull. Rachael, let's go."

After he finished speaking, Richard moved up to the exit of the sewer. Rachael then looked at Jasper and Zenpai and said 'I am sorry' before she followed the Latios.

* * *

As Richard and Rachael already left, Zenpai spoke up. "Damn it! That Latios!"

"He is so arrogant." Jasper said and sheathed his Emerald Katana.

"That's just like him." Viola spoke up. "He always calls other Pokemon 'idiot'."

"That's right. At first, we were so furious with his arrogance." Grimlock spoke up. "But now, we are already familiar with that."

"Speaking of both of you…" Zenpai and Jasper turned their attention to Viola and Grimlock. "Since Rachael decided to forgive you, we will let you go for now, but don't try to steal from us again, okay?"

"You spoke as if you have already defeated us in a battle!" Viola suddenly changed her mood.

"True, but I don't think I could continue to fight, especially against a lady like you…" Jasper said and approached Viola. "Hey, cutie, would be kindly tell me your name?"

"…What the heck?" Viola asked.

"Oh! I am so sorry that I forgot to introduce myself properly." Jasper said. "My name is Jasper Floratree the Sceptile. Nice to meet you, cutie…"

"Floratree?!" Instead of getting annoying with Jasper's flirting, Viola's eyes widened as she heard the Sceptile's last name, and then she quickly calmed down. "So… You are the son of the Hero of Grass type who saved Symmetria from the Fallen Crisis, Joshua Floratree the Sceptile, right?"

Jasper was shocked when he heard the Heliolisk's words, but he was good at concealing his emotion. "Ah… My identity have been known by a cutie… You are such a sharp Heliolisk!"

"Jasper!" Zenpai roared at his younger half-brother. "Don't go around and tell anyone your identity!"

"It's okay, Scyther." Grimlock spoke up. "Well… To tell the truth, both Viola and I are no different than this Sceptile."

"...What do you mean?" Jasper looked at the Aggron.

Grimlock and Viola looked at each other for a moment, and then Grimlock answered the Sceptile's question.

"…It means that Viola's father and my father are also the Hero of Legend who saved Symmetria from the Fallen Crisis 30 years ago."

* * *

 **-Meanwhile…**

Richard led Rachael to Gamma Department Store, which was the biggest department store in the Gamma City. Because of the Equinox Sale, this place was crowded with many Pokemon today, but with Richard's skill of evading a crowded place and Rachael's skill of finding a shop with a red sign with the word 'Sale' on it, the duo didn't have any problem with this place.

"Lalala…"

While Rachael was trying to choose whether she should buy a blush-colored scarf or a flamingo-colored scarf, Richard sat on a stool in front of the shop. His eyes were focused at the Chronicle of Twilight he was reading.

 _'…You know…'_ Holmer spoke into Richard's mind. _'Although I am one of the most intelligent and the cleverest creatures in this universe, I still don't understand why women spend so much time in choosing clothing.'_

"Me too, Lord of Blindness." Richard mumbled. "But when we were human, we were so poor that both of us could hardly afford to buy clothes for ourselves, and now, we could. So, I won't complain."

"Oh! Onii-chan!" Rachael called Richard. She was holding two cloths in her paws. "Come here and tell me which cloth you like more!"

Richard closed the Chronicle of Twilight and moved up to where his sister was. He then examined both cloths in Rachael's paws before giving her an answer.

"I'd say that I personally like the one in your left paw." Richard answered. "But I don't think both of them will suit your style, Rachael."

"Teehee!" Rachael revealed an innocent smile as she put the cloth in her right paw back onto the shelf. "This isn't a cloth for me. It's for you, Onii-chan!"

"…Me? Nah…" Richard looked at his younger sister. "I am good as I am right now…"

"Come on! Don't be shy!" Rachael put the cloth in her left paw into Richard's paw and shoved him to the fitting room. "Come on! Try it for me!"

"…Sigh…" Richard sighed and went into the fitting room.

* * *

 **-Several Minutes Later…**

"...Is this enough?"

Richard spoke as he got out of the fitting room. He now wore an azure blue shirt and indigo trousers. He also wore a cobalt and white jacket too.

"Wow!" Rachael said. "You look so handsome!"

"…If that so, then…" Richard was about to go back into the fitting room to change his clothes back when he heard something…

"That would be 500 PokeDollar." A Pokemon at the cashier said.

"Here you are!" Rachael handed over a bag of 500 PokeDollar to the cashier.

"Thank you for your patronage, and please come again." The cashier said.

"Um… Rachael?!" Richard moved up to his younger sister. "D…Don't tell me that…"

"Yes!" Rachael nodded. "You always wear such a somber cloth! So, this is my present for you!"

"Sigh… Well… If you insist…" Richard yielded.

"Teehee! I am so glad you like it!" Rachael said. "Let's go, Onii-chan! We still have 21 more shops to go!"

"Oh…" Richard facepalmed.

* * *

 **-Several Hours Later…**

Richard and Rachael left the Gamma Department Store and entered the northeastern road of Gamma City. Right now, the sun already departed from the sky and the moon already shined above the head of everyone. It was because Rachael spent so much time at the department store so that it's already night time.

"Oh! Rachael! There you are!"

A voice called the Latias from not too far. Richard and Rachael turned their attention to the source of the voice and saw Jasper, Zenpai, Viola and Grimlock walked up to them.

"Hi! Jasper! Zenpai! Heliolisk! Aggron!" Rachael greeted four Pokemon who were walking up to them, while Richard just turned a cold shoulder on them.

"Oh! I forgot that we haven't introduced ourselves yet…" Viola spoke up. "My name is Viola Sparkvolt the Heliolisk."

"And my name is Grimlock Rusteel the Aggron! Nice to meet ya!" Grimlock flexed his arm while introducing himself.

"Nice to meet you, Viola, Grimlock!" Rachael said. "And thank you for taking care of Onii-chan!"

"There's no need to thank us for this, Rachael." Viola said.

"…Rachael, are you tired?" Richard spoke up. "Shouldn't you call it a day right now?"

"I am not tir— YAWN…" Rachael released a small yawn as she tried to tell her brother that she was not tired.

"Let's go and get some sleep. I know a good hotel for you to stay around here." Richard spoke. "And… Viola, Grimlock, please tell Dr. Lumiere that I will stay with my younger sister, so I won't go back to his place tonight."

After he finished speaking, Richard turned back and was about to fly away with his sister before he continued speaking. "Oh… And I won't stop you if you idiots from Leafburg want to stand there and don't follow us forever…"

"Sigh… Let's go, Jasper." Zenpai said and was about to follow Rachael and Richard when he noticed that Jasper's attention was at Viola instead.

"Hey, babe…" Jasper looked at Viola with a crafty face. "Do you mind if I sle— OUCH!"

Jasper suddenly kneeled down with a painful-look on his face. It was because he was kicked by Viola at his abdomen as he tried to flirt with her.

"Don't try to do it again." Viola said.

"Sigh…" Zenpai mumbled while he dragged Jasper away and followed Rachael and Richard.

"…Idiots…" Richard mumbled.

* * *

 **-The Next Morning…**

"Wake up! Onii-chan!"

Richard's body was shaken by his younger sister. He then slowly woke up from his slumber and saw that he was sitting on a chair in a room at a hotel. (Last night, Richard insisted that he will sleep in the same room as Rachael and kicked Jasper and Zenpai to sleep in another room.)

"That's just like you, Onii-chan." Rachael said. "Always staying up until late at night to read a book and falling asleep by doing so! Despite your personality have changed, you are still the same Onii-chan I know…"

"Oh! That's right!" Hearing Rachael's words made Richard seem to remember something. He then turned his attention to the Chronicle of Twilight that was still open on his table. The page that was opened right now was the same page Richard read last night before he fell asleep. "Rachael, come here."

"What's wrong, Onii-chan?" Rachael asked as she approached her elder brother. "Did you find something interesting in that book?"

"… This book… It is the Chronicle of Twilight." Richard said. "It is a book that records everything in this world, be something that happened in the past or the most mysterious thing in this world. I also use it as my weapon too, as I can draw a power from this chronicle and use it in a battle. However, several parts of this chronicle were sealed, making me unable to access to the record since 1,150 years ago until now. But last night, I found a way to unseal a part of this chronicle!"

"Really?!" Rachael said. "That's so cool! And how could we unseal this chronicle?!"

"We must find something that will enable us to unseal its power." Richard said. "And I know where to find it. It's right here in Gamma City."

"Yay!" Rachael said.

"And after I unseal the chronicle, I may be able to fulfill a promise I made to you, Rachael." Richard said.

"You still remember our promise?!" Rachael said. "Oh! Richard! You are the best brother ever! Thank you so much!"

"Right… Right…" Richard closed the Chronicle of Twilight and stood up. "Let's go, Rachael. We have a lot to do today."

"Right!" Rachael said and picked up her bag and her elder brother's bag, which she had sorted it since last night.

"Oh…And…" Richard seemed to remember something. "Those idiots from Leafburg… Don't let them come with us… As the place that we will go today is quite dangerous."

"Dangerous?" Rachael said as she handed over a bag to her elder brother.

"Right. So, do not get too far from me, okay?" Richard said.

"Okay!" Rachael said. "Plus, Jasper and Zenpai are probably still sleeping by now! They never wake up before 10 A.M.!"

Richard nodded slightly and flew to the door, and then Rachael and he left the room together.

 **To Be Continued…**

* * *

 **Dragon of Vale: Sorry for a long break. I was very busy with Pokemon Sun and Moon ^_^**

 **This chapter is quite boring… But anyway, Richard and Rachael reunite with each other, and we finally learn the name of Legendary Pokemon that Rachael and Richard had formed a pact with!**

 **And… There will be a surprise in the next chapter… Just wait and see…**

 **A special thanks to Ridin Valon for helping me with the error correction.**


	24. Tail 3-4: The Underground Bazaar

**A Dragon's Tail**

 **Tail 3: Richard's Tail - Ignorance**

 **Tail 3-4: The Underground Bazaar**

After leaving the hotel, Richard and Rachael got themselves into the northern road of Gamma City. Richard then led Rachael into a small alley next to the hotel and, once again, they headed into the sewer of Gamma City.

Once both of them were in the dark sewer under the Gamma City, Richard opened the Chronicle of Twilight.

"…Flash!" Richard flashed a bright light with the power he drew from the chronicle. This light illuminated the dark sewer a bit, making it much easier for both of them to see around.

"Onii-chan?" Rachael said as Richard closed the Chronicle of Twilight. "Did you just use the move 'Flash'?"

"Half-right." Richard answered. "It is true that I just use the move Flash, but it isn't a move that I use myself."

"What does that mean?" Rachael seemed like she didn't understand Richard's words.

"The move 'Flash' I just used is actually a move I drew from the Chronicle of Twilight." Richard showed the book in his paw to his younger sister. "It's true that I can use only four moves, but with the power of the Chronicle of Twilight, I could use several more moves! Of course, if I don't have the Chronicle of Twilight with myself, I will be able to use only my four moves."

"That sound complicated…" Rachael said.

"Anyway, Rachael…" Richard seemed to remember something. "Rachael, what moves can you use right now?"

"Me?" Rachael said. "At first, I can use only Aromatherapy and Helping Hand, but after forming a pact with Ilia, I can use Dragon Breath and Energy Ball too."

"Aromatherapy?" Richard mumbled and nodded. "I see… I am not the only one who can use the move that my kind couldn't normally learn…"

"What is it, Onii-chan?" Rachael asked.

"…After forming a pact with…Holmer, I gain an ability to use the move Dragon Breath and Thunderbolt…" Richard answered. "But before that, the moves I could use are Helping Hand and…Charge."

"Charge?" Rachael seemed to remember something. "I remember that Charge is a move that only Pokemon that are associated with electric can use…"

"Right." Richard nodded. "A Latios couldn't normally learn the move Charge, just like a Latias couldn't normally learn the move Aromatherapy."

"But why?" Rachael asked. "Why both of us could use a move that our specie couldn't normally learn? Could it be that we were once human?"

"Hm… I don't know about this…" Richard said. "But I don't really care much about this since I'd prefer not to get myself into a battle."

"Me too, Onii-chan!" Rachael said.

* * *

With the light that illuminated from the Chronicle of Twilight, Richard and Rachael continued moving around the dark sewer. During this, Richard always told Rachael to stay close to him, not only to prevent her from getting lost, but also to prevent her from running into trouble.

"Is this place that dangerous?" Rachael asked while they were moving around the dark sewer.

"Right." Richard nodded. "While the Gamma City above is a civilized city full with technologies, the sewer below is a den of outlaws and wanted criminals. Moreover, this is also a place where many illegal actions took place such as illegal trading."

"Wah!" Rachael quickly got close to her brother, but then, Richard quickly covered her mouth.

"Shh…" Richard told her sister to hush.

"Aut ap ens? (What happens?!)" Rachael tried to ask her brother, but she couldn't speak clearly as her mouth was covered by Richard's paw.

'Rachael, be quiet…' Ilia spoke to Rachael through her mind. "There is someone around this corner."

Richard and Rachael quickly hid behind a corner as they sensed that there's someone talking at the next corner. They then tried to hear the conversation of the Pokemon at the corner.

 _"You lizard-with-no-brain! Look at what you have done! All of this was your doing!"_

 _"Say that again, you fxxxxxg shark! Don't your ash-filled brain forget that you were the one who bought the wrong tickets!"_

 _"Oh, that's it?! At least I only bought the tickets for the show instead of buying the tickets for a ship to Fireview. But you! Instead of buying a ticket to Fireview, you bought a ticket to Civilight instead!"_

 _"Nah… Is that a big deal?!"_

 _"Of course it is! Instead of wasting only a few days for the journey to Fireview, we have already wasted a month and we still aren't at Fireview yet, you stupid lizard!"_

 _"Say that to me, you fxxxxxg shark!"_

 _"You want some from me!"_

 _"Of course! Come here so I can knock your fxxxxxg face, you axxxxxe!"_

 _"GARRRRRRR!"_

 _"CHARRRRRRRR!"_

The conversation ended here, followed by a sound of skirmish. It seemed like two Pokemon there were arguing about something before they got into a fight…

"Idiots…" Richard mumbled. "Rachael, be quiet and let's go."

Rachael nodded, and then Richard and she quietly got away from that spot, from two Pokemon who were still arguing and fighting with each other. The sound of their arguing and their fighting still echoed through the sewer as Richard and Rachael got away from there.

"TAKE THIS, YOU STUBBORN LIZARD!"

"AH! MY TAIL! YOU FXXXXXG SHARK!"

* * *

 **-A few minutes later…**

"Oh! We are finally here…" Richard mumbled as Rachael and he had arrived at a quite crowded place with several shops, but everyone in this place, who was looking at the goods in the shop, was all grimy and suspicious.

"This is the Underground Bazaar." Richard explained. "No matter what kind of illegal activities, be an illegal trading, an illegal gambling or an illegal battle, you can find all of them right here."

"T…This place seemed so scary…" Rachael got very close to Richard and held his arm tightly.

"Right. This place is very dangerous." Richard mumbled. "Normally, I don't want to come here and don't want you to come here, but I need something that can be found here in order to unlock the potential of the Chronicle of Twilight, and I promise to you that I will never leave you again, so, Rachael, stay close to me."

Richard then moved slowly into the Underground Bazaar, with Rachael tightly clung to his arm. They then walked pass several shops. There was a shop that sold some sort of gray powder, which Richard explained that it was a dangerous drug called 'Gray Reaper'. The second shop had a sign that told that it sold the 'Universal Medicine'.

"Universal Medicine?" Rachael mumbled.

"Do not be fooled by that nonsense…" Richard warned. "There's no such a sort of universal medicine that can cure anything in this world as each kind of germ that infects you will give you different symptom, thus need a different kind of curing method, such as we must use the antibiotic to cure the bacteria. And because there are so many kinds of bacteria, several kinds of antibiotic are required. Of course, if you use the antibiotic too much, you may end up—"

"Yawn…" Rachael released a small yawn while listening to Richard's long explanation.

"…Oh, I am sorry." Richard mumbled before they continued moving around the Underground Bazaar in order to find the things they want.

And finally…

Richard stopped in front of a shop that several several kinds of goods, not just one kind like the shops that they had just passed. There were some Pokemon in this shop looking for the goods they wanted, and…

"Welcome to my junk shop." A Kecleon, who was the owner of this shop, greeted Richard and Rachael as they entered the shop. "How may I help you today?"

"You can help me by staying away from us until we can choose the things we want." Richard answered and turned his attention to his younger sister. Richard then opened the Chronicle of Twilight and showed Rachael a page. "Rachael, these are the things we must find."

"Understood." Rachael nodded, and then both of them started finding the things they wanted.

* * *

 **-Several minutes later…**

Richard and Rachel moved back to the entrance of the shop, where a Kecleon who was the owner of this junk shop was.

"…And please… Feel free to look for my merchandise…" Kecleon was just finished greeting another customer, who was a tall Pokemon that wore a khaki jacket and a cowboy hat, but neither Rachael nor Richard could see what kind of Pokemon he was as he wore a black cloak to cover his body too.

"…" The Pokemon in a khaki jacket said nothing and walked into the shop, and then the Kecleon turned his attention to Richard and Rachael.

"Ah… Sorry to keep you waiting…" Kecleon said.

"…Here. These are the things we want." Richard handed over a bag that contained something to the Kecleon. "How much these things are?"

"Hm…" Kecleon looked at the things in the bag before continued speaking. "That would be 1,500 PokeCoin."

"What?!" Rachael spoke up. "Why are they so expensive?!"

"Because my merchandise are all top-graded." Kecleon answered proudly. "High-quality goods are more expensive than the low-quality ones, right?"

"Onii-chan…" Rachael mumbled and looked at her brother. However, Richard still didn't hand over a bag of PokeCoin to the Kecleon. Instead, he just opened the Chronicle of Twilight and…

"Hm… Ah!" It seemed like Richard was able to find something. "Rachael, I found that, instead of using those goods, we can also use the other goods too! And the other goods we could use are easy-to-find and cheap too!"

"Really!?" Rachael said.

"Right." Richard nodded. "Let's go, Rachael."

Richard and Rachael then were about to leave the junk shop when the Kecleon suddenly called them back.

"W…Wait!" Kecleon said. "I…I have a special discount for you!"

"Special discount?" Rachael said.

"R…Right…" Kecleon said. "Y…You two can have these goods for only 1,000 PokeCoin!"

"1,000 PokeCoin?" Richard mumbled. "But the substitute goods' price are about 110 PokeCoin… So…"

"W…Wait!" Kecleon said. "Y…You can have them for only 100 PokeCoin!"

"100 PokeCoin?" Richard moved back to the Kecleon. "…Deal."

Richard then handed over a bag of PokeCoin to the Kecleon and received a bag of their goods from him too.

"T…Thank you for your patronage." Kecleon said. "Please come again."

After finishing the deal with Richard, the Kecleon turned his attention to another customer, who was a Pokemon in a khaki jacket who entered the shop a few minutes ago, and Richard and Rachael left the junk shop.

* * *

"Onii-chan…" Rachael mumbled. "You are still the very same Onii-chan I know… Your skill of bargaining is still top-ranked."

"…No." Richard mumbled. "That Kecleon tried to cheat on us by selling us his goods at a higher price."

"Really?!" Rachael said.

"Right." Richard nodded. "You see… A junk shop is a shop that sells junk, so the things we bought are actually the things that no one else wants. With this, the price of them should be low… But 1,500 PokeCoin is too expensive, so I pretend that I didn't want to buy it anymore, and…"

"I understand now…" Rachael said. "If that Kecleon couldn't sell these goods to us, neither he could sell it to anyone else. With this, he had to do anything in order to sell those goods, even lower the price of them from 1,500 PokeCoin to 100 PokeCoin. Also… The substitute goods you mentioned that they are cheaper and easier to find… That was a lie, right?"

"Couldn't help it…" Richard said. "Actually, the true price of those goods should be around 300 PokeCoin. If he had offered the true price from the beginning, I would surely buy them with no complaints… But since he tried to cheat on us…"

"He had to lose 200 PokeCoin he could earn." Rachael concluded. "And we could save 200 PokeCoin too! Onii-chan! You are truly the master of bargaining!"

"Right… Right…" Richard mumbled.

"And… What should we do next?" Rachael asked.

"…Because the next part required a work of crafting, the next thing that we must do is finding someone who has a good skill of craftsmanship." Richard answered.

"Good skill of craftsmanship?" Rachael said. "Like a carver or a blacksmith?"

"Right." Richard nodded. "Now, let's go and—"

"Hm?" Before Richard could finish his words, Rachael spoke up and pointed her paw at a place that looked like a battle ring or a small arena. "What is that place?"

"!" Richard became shocked as he realized what that place is. "Rachael, stay away from that place. That place is the most dangerous spot in this Underground Bazaar."

"Why?" Rachael asked.

"…That's the Underground Arena." Richard answered. "Normally, an arena is a place where the warriors from around the world come to show their strength in a battle. However, for this place…"

"What's wrong?" Rachael asked.

"…Some fighters in this arena are the slaves who were enslaved by a group of mafia…"

"What?!" Rachael was shocked when she heard that from her Onii-chan.

"Right." Richard nodded. "Other than that, the Underground Arena's battle is a battle to the death. So… If someone was sent into the arena, they must fight until either they or their opponent die…"

"T…That's horrible!" Rachael cried.

"…I have gone to that place once, and I promised to myself that I will never go to that place again…" Richard mumbled.

"B…But…" Rachael commented. "How could some horrible place like that arena exist within this city?! Shouldn't the government do something about it?!"

"The government of Civilight is useless. They won't do anything that they won't benefit from it." Richard said. "Well, at least the arena of the Republic of Civilight is illegal, so it only exists under the surface of the city, but for Fireview…"

"Fireview?" Rachael said. "Did you mean the Fireview Kingdom? What's wrong?"

"…For Fireview Kingdom, an arena like this is…legal." Richard said, making Rachael shocked.

"How could that be?!" Rachael cried.

"I don't know much about the Fireview Kingdom…" Richard said. "But I know that the arena like this one is legal in the Fireview Kingdom, even the king of Fireview Kingdom also approves this. Still, I don't understand why—Oops!"

Richard's words were cut off when someone bumped into him, making him fall down onto the ground!

"Ouch!" Richard mumbled while trying to fly up again.

"Hey! What are y—EAH!" Rachael was about to scold the Pokemon who bumped into her brother, but her words were cut off by her scream as she saw that the Pokemon who had just bumped into her brother was blood-soaked! However, neither Richard nor Rachael could see his face clearly as he wore a dragonhead-shaped helmet to cover his face. Other than that, he also wore a flaming red armor suit, which was now soaked with the red liquid called blood. His wings were the only part that wasn't covered in an armor, and because of his wings, Richard could tell that this Pokemon was a Charizard.

"…" The Charizard glanced at Richard for a bit and growled at him before walking away from the Latios and Latias.

"Whew…" Rachael said as the Charizard was walking away from them. "That Charizard is so mean and scary! And… Onii-chan, are you alright?"

Richard answered his sister's question by nodding a bit. However, his attention was at the Charizard who bumped into him. Right now, that Charizard was at the exit of the Underground Bazaar.

"Onii-chan?" Rachael looked at Richard, and then looked at the Charizard, who was exiting the Underground Bazaar and headed back to the sewer. "Onii-chan, what's wrong with that Charizard?"

"…Let's follow him." Richard said.

"W…WHAT?!" Rachael was shocked. "W…Why would you do something like that?! That guy is scary!"

"…I am just curious about that Charizard…" Richard said and moved up to the exit of the Underground Bazaar.

"W…Wait!" Rachael said and followed her brother.

* * *

Richard and Rachael silently followed the Charizard in a bloody armor along the dark path of the sewer. This time, Richard didn't summon a ball of light from his Chronicle as it may make the Charizard notice them.

"!"

Richard and Rachael quickly hid behind the shadow as the Charizard stopped walking in front of another Pokemon, but neither Rachael nor Richard could tell what kind of Pokemon he was as it was too dark to see.

"How was your match at the arena?" Another Pokemon asked. "But since you are still alive, the victory was yours, right?"

"Never forget that I was a gladiator at the Brawl Arena." Charizard said. "What about you? Have you found the ores I want?"

"No." Another Pokemon answered.

"I see…" Charizard shook his head. "Your ash-filled brain couldn't remember what do they look like…"

"No." Another Pokemon said. "Someone bought it just before I could."

"…Someone?" Charizard said. "Those ores are useless in the eyes of most Pokemon… So, how could someone decide to buy it, and just right before you?"

"Dunno." Another Pokemon said. "It was a Latios and a Latias that bought those ores."

'A Latios and a Latias?!' Rachael and Richard were shocked as they heard that from other Pokemon, as the only Latios and Latias around here wear them.

"A Latios and a Latias?" Charizard said. "Oh, they must be the one that were talking about the Brawl Arena of Fireview."

"…That's the place where you came from, right?" Another Pokemon asked.

"Right." Charizard nodded.

"Hm…" Another Pokemon moved closer to the Charizard. At this distance, Rachael and Richard could see that that Pokemon was actually a Garchomp who wore a khaki jacket and a cowboy hat!

'T…That Garchomp…' Richard realized that the Garchomp who was with the Charizard was actually the Pokemon they met at the junk shop.

"Well… Despite I couldn't find those ores for you, at least I got some more bullets." A Garchomp said.

"…Buying the bullets from a junk shop…" Charizard mumbled. "…Are you sure that those bullets will do just fine?"

"Don't worry about it." Garchomp said. "I have already tested it with the head of the shop owner, and it did a good job!"

'What?!' Rachael thought. 'W…What does that mean?'

"…You shot the shop owner at their head?" Charizard crossed his arms.

"Well… He told me that the price of these bullets is high because they are high-quality, so I need to test them a bit, and they turned out to be as good as he claimed. However, after that, he refused to receive the PokeCoin I tried to pay him. Well… Actually, he didn't even move a bit after I tested those bullets with his head. So, I got these bullets for free." Garchomp said.

"…So, you killed the shop owner, right?" Charizard said. "That's just like you, the prisoner who escaped from the Desert Prison two months ago…"

"Same to you, the escaped gladiator from the Brawl Arena." Garchomp said.

"What?!" Rachael mumbled softly. "T…That Garchomp is a psychopathic criminal who escaped from Desert Prison?!"

"Rachael, did you know something about that guy?" Richard asked.

"R…Right…" Rachael said. "I heard from the merchants that there is a psychopathic prisoner who escaped from Desert Prison. And according to the rumor, they said that this prisoner had already gone to Fireview Kingdom already… But why is he here?"

"…Before we entered the Underground Bazaar, we heard two Pokemon arguing about something that brought them to Civilight instead bringing them to Fireview." Richard mumbled. "And those voices… I think those two Pokemon who were arguing with each other are… these Garchomp and Charizard."

"T…That's scary!" Rachael said. "Did you hear what they say? That Charizard had just entered a battle in the arena, and that Garchomp had just killed the owner of the junk shop! Onii-chan, let's get out of here…"

"…" In the truth, Richard really wanted to eavesdrop to the Charizard and the Garchomp a bit more as he was curious about them, but he knew that it may lead Rachael and him to a great danger… "…Alright, let's get out of here."

Richard and Rachael were about to move away from the Charizard and the Garchomp silently when they heard another conversation from them.

"But… Are you really sure that those bullets will truly work just fine?" Charizard asked.

"Hm… Now that you say something like that…" Garchomp said. "What about you? Did you truly enjoy the battle at that arena?"

"No." Charizard answered. "I think I really want some more bloodshed."

"True. Then let's have another battle to test my bullets and calm your need for battle." Garchomp said. "You there, both of you have ten seconds to show yourself before we shoot your head and impale your body, Latios and Latias."

 **To Be Continued…**

* * *

 **Dragon of Vale: Sorry for lack of update. Here's another chapter for you.**

 **And… Look who we have here… Surprise, isn't it?**

 **A special thanks to Ridin Valon for helping me with the error correction.**


	25. Tail 3-5: The Paths Crossing

**A Dragon's Tail**

 **Tail 3: Richard's Tail - Ignorance**

 **Tail 3-5: The Paths Crossing**

"What?!" Rachael spoke with a surprised voice. "H…How did they know that we are here?!"

"…" Richard was shocked as the Charizard and the Garchomp, who were the outlaws, noticed their presence and threatened to attack them if they didn't show up right now!

"…1…2…9…"

"Onii-chan, what should we do?!" Rachael asked her brother with an anxious voice.

"…I think we must flee." Richard mumbled. "If we show up, they would kill us for sure, but if we flee… We may still have a chance to survive…"

"…6…4…7…"

 _'No!'_ Holmer suddenly spoke up through Richard's mind. _'You must show yourself up to them.'_

 _'That's right!'_ Ilia spoke through Rachael's mind. _'Trust us, showing yourself to them will give you a good result!'_

"B…But…" Rachael said.

"…3…8…5…"

"…Fine!"

Richard said and showed himself, along with his younger sister, Rachael, to the Garchomp and the Charizard.

"Hm! Finally!" Charizard said. "You two have eavesdropped on us from the start, right?"

"…" Richard didn't answer the Charizard's question. He just embraced Rachael, whose body was trembling with fear, softly.

"HEY YOU!" Charizard pointed his claw at Richard and Rachael. "Say something or we will—"

"Calm down, Diego." Garchomp said. "I don't care if you want to kill a peasant or a god, but you mustn't kill these guys."

"What?!" The Charizard named Diego turned his attention to the Garchomp. "Zetarus, do you have a fxxxxxg good reason for this?!"

The Garchomp named Zetarus just nodded silently, and then he approached Richard and Rachael. "As you know, both of us are outlaws who are now escaping from the justice, and since both of you already know our identity, it would be obvious for us to kill you, right?"

"WAH!" Rachael started crying as she heard the scary words from Zetarus, but Richard just stood still without saying anything. His eyes were fixed on Zetarus' face, but the sight of his usual impudence didn't appear in his eyes. Instead, the sight in his eyes right now was…

"…I see a sight of fear in your eyes, Latios." Zetarus said. "Where is the cocky sight I saw in your eyes at that junk shop?"

"…" Richard didn't say anything in response.

"Let's see..." Zetarus picked up his weapon, which is a pistol. "Which part of your body should I shoot first? Hm… Maybe your—"

"NO!"

Rachael suddenly spoke up. She then looked at Zetarus with a determined face. "Please, do not kill Onii-chan! If you want to kill any of us, please kill me instead!"

"R…Rachael! No!" Richard said.

"Hm…" Zetarus looked at Rachael, and then looked at Richard. "Actually, I changed my mind. I will let both of you live…"

"R…Really?" Rachael said.

"Rachael, do not be fooled by that guy's words." Richard spoke up before turning his attention to Zetarus. "I think that you would demand something in return for granting us a permit to escape even when we have already learned about your identity—"

Richard's words were cut off when Zetarus pointed his pistol at his face. "If you don't stop using those hard words, I will kill you right now and right here."

"…" Richard decided not to speak anymore.

"Anyway, you are really smart for knowing that we would not let you go for free." Zetarus said. "We just want to talk about the things you bought at that junk shop."

"…If you want us to give these to you." Richard showed a bag with the things he bought at the junk shop inside. "Knock it off. I will never let you have them."

"…I just want to know why you bought them." Zetarus asked. "Those ores are only useful for someone with a good crafting skill such as a blacksmith, but both of you don't look like one…"

"…I just need it to… upgrade my weapon." Richard answered.

"Really?" Diego walked up to Richard. "Then, I have something to offer to you."

"…And what is that?" Richard looked at Diego.

"Give those ores to me, and I will upgrade your weapon for you." Diego said. His offer shocked Zetarus, Rachael and even Richard.

"Y…You would do it for us?!" Rachael asked.

"You said that you will use those ores to upgrade your weapon, right?" Diego said. "But I don't think that someone so skinny such as both of you would have a good skill of crafting. So, just let me do it for you… For free, of course."

"Really?!" Rachael asked again.

"Do you really want me to say again?!" Diego spoke with a stronger voice, which startled Rachael a bit.

"…You are such a crafty Charizard, aren't you?" Richard spoke up. "Nothing in this world is free. We may get the upgraded weapons from you, but the thing you will get from us is priceless."

"W…What do you mean, Onii-chan?" Rachael asked.

"You see…" Richard picked up his weapon, the Chronicle of Twilight. "As you know, the Chronicle of Twilight required a rather complicated process in order to unseal its hidden power, and the knowledge of that process is very valuable. So, if we let this Charizard upgrade the Chronicle of Twilight for us, not only he would gain an access to the ores we bought, but he will also gain an access to a valuable knowledge of unseal a weapon's hidden power, which could be adapted to all kinds of weapon, not just the Chronicle of Twilight. And… Never mind…"

"I see…" Rachael said despite she still didn't understand half of Richard's words of explanation.

"So, what do you think?" Diego spoke up again. "This is such a good deal, isn't it?"

"…Fine. We accept your offer." Richard said.

Richard opened the Chronicle of Twilight and summoned a glowing orb from its page, and then the glowing orb moved from the page of the Chronicle of Twilight to Diego's head.

"W…What is this?!" Diego asked as the glowing orb moved closer to his head, and then it entered his head. This made something awakened in Diego's brain.

"W…Wait… I know…." Diego mumbled.

"What happened to your hollowed brain, Diego?" Zetarus asked.

"That Latios gave me knowledge of weapon upgrading." Diego said. "With this, I would be able to upgrade any weapon to its full power."

"And here..." Richard gave the Chronicle of Twilight and a bag of ores to Diego before turning his attention to Rachael. "Rachael, do you have any weapon?"

"R…Right…" Rachael said and picked something from her bag. It was an Espurr Doll. "P…Please be nice to Cathy."

"I will." Diego said and took the Chronicle of Twilight, a bag of ores and Cathy from Richard and Rachael before turning his attention to Zetarus. "Zetarus, your pistol too."

Zetarus handed over his Raider Pistol to Diego, and then Diego sat down and started working.

* * *

The sound of hammering echoed through the dark sewer of Gamma City. It was from a Charizard who was now upgrading four weapons for himself and three other Pokemon. Meanwhile, other three owners of the weapons stood not too far from him. One of them, a Garchomp, was looking at the Charizard while the other two stood a bit far from the Garchomp.

"Onii-chan, are you sure about this?" Rachael spoke up with a concerned voice. "I mean, not only they are complete strangers, but they are also outlaws… One of them is a psychopathic prisoner while the other is a gladiator… And right now, we don't have any weapon with us… What if they decide to turn on us?!"

Before Richard could answer his sister's question, Ilia spoke up first. _'Don't worry about it, Rachael. They won't do anything like that.'_

"How can you be so sure, Ilia?" Rachael asked.

 _'Because one of them is a Garchomp, a dragon type Pokemon, and the other one is a Charizard, a Pokemon with a hidden potential of a dragon.'_ This time, it was Holmer who spoke up. _'We dragon type Pokemon are better than any other type of Pokemon, and with this pride in our heart, we refuse to use such a dirty trick like that.'_

 _'…That's just like you, brother.'_ Ilia said. _'Well… He meant that neither of them has lied to us because he saw it in their eyes.'_

Hearing those words from Holmer and Ilia made Rachael feel a bit better, but not for Richard, as he was still anxious about both of them…

And…

"…So, he was right about both of you."

A voice from the Garchomp attracted the attention of the Latios and the Latias. They then realized that Zetarus was now walking up to them.

"W…What do you mean by that?" Rachael asked.

"Hm…" Zetarus looked at both Rachael and Richard before continued speaking. "…I really don't understand the reason for both of you to put yourself in such a dangerous spot like this…"

"Sure, we actually don't want to mess up with outlaws like you or your friend over there." Richard said and looked at Diego, who still had his attention on his work. "But what choice do we have right here?!"

"…I didn't talk about that." Zetarus crossed his arms. "I talked about your pact with Legendary Pokemon."

"What?!" Both Rachael and Richard were shocked as they heard this from the Garchomp in front of them. How could this Garchomp know this?!

"W…What are you talking about?" Richard asked with a shaking voice.

"Do not try to fool me." Zetarus said. "Both of you have formed a pact with Legendary Pokemon, right?"

"H… How did you know?!" Rachael asked.

"…It takes one to know one…" Richard mumbled. "I think I know how could you tell that we have formed a pact with Legendary Pokemon. It's because… you are the same as us, right?"

"Right." Zetarus nodded. "I am also a Pokemon who has formed a pact with Legendary Pokemon."

 _'I knew it!'_ Holmer spoke up. (This time, not only Richard and Rachael, but Zetarus was also able to hear Holmer and Ilia's voice too.) _'I sensed that you are the one who has formed a pact with Legendary Pokemon, and I was right.'_

"…Did you know this from the start, Lord of Blindness?" Richard asked.

 _'Not only him, but me too.'_ Ilia spoke up. _'We Legendary Pokemon could sense if a Pokemon nearby is the one who has formed a pact with Legendary Pokemon or not, and I am sure that the Legendary Pokemon that this Garchomp has formed a pact with also knew that you are the one who has formed a pact with the Legendary Pokemon too, Rachael and Richard.'_

"So… That's how…" Rachael said and looked at Zetarus.

"My Dragon Legend told me that both of you are like me." Zetarus said. "And that's why I choose not to kill both of you. But… I don't understand…"

"You don't understand what?" Richard looked at Zetarus.

"…The reason I formed a pact with my Dragon Legend was because I need to stay alive in order to complete my mission, which was to kill a certain Pokemon." Zetarus said. "But both of you don't look like some kind of Pokemon with this ambition. What is your reason for forming a pact with Legendary Pokemon?"

"Well… I did it because I need to become stronger so I won't be a burden to anyone…" Rachael answered.

"And I did it because I need to uncover the knowledge of the world. Should it be a trivial fact or a huge secret that can change the world, I must learn it, and that's why." Richard answered.

"…Don't you know that forming a pact with Legendary Pokemon will curse you to lose something?" Zetarus asked again.

"I know." Rachael said. "But I don't have anything else to lose…"

"For me…" Richard said. "I may be cursed to lose something, but the thing I would gain from doing this is worth the thing I would lose."

"…Well… If you insist…" Zetarus said. "Actually, those questions I asked you earlier aren't my question, as I don't care if anyone would form a pact or not. Those questions are actually from my Dragon Legend."

"…My Dragon Legend is a Mega Latios, and my sister's Dragon Legend is a Mega Latias." Richard spoke up. "What about you? What kind of Legendary Pokemon you formed a pact with?"

Zetarus said nothing in response. He just showed Rachael and Richard the Ring of Balance he wore at his right claw. The Ring of Balance then started emitting a mysterious green light, followed by a voice that could be heard by Zetarus, Richard, Rachael, Holmer and Ilia.

 _'My name is Zygarde, the Order Pokemon.'_ Zygarde spoke up. _'I am the Dragon Legend who has formed a pact with this disgusting Garchomp. And I have never thought that I will run into another Pokemon who also formed a pact with the Legendary Pokemon so soon, and the fellow Legendary Pokemon I met are also…'_

 _'Z…Zygarde?!'_ Holmer and Ilia spoke up with a shaking voice as they heard the voice of the order Pokemon.

 _'It's nice to see both of you again, Mega Latios and Mega Latias, or should I say, the Dragon—'_ Zygarde continued speaking, but the last part of his sentence was cut off by Holmer's voice.

 _'Lord Zygarde, I heard that you normally don't engage in a mortal's affair, do you? But why did you offer to form a pact with other Pokemon, especially that the Pokemon that you have formed a pact with is none other than an outlaw…'_ Holmer asked.

 _'…I have my own reason, Mega Latios.'_ Zygarde answered.

"Anyway…" Richard ignored Holmer and Zygarde's conversation and turned his attention back to Zetarus. "Garchomp, what about your friend over there?" Richard looked at Diego, who seemed like he was about. "Did he also formed a pact with a Legendary Pokemon too?"

"He? No." Zetarus answered. "Diego doesn't have any idea about a pact with Legendary Pokemon, neither he knows that I already formed one. Of course, I never told him about this because… You know… Wait a minute…" Zetarus seemed like he had just realized something. "Why did I tell all of this to you?! I am an outlaw, and both of you are complete strangers to me…"

"…So, you are truly a psychopathic criminal…" Richard said.

"Didn't I tell you to use easy-to-understand words?!" Zetarus said. "Anyway, that doesn't matter… Once my friend finished upgrading your weapons, we will go on our own way, and you will go on your own way, and we may never meet each other again."

"I think so." Richard said. "I also don't know why I waste my time with…you guys…"

As Richard, Rachael and Zetarus finished their conversation, Diego approached them. He was now holding four weapons in his paw. They were a PokeDoll, a Chronicle, a pistol and a Naginata. All of them were a bit different than their former appearances.

"Here." Diego handed over a PokeDoll to Rachael, a Chronicle to Richard and a pistol to Zetarus while keeping a Naginata to himself.

But then…

"There you are!"

Before any of them could check their newly-upgraded weapon, Rachael, Richard, Zetarus and Diego saw six Pokemon appear from the dark sewer behind Zetarus and Diego. They were an Electabuzz, a Mawile, a Bisharp, a Klang, an Electrode and a purple Kecleon.

"There they are!" Purple Kecleon said and pointed his paw at Zetarus. "He is the one who killed my brother!"

"…Well… It seemed like you are in a very bad spot right now, Garchomp." Electabuzz said before he noticed a Latios behind Zetarus. "Wait a minute… Aren't you the Latios who was with Viola and Grimlock?"

"…" Richard said nothing.

"Um… Onii-chan?" Rachael whispered to Richard. "Did you know them?"

"…They are just a bunch of idiots." Richard answered.

"Well… It seems like we hit a jackpot." Electrode said. "Let's show all of them who's boss around here!"

"…What do you think, Diego?" Zetarus asked. "Should we kill them or leave them with a pain that will not go away within the next six months?"

"I prefer the first choice." Diego answered and equipped his Naginata. "But I know that you prefer the second choice, right? Then… Let me give you one more choice, kill them in the most painful way possible."

"Sound good." Zetarus said and equipped his pistol. "Count me in."

Zetarus and Diego then both got into the offensive stance while their six opponents did the same thing.

"W…Wait!" Rachael was about to say something, but it was too late as the battle already started!

* * *

"YAH!"

"AH!"

"GARRRRR!"

"CHARRRR!"

"OUCH!"

The sound of battle echoed through the dark sewer of Gamma City. It was from a fight of two sides, a side of purple Kecleon, Electrode, Klang, Mawile, Electabuzz and Bisharp and a side of Garchomp, Charizard, Latios and Latias. However, only the Garchomp and the Charizard from the latter side that were engaged in this battle as the other two Pokemon were…

"O…Onii-chan…" Rachael spoke with a fearful voice. "W…What should we do?!"

Richard didn't answer his sister's question. Instead, all of his attention was focused on his newly-upgraded chronicle. However, right now, Richard's body was glowing yellow as if he was now storing a power within his body…

"FLAMETHROWER!" Diego roared and breathed a hot flame at the Bisharp and the purple Kecleon. This made the Bisharp immediately faint, but not for the purple Kecleon!

"CHARRR!" Diego roared again and slashed his newly-upgraded Naginata at the Bisharp's throat and cut his head from his body in the instant. However, the Charizard's attention was on the Bisharp, leaving the purple Kecleon able to attack him off-guard!

"Take this!" Purple Kecleon said and dashed up to Diego, preparing to attack him with the move Slash! But…

"GARRRR!"

The purple Kecleon's body was attacked by the Garchomp who appeared from underground. It was Zetarus who used the move Dig on him.

"AGRRRR!" Purple Kecleon roared as before he was attacked by Zetarus' Dig, he was attacked by Diego's Flamethrower, which made him become a fire type Pokemon due to his Color Change ability, and now he was attacked by Zetarus' Dig, which was a ground type move that was super-effective against him!

"AND NOW!" Zetarus pointed his newly-upgraded pistol at the purple Kecleon's head and fired two bullets at once from it at the purple Kecleon's head!

"EAH!" Rachael covered her eyes as she saw a brutal scene of the ongoing battle. Right now, Zetarus and Diego had already defeated (To be more specific, killed.) the purple Kecleon, the Bisharp and the Electrode, and they were now killing the Mawile and the Electabuzz. But… It seemed like something was missing…

"W…Wait…" Rachael realized that a group of Pokemon that attacked Zetarus and Diego consisted of a Purple Kecleon, a Bisharp, an Electrode, a Klang, a Mawile and an Electabuzz, but right now, Klang was missing!

"YOU FOOL!" Klang suddenly appeared in front of Rachael and Richard. "I WILL KILL YOU FIRST!"

"EAHAAA!" Rachael screamed, but…

"YIPPY HO!"

Before Klang could attack Rachael, Cathy suddenly woke up and continued punching Klang several times in a row!

"ARR!" Klang roared as he was punched by the Espurr Doll.

"Cathy!" Rachael said.

"Yippy Ho!" Cathy stopped attacking the Klang and revealed a cute smile at its owner.

"W…Why You?!" Klang roared and prepared to attack Rachael again when…

"…Thunderbolt!"

A bolt of thunder suddenly dropped down on the Klang's body!

"ARRRR!" Klang roared as he was attacked by the move Thunderbolt.

"Onii-chan!" Rachael said as it was her brother who attacked Klang with Thunderbolt! Also, this Thunderbolt was powered-up by Richard's Charge before, making it a very powerful attack!

"And now!" Zetarus and Diego turned their attention to the Klang after they finished killing the Electabuzz and the Mawile. They then attacked the Klang mercilessly until Klang was no longer moving! Thus ended the battle with the victory of Zetarus, Diego, Rachael and Richard.

"Phew…" Rachael sighed as the battle was finally ended. All of the Pokemon that were attacking her were killed by Zetarus and Diego mercilessly. "Thanks, Cathy, for saving my life!"

"Yippy Ho!" Cathy said before falling asleep again.

"You are such a sleepyhead…" Rachael said and picked Cathy up.

"ZZZ…" Cathy didn't respond to Rachael's calling.

"Anyway, since you are now more powerful than before, I will call you 'Cathy*', or 'Cathy Star'!" Rachael said.

"…Didn't you have a better name for your doll?" Richard asked.

"What about you, Onii-chan?" Rachael looked at her brother. "How about your newly-upgraded weapon?"

"That's right." Diego spoke up. "Are you fine with my crafting skill?"

"…Three years…" Richard mumbled. "The knowledge of three years from the Twilight Crisis to the Daybreak Crisis was unsealed by your upgrade… But… There's still knowledge 1,147 years from the Daybreak Crisis that is still sealed…"

"Hey!" Diego said with a sudden angry voice. "Couldn't you speak with the words that other Pokemon could understand easily?!"

"…I meant that the chronicle wasn't unsealed to its full potential." Richard said.

"Damn you…" Diego mumbled when he heard that Richard still used difficult words to converse with him. (But Diego actually understood what Richard said.) "If you mean that that I didn't upgrade your weapon to its full power, it was because of the ores you brought me, not because of me."

"What?" Richard looked at Diego.

"The ores you brought me are low quality ones." Diego said. "If you want to upgrade your weapon even further, you will need a higher quality ore such as Blancer and Noiria…"

"Blancer? Noiria?" Richard mumbled.

"They are the ores of the highest quality that could be found on the continent of Symmetria. It could only be found in Fireview Volcano of Fireview Kingdom." Diego explained.

"…" Richard said nothing after hearing the explanation from the Charizard. He just stared at his chronicle blankly.

"Cheer up, Onii-chan!" Rachael said. "At least you get more record of knowledge from this upgrade! That reminds me… How would you call your newly-upgraded weapon?"

"Hm…" Richard flipped the pages of his chronicle. "…Since this upgrade gave me the record of three years from Twilight Crisis to the Daybreak Crisis, I will call it 'Chronicle of Daybreak'."

"Wow! That's a cool name!" Rachael commented before she remembered something. "By the way, Onii-chan, what are the 'Twilight Crisis' and the 'Daybreak Crisis'? I heard you speak about this so many times…"

"They are the crises that had been occurring in the world of Pokemon." Richard answered. "But the detail of these two crises are quite long. I will tell you another time, okay?"

"Okay!" Rachael agreed with her brother.

"How about you, Zetarus?" Diego turned his attention to the Garchomp. "How about your weapon?"

"Great." Zetarus. "It's a bit harder to use, which is not a problem for me. However, it is able to shoot two bullets at once, making it a powerful weapon. Alright, from now on, I will call it 'Twin Bullets'…. What about you, Diego?" Zetarus turned his attention to Diego. "How about your weapon?"

"It's a bit heavier than before." Diego answered and looked at his weapon, which was a Naginata. "But it's also more powerful and more durable."

"…What about its name?" Zetarus asked with a voice that concealed a feeling of 'Is it a good idea for me to ask him this question?'

"… Its name is Bronze Naginata." Diego answered.

A moment of silence followed Diego's words. Not a single voice escaped from anyone's mouth, not even Zetarus, Rachael or Richard…

'…Just when I thought that Rachael was bad at naming her weapon…' Richard thought.

"Hm! Anyway…" Diego broke the silence with his own voice. "Now that we have finished our deal, there's no more need for us to stay here any longer."

"True." Zetarus agreed and turned his attention to Rachael and Richard. "Despite Diego and I are outlaws who are now escaping from justice, and both of you have already seen us, we will spare your life, okay?"

"…" Richard said nothing in response.

"Zetarus, let's go." Diego said. "We still have a long way to go."

Zetarus then was about to say something when Rachael spoke up first. "Um… Before you go, why don't we introduce ourselves first?"

Once again, a moment of silence followed Rachael's words. Every other Pokemon around here, Zetarus, Diego and Richard, were all uncomfortable after hearing Rachael's suggestion.

"What?" Rachael looked at Zetarus, Diego and Richard. "Did I say something wrong?"

"…Rachael…" Richard slowly spoke up. "Did you already forget who they are?"

"That's right." Diego said. "We are outlaws, and you aren't. So, why do we have to introduce ourselves to each other?!"

"That's not a good reason!" Rachael said. "Well… I understand that you two…" Rachael looked at Diego and Zetarus. "…are outlaws, but that's not a reason for us not to know each other's name."

"…Sigh…" Zetarus mumbled. "Latias… You remind me a lot of… Never mind…"

"Alright! Let's start with me!" Rachael said. "My name is Rachael Lustermist the Latias, and this Latios is my elder brother!"

"…Richard Lustermist the Latios." Richard spoke with a rude voice.

"Well… Fine…" Diego mumbled. "My name is Diego Pyrotorch the Charizard."

"And my name is Zetarus Quakersand the Garchomp."

"Quakersand? Wait a minute…" Richard seemed to realize something. "Isn't Quakersand the name of Dustorm Empire's Royal Family?"

Zetarus didn't answer Richard's question. He just shrugged his shoulder.

"…Alright, we have wasted too much time already…" Diego spoke up. "Zetarus, let's go. We still have a long way to go to reach Fireview Kingdom…"

"…Just don't make us end up in another nation again, will you?" Zetarus crossed his arms.

"Don't worry." Diego said. "It won't happen again."

"And you know what will happen if we end up getting lost again, right?" Zetarus said and revealed a crafty smile.

Diego's body shivered as he heard Zetarus' words. He quickly held on to his tail before speaking up. "D…Don't do it again, you mxxxxxxxxxxr!" (As Diego spoke the last part of his sentence, Richard quickly covered Rachael's ears so she won't hear Diego's bad word.)

"Hehehehehehe…" Zetarus let out a creepy laugh before he slowly walked away, followed by the Charizard who still held onto his tail tightly. And as he walked away, Zetarus spoke his last words to Rachael and Richard.

"…I don't know how to call this feeling, but I know that we will meet again for sure, and our next meeting may be even closer than we thought…"

 **To Be Continued…**

* * *

 **Dragon of Vale: Sorry for lack of update. It was because I was busy with final exams. But at least, I plan to finish the third tail within this year and start the fourth tail in the next year.**

 **Anyway, look who we have here… Zetarus and Diego suddenly appeared! And Richard, Rachael, Zetarus and Diego got their weapon upgraded too!**

 **And… The most boring part of this tail was over. The rest of the third tail won't be boring as this part.**

 **A special thanks to Ridin Valon for helping me with the error correction.**


	26. Tail 3-6: Dire Situation

**A Dragon's Tail**

 **Tail 3: Richard's Tail - Ignorance**

 **Tail 3-6: Dire Situation**

"Whew…" Rachael sighed again after everything was finally ended. Still, the scene of battle was still lingering around here as the lifeless bodies of six Pokemon were still around here.

"Onii-chan…" Rachael said. "Let's get out of here…"

"Agreed…" Richard nodded.

Rachael and Richard was about to leave this area when they saw four Pokemon running up to them. They were none other than Jasper, Zenpai, Viola and Grimlock. Viola and Grimlock were seemed to be panicked by something while they were running up to Rachael and Richard.

"Rachael!" Zenpai said. "Are you alright?!"

"We heard a sound of battle, so we come here as fast as we could." Jasper said. "But we got lost in this dark sewer. If we didn't get help from this cute Heliolisk, we wouldn't—"

"Yeah, yeah… Snap it out, Jasper." Viola said and turned her attention to Richard. "Richard, what was that sound of battle? Did something happen around here?"

"Holy sxxt!" Grimlock suddenly spoke up and pointed his paw at the lifeless bodies of six Pokemon. "Aren't they the gangsters who ambushed us several days ago?! What happened to them?!"

"Hmm…" Zenpai looked at the corpses of six Pokemon. "It seems like they were attacked by someone who uses a sharp weapon and a gun, which wasn't you, Rachael, right? Since your weapon is a PokeDoll."

"And not you too, Richard." Viola said. "Because your weapon is a chronicle, not a sharp weapon or a gun."

"So, it wasn't both of you who killed them, right?" Grimlock said. "Then, who?"

"Um…" Rachael mumbled, but it was Richard who answered.

"They tried to attack two outlaws, but instead, those idiots were killed by two outlaws." Richard answered. "We were just happened to be around here."

"That's just like you, Richard." Grimlock said. "Anyway, if it was neither you or your sister, it's fine."

"But…" Rachael seemed to remember something. "What are you all doing here?"

Upon hearing Rachael's words, Viola and Grimlock suddenly became panicked once again.

"I…It's terrible!" Viola said. "Richard, something terrible has happened!"

"…What is it?"

"It was Uncle Lumiere!" Grimlock said.

Upon hearing the name of the one who gave him a shelter, Richard quickly became panicked too. "Dr. Lumiere?!" Richard said. "W…What happened to him?!"

"H…He was kidnapped by a group of mafia!" Viola spoke with a panic voice. "T…They took him to the Civilight Laboratory!"

"WHAT?!" Richard was shocked when he heard dire news from Viola. Dr. Lumiere was kidnapped?!

* * *

 **Meanwhile...**

In a small room somewhere in the Civilight Laboratory, a Pokemon was sitting there near the table. His attention was at several important-looking papers on the table. It seemed like the thing that was printed on these papers was the structure of living creature's cells. The only source of light that illuminated this room was from a single light bulb above this Pokemon, reveals him as the Ampharos named Lumiere.

"Hmm…" Lumiere mumbled. "They used the genes of all 18 types of Pokemon to create a single Pokemon, yet that Pokemon refused to acknowledge the existence of the genes in their body and thus its types were cancelled into the normal type by the mask that sealed its power… What were those scientists thinking?! This is absurd…"

And then…

"Lumiere…"

Suddenly, a familiar voice called the Ampharos' attention from the papers on the table. The Ampharos didn't turn his attention to the owner of the voice as he already knew that the owner of the voice was standing behind him.

"…Still appear and disappear like a lightning, hm? My brother?" Lumiere spoke without looking at the owner of the voice that called him.

"You know… That's why they called me 'The Lightning Thief'." The one who stood behind Lumiere said.

"…And what are you doing here?" Lumiere continued asking.

"I heard that someone called Dr. Lumiere was 'summoned' here to help the scientists of Civilight Laboratory in their experiment." Lumiere's brother answered with a calm voice. "So I was thinking of paying him a little visit."

"Well… It couldn't be helped…" Lumiere said. "They 'asked' me to come here. Viola and Grimlock tried to stop them from taking me here, but… You know… No matter what they say, Viola and Grimlock are both no match against them."

"…Viola…" Lumiere's brother mumbled. "How is she doing right now? Is she doing fine?"

"Well… She is still fine…" Lumiere answered. "But the thing that concerns me is that she still does not forgive you…"

"…Viola has every right to cast her hatred toward me." Lumiere's brother said. "I have been a terrible father to her…"

"It's not your fault, my brother…" Lumiere said. "The thing you did is just to ensure her safety…"

"But it's still a shame…" Lumiere's brother said. "I felt very bad for doing this, especially when I held the Blood of Legend within my veins right now…"

"Oh… That's right." Lumiere commented. "You are one of 14 Hero/ine of Legend who saved Symmetria from the Fallen Crisis 30 years ago too… And right now, you are the Hero of Electric type…"

"…And the 'Hero of Electric type' from that day is now the lap dog of the president of the Republic of Civilight…" Lumiere's brother said. "Is it the right choice for me to do this? Would it be better if I took Viola, Maxnet and you and escaped from this nasty nation?"

"…" Lumiere said nothing.

"…No." Lumiere's brother said. "Despite there's nothing that prevents me from leaving this place, I still couldn't leave this place… I can't… leave my friend here…"

"…" Lumiere carefully listened to his brother's words.

"I can't leave him here…" Lumiere's brother said. "He may ask me to take care of Maxnet and took him to his mother and sister at Venturnome, I still couldn't leave him behind…"

"…How's he doing right now?" Lumiere asked.

Before Ellisk's brother could answer his elder brother's question, both of them heard a voice from outside this room. It sounds like struggling, as if someone was taken here unwillingly.

 _"Stop! W…Where are you taking me?!"_

 _"Just shut up and come right here!"_

"W…What's that?!" Lumiere asked once the sound had faded away, indicating that the owners of those voices already walked away from around here.

"… The police caught a Toxicroak who does a Gray Reaper trading today…" Lumiere's brother answered. "The scientists of Civilight Laboratory then demanded him right here for their 'experiment'."

"Again?!" Lumiere said with a shocked voice. "Why do they always use a Pokemon for their experiment?! That's terrible!"

"Right." Lumiere's brother said. "That's why I try to prevent it as much as possible."

"And that's why you rescued Maxnet and Richard from this place, right?" Lumiere said.

"No." Lumiere's brother nodded. "I rescued Maxnet because my friend asked me. And for Richard…"

"…" Lumiere said nothing.

"Anyway…" Lumiere's brother changed the topic of their conversation. "I came here in secret. I don't know what would happen if they caught me coming here, so… Keep this conversation as our secret, won't you?"

"…" Lumiere said nothing, but he nodded in response.

"I must leave now. Those scientists may come here at any minute…" Lumiere's brother said. "Farewell for now, my brother."

"…Farewell, Ellisk." Lumiere mumbled.

* * *

Six Pokemon moved along the dark sewer of Gamma City. They were a Latios, a Latias, a Heliolisk, an Aggron, a Sceptile and a Scyther. It was the Aggron who led them along the sewer.

"This way!" Grimlock said while running along the dark corner and led everyone. "Come on! Run faster or I will leave you behind!"

"…The one who should run faster is you, Grimlock." Zenpai said.

Zenpai was right. It was because Grimlock was an Aggron, a Pokemon that had a very low base speed. Because of this, Grimlock ran at a very low speed. The speed of his running was equal to everyone else's speed of walking. (Everyone else was a Latios, a Latias, a Heliolisk, a Sceptile and a Scyther, all which were Pokemon that had high base speed.)

Grimlock ignored Zenpai's words continued leading them through the dark sewer until…

"Here we are…"

Grimlock stopped in front of a strange machine at a corner of the sewer. This machine had a controlling pad on it. The symbol on the controlling pad looked very hard-to-understand.

"What is this?" Jasper asked.

"It's the emergency exit of the Civilight Laboratory." Grimlock said. "If we put the right password into this controlling pad, we could use it to sneak into the Civilight Laboratory."

"That's great!" Rachael said. "But… What's the password?"

"W…Well… I don't know." Grimlock said, followed by a moment of silence from everyone until the moment of silence was broke by the Latios.

"Well… If you idiots don't know, then…. Allow me…"

Richard approached the machine and opened his Chronicle of Daybreak before he started entering the right password for opening the emergency exit.

"…Anyway…" While waiting for Richard, Zenpai spoke up. "Grimlock, how did you know about this emergency exit?"

"I… I…" Grimlock scratched his head as he heard Zenpai's question.

"Grimlock…" Viola looked at the Aggron. "You didn't try to break into this place again, do you?"

"W…Well…" Grimlock mumbled without looking at Viola.

"I KNEW IT!" Viola suddenly became angry at the Aggron. "Didn't you remember what Uncle Lumiere said?! That place is dangerous! Why did you try to break into that place?! ANSWER ME! MAXNET!"

"Maxnet?" Jasper, Zenpai and Rachael said once they heard Viola uses an unfamiliar name to call Grimlock.

"Hey! I told you not to call me by that name!" Grimlock said. "Maxnet is the name I already discarded a long time ago! My name is Grimlock! Not Maxnet!"

"But…" Rachael spoke up. "Why did you discard your own name?"

"It's because…" Grimlock was about to answer the Latias' question when Richard spoke up first.

"…Done."

Richard finished entering the password into the machine, thus opened a hidden passageway with a long stairs that would lead them to a place somewhere above this sewer.

"Yay!" Rachael said. "Onii-chan, you are so cool!"

"Right… Right…" Richard nodded before turning his attention to Viola and Grimlock. "By the way… Viola… Grimlock…"

"Yes?" Viola and Grimlock said, but then, their heads were slammed by something!

"OUCH!" Grimlock and Viola said and rubbed their heads in pain as they were slammed by something at their heads.

"That's for making such an annoying voice during the moment that I must concentrate." Richard said and held the Chronicle of Daybreak within his paw.

"OUCH… My head…" Grimlock rubbed his head.

"Hey… Big guy…" Jasper spoke up. "Your head was shielded by your helmet, and that Latios doesn't have a high attack stat, so stop acting like that attack hurts you so much."

"Easy for you to say!" Grimlock said. "Richard may have a low attack stat, but that chronicle isn't a weapon that you should underestimate!"

"Right!" Viola said. She still rubbed her head. "Moreover, being slammed by the edge of a hardcover chronicle is not a pleasant memory for you to experience!"

"…How much time would you like to waste before coming here?!" Richard's voice attracted everyone's attention. He was already in the passageway.

"Right… Right…" Jasper and Zenpai then walked into the passageway. Viola and Grimlock then were about to follow them when Rachael approached them.

"Here." Rachael handed over two bottles of Healing Potion to Viola and Grimlock. "I am so sorry for Onii-chan's arrogance…"

"Thanks." Viola and Grimlock took the Healing Potion from the Latias and started drinking it. "But don't worry about us. We are already used to it." Grimlock said.

"Right." Viola became much happier once she had drunk the Healing Potion. "Whenever we make a ruckus, Richard would stop us by slamming our heads with his chronicle. It was a pain at first, but now…"

"It's still a pain." Grimlock said. "But that's not a big deal."

"Okay…" Rachael said as she took the empty bottles back from the Heliolisk and the Aggron before they followed Jasper, Zenpai and Richard into the passageway.

* * *

The passageway led Richard, Rachael, Jasper, Zenpai, Viola and Grimlock to a small room of a certain place somewhere in the Gamma City. It seemed like there's no one in this room.

"Finally…" Grimlock said. "We had arrived at the Civilight Laboratory…"

"And where is Uncle Lumiere?" Viola mumbled.

"That would be difficult for us to find him…" Jasper said. "Especially when we don't know the layout of this place."

"That's only for you idiots…" Richard said and opened the Chronicle of Daybreak and summoned a hologram of the Civilight Laboratory's lab.

"Wow!" Rachael said.

"Hey…" Jasper spoke up. "How could you have the map of this place?"

"Not only that…" Zenpai said. "But back when we were in the sewer, how could you know the password to open the emergency exit?"

"Because I am not an idiot." Richard answered.

"Sigh…" Jasper and Zenpai sighed as they already knew that it would be useless to try taking the answer from Richard.

"Anyway…" Viola looked at the map of the Civilight Laboratory. It seemed like this place has three floors, the floor where they were, the floor above and the floor below. "There's so many rooms in this place. How can we know which room is where Uncle Lumiere is?!"

"…It would be better if we split up." Zenpai said. "Alright, let's split up into three teams and go to three different paths."

"Then, Jasper and Zenpai, you search this floor." Richard said. "Viola and Grimlock, you search the floor above. Rachael and I will search the floor below, okay?"

Everyone nodded in response. Then Zenpai walked up to the exit of this room and waited a bit until he was sure that no one was around here before he opened the door of the room, leading everyone into the hallway of the laboratory. After that, Viola and Grimlock headed upstairs while Richard and Rachael headed downstairs, leaving Jasper and Zenpai on this floor.

"Let's go, Jasper." Zenpai said.

"Right behind you, Zenpai." Jasper nodded.

* * *

"It seemed like Jasper and Zenpai have become friends with Viola and Grimlock already, don't you think, Onii-chan?"

Rachael said while they searched for Lumiere in a room, but they quickly found that this room was actually empty.

"Agreed." Richard said while leaving the room. "I sense that Jasper and Zenpai have something in common with Viola and Grimlock. This thing may be what made them quickly become friends."

"Something in common?" Rachael asked while opening the door to the next room, which turned out to be a Chemical Storage Room. "What is that?"

"The Blood of Legend." Richard answered while moving to the next room, but they had to hide as there's someone around here.

"Ah! That's right!" Rachael said as the place around here was free of other Pokemon again. "Before we left Leafburg, Zenpai's power had awakened and turned him into the Hero of Bug type while Jasper received a power of legend from his father and became the Hero of Grass type."

"I see…" Richard said. "Well… Actually, Viola and Grimlock are also the children of the Hero of Legend, thus giving them the Blood of Legend within their veins too."

"Really?!" Rachael said. "They are the children of the Hero/ine of Legend who saved Symmetria from the Fallen Crisis 30 years ago?"

"That's what Dr. Lumiere, Viola's uncle, told me." Richard said. "It seemed like Grimlock is the son of the Hero of Steel type, thus he would become the next Hero of Steel type once his father died."

"But… Where's his father?" Rachael asked.

"I don't know." Richard said. "According to Dr. Lumiere, Grimlock's father was being held here… In this lab…"

"What?!" Rachael said. "W…Why? And how come?!"

"…Rachael, do you know about the Civilusion War?" Richard asked.

Rachael thought back to her homework. Civilusion War was one of five major wars that occurred on the continent of Symmetria. It happened 12 years ago. This war is the civil war of the Republic of Civilight caused by a revolution. The effect of this war was that several hundreds Pokemon were forced to escape from the Republic of Civilight with the help of the Purity Cleric who led them from Republic of Civilight to Theocracy of Venturnome safely. The Civilusion War also caused the first president of Republic of Civilight to get assassinated, and President Voltson Millechu had become the second president of Republic of Civilight. The cause of the Civilusion War was… No. Rachael couldn't remember this part because she didn't pay much attention to it.

"Well… I remember." Rachael answered.

"The, do you know the Purity Cleric who led a hundred refugees from Civilight to Venturnome?" Richard asked.

"Yes." Rachael nodded.

"That cleric is Grimlock's mother." Richard said. His words surprised Rachael.

"Really?!" Rachael said.

"Yes." Richard said. "Because of the Civilusion War, Grimlock's family, which consisted of his father, his mother, his younger sister and him, tried to escape from Gamma City. However, due to a certain circumstance, only his mother and his younger sister were able to flee this place."

"What happened to Grimlock and his father back then?" Rachael asked.

"They were arrested by a ground of mafia who worked for the scientists of Civilight Laboratory." Richard said. "Dr. Lumiere said that he doesn't know why did they arrest Grimlock and his father."

"A…And…" Rachael said while opening the door to the next room. "What happened to them? EAHAA!"

Rachael screamed a bit, but Richard quickly covered her mouth in order not to let anyone hear her scream. The reason why Rachael screamed was because the things in this room were the most disgusting things she had ever seen in her life!

"See?" Richard closed the door of that room, and Rachael sighed in relief. "That's what happens."

"T…That's terrible!" Rachael said. "T…They use a real Pokemon for their experiment!"

"That's right." Richard said. "That's what happened to Grimlock and his father… And to me too."

"You too?! Onii-chan?!" Rachael said before she remembered the story Richard told her when they met each other in the sewer for the first time after they were turned into Pokemon. "T…That's terrible!"

"Yes." Richard said. "However, I could escape from this place thanks to Lord of Blindness."

"Lord of Blindness? Holmer?" Rachael said.

Richard said nothing and led Rachael to the room next to the room with the disgusting experiments. The sign in front of the room could be read as 'Experiment Gamma – Defunct'.

"Here." Richard said and opened the door of this room. "This is the room where I was held before I escaped from this place."

Richard and Rachael entered the room. Richard then moved up to an experiment table. "This is where they kept me for their experiment. However, one day…" Richard then moved up to a lab table next to the experiment table. "One of the scientists who came here forgot the Chronicle of Twilight on this table."

 _'That's right.'_ Holmer suddenly spoke up using his telepathy. _'The Chronicle of Twilight was once in the possession of those scientists. They tried so many times to extract the knowledge from this chronicle. However, the chronicle required a special method to extract the knowledge from it, which is only known by me.'_

"T…Then…" Rachael asked. "What happens to other Pokemon who tried to use the knowledge from the chronicle?"

 _'They become insane.'_ Holmer answered. _'Some Pokemon you saw in the former room were the victims of this experiment. They tried to extract the knowledge from the chronicle, but in the end, they got their knowledge extracted by the chronicle instead. With neither knowledge nor intelligence, their body couldn't function normally, resulting in their insanity. Because my soul is bound to the chronicle, I had seen so many Pokemon had their knowledge and intelligence extracted by this chronicle. Sure, I could tell them the right way to extract the knowledge from the chronicle, but none of them was worthy of this invaluable knowledge until…'_

"…Until they decided to test the Chronicle with me." Richard said. "They used me as their experiment because I am a Latios, a Pokemon with very high intelligence."

 _'Richard is the only worthy candidate of the knowledge from the chronicle.'_ Holmer said. _'So, I appeared before his eyes and offered to form a pact with him. After he agreed, we formed a pact with each other, and then we escaped from this place with the knowledge we extracted from the chronicle such as the map of the Civilight Laboratory and the password of the emergency exit.'_

"Oh! That's why Onii-chan knows the password and the map of this place!" Rachael said.

' _Yes. With everything we need, our escape would be at east…'_ Holmer said. _'Well… Except…'_

"Except when we were about to reach the exit, we almost got caught again." Richard said. "However, we could avoid getting captured again thanks to him…"

"Him? Who?" Rachael asked.

"It was Dr. Lumiere's father and Viola's father." Richard said. "And also the current Hero of Electric type. He helped me escape from this place and took me to Dr. Lumiere's place. Also, he was the one who rescued Grimlock from this place when he and his father were arrested."

"Oh! I almost forgot about Grimlock's story." Rachael said. "What happened to him and his father after they were arrested and were used in this disgusting experiment?"

"Viola's father rescued Grimlock from this place…" Richard said. "I don't know what happened to his father, but it's more likely that his father was still being used as the experimental specie in this place… However… That was about 11-12 years ago… So…"

"I see…" Rachael said. "What about Viola's father? I have never heard she talked about her father…"

"Me too…" Richard said. "When I tried to ask her about her father, Viola would suddenly be mad at me, so I decided not to ask her anymore. However…I am really curious about their relationship…"

Richard and Rachael then left this room. This room was almost the last room on this floor. Only three more rooms remained.

The next room next to the room where Richard was held had a sign that could be read as 'Experiment Beta – Defunct'. Richard and Rachael then entered the room and found that this room was also empty.

"Experiment Beta?" Rachael mumbled as they left the room. "What is that?"

"It's Grimlock." Richard answered. His answer shocked Rachael.

"E…Experiment Beta is Grimlock?!" Rachael asked.

"Yes. Grimlock once told me that he was being held here under the code name of Experiment Beta, just like me when I was being held here, I gained the code name of Experiment Gamma. Also, did you remember about Grimlock's old name?"

"Yes." Rachael said. "He said that his name was Maxnet, but he had discarded it since a long time ago."

"Yes. It was because to conceal his identity." Richard said. "It wouldn't be a good thing if an Aggron named Maxnet, who was supported to be the experimental specie at the Civilight Laboratory, is found walking around the Gamma City, right? That's why Grimlock discarded his name 'Maxnet' and used his new name 'Grimlock'."

"But if that's true, then…" Rachael asked. "Why didn't he escape from this city? I remember that you told me that Grimlock's mother and younger sister have escaped to Venturnome, right? Why didn't he leave this city and reunite with them?"

"Do not forget that his father is still lost." Richard said. "If you were rescued, but someone important to you was still being held in captivity, would you flee and leave someone important to you in captivity?"

"…I understand now." Rachael nodded. "So… Onii-chan, if we are in a situation that you are being held captive while I am free, promise me that you would never tell me to run away. I will not leave you behind."

"…Alright, I promise." Richard said. "We have been separated for long enough. From that day we met each other, we will never be separated from each other again. We would always stay together, until the moment of our death."

"No!" Rachael said in surprise as she heard the word 'death'. "Do not say the word 'death'! It would be a bad omen!"

"Haha…" Richard tried to laugh despite there's nothing funny about this. "Don't worry about this, Rachael. We will not die until I could fulfill my promise to you, Rachael."

"…Thank you, Onii-chan." Rachael said.

Richard then gave a patient smile to his sister before they moved to the next room. This room, however, was guarded heavily by a tight security system. The sign in front of this room could be read as 'Experiment Delta'.

"Experiment Delta?" Rachael read the sign in front of the room. "Onii-chan, if Grimlock is Experiment Beta and you are Experiment Gamma, then who is Experiment Delta?"

"I don't know." Richard said. "I remember that there's no Experiment Delta back in the day I escaped from this place…"

"S…Should we check this out?" Rachael said. "B…But this room has a very tight security system. It meant that there must be something very important in this room. However… It might be a bad idea for us to try entering this room…"

"…I will try." Richard said, much to Rachael's surprise.

"W…What?!" Rachael said. "W…Why?! It could be dangerous! What if you couldn't get pass the security system?! And if we could, there's nothing that tells us, what's in this room! It could be a dangerous experimental specie!"

"True." Richard moved us to the controlling pad in front of the room. "However, I am really curious of what's in this room."

"Sigh…" Rachael sighed as Richard started hacking the security system using the knowledge he extracted from the Chronicle of Daybreak and with the help of Holmer. "That's just like you, Onii-chan… Your curiosity is still at the point of apex."

 _'Not only your brother, Rachael.'_ Ilia spoke up using her telepathy. _'I am sure that Holmer is also curious of what's in this room. Your brother and my brother are very similar to each other, don't you think?'_

Rachael didn't answer Ilia's question. She just nodded in response.

* * *

 **-A Few Minutes Later…**

"…Done."

Richard finished hacking the security system with ease. This unlocked the door of Experiment Delta.

"Let's go, Rachael." Richard said.

"Okay…" Rachael said, and then the Latios and the Latias entered the room of Experiment Delta together…

* * *

 **-Meanwhile…**

"Thank goodness!"

Viola sighed in relief as she finally found her uncle, Lumiere the Ampharos, in a small room. She an Grimlock then quickly rescued him from this room.

"Viola?! Grimlock!? What are you doing here?!" Lumiere asked.

"We came here to rescue you!" Viola said.

"Thank you." Lumiere said.

"Now… now…" Grimlock spoke up. "Let's get out of here before they know that you are missing from this room!"

Viola, Grimlock and Lumiere then went downstairs to the floor with the passageway they used to sneak into this place. Viola and Grimlock then took Lumiere to the room where the passageway was.

"Here." Viola said. "Uncle Lumiere, you can use this passageway to escape into the sewer of Gamma City. Quickly, go now."

"What about you, Viola? Grimlock?" Lumiere asked. "Won't you escape with me?"

"Our friends, including Richard, are still in this place." Grimlock said. "We must reunite with them first before we could leave this place, but you should go first, Uncle Lumiere."

Before Lumiere could say anything, the door of this room suddenly opened! Viola, Grimlock and Lumiere quickly turned their attention to the door before they sighed in relief as two Pokemon who stood at the door were their friends, Jasper and Zenpai.

"Viola? Grimlock?" Jasper said before he noticed the presence of an Ampharos. "Did you already find your uncle? That's good."

"Right." Grimlock said as Jasper and Zenpai walked up to them. "Viola and I took him here to let him escape first, and then we would go and reunite with your group and Richard's group before we left this place."

"Uncle Lumiere, would you be alright escaping by your own?" Viola asked.

"Don't worry about it, Viola." Lumiere said. "Do not forget that I am the elder brother of the Lightning Thief."

Viola's smile suddenly disappeared from her face as she heard her uncle's word. She then frowned at him.

"Oh! I am sorry, Viola!" Lumiere said as he realized that he had spoken about someone which Viola didn't like.

"It's fine…" Viola said. "Now, go! Uncle Lumiere!"

"Be safe, everyone." Lumiere said and walked up to the entrance of the emergency exit, but before he entered the passageway, Zenpai spoke up first.

"Wait a minute, Dr. Lumiere." Zenpai spoke up.

"Yes?" Lumiere turned his attention to Zenpai.

"…Do you know why did they kidnap you here?" Zenpai asked.

"Well…" Lumiere mumbled. "It seems like they need my knowledge of anatomy in order to help them in their project of creating new experimental specie with a massive power of destruction by using the genes of 18 types of Pokemon."

"What?!" Viola said.

"That's true, Viola." Lumiere said. "They called this experimental specie 'Experiment Delta'."

 **To Be Continued…**

* * *

 **Dragon of Vale: This chapter is longer than I thought as it explains so many things including Grimlock and Viola's past.**

 **Lumiere was kidnapped to Civilight Laboratory, so Richard and his friends came here to rescue him, and Viola, Grimlock, Jasper and Zenpai have succeeded in doing so. But for Richard and Rachael…**

 **The next chapter will be the final boss fight of the third tail. Who could it be? Can you guess it?**

 **A special thanks to Ridin Valon for helping me with the error correction.**


	27. Tail 3-7: Experiment Alpha

**A Dragon's Tail**

 **Tail 3: Richard's Tail - Ignorance**

 **Tail 3-7: Experiment Alpha**

The room was dark and gloomy, not even the light that shined from outside the room when the door was opened could illuminate the room. Neither Richard nor Rachael could see anything as they moved into this room.

"T…This is so scary…" Rachael mumbled and held onto Richard's arms tightly.

"…Flash." Richard opened the Chronicle of Daybreak and summoned a ball of light that illuminated the room, making it easier to see everything in this room. Rachael and Richard then realized that this room was full with several things such as a drawer, an experiment table and several strange machines.

"What is this?" Rachael said and approached a machine, but was stopped by Richard's voice.

"Do not approach anything recklessly, Rachael." Richard said.

"Okay." Rachael said.

After warning his younger sister, Richard turned his attention to a drawer while Rachael headed to the deeper part of the room where the light couldn't illuminate.

"…" Richard opened the drawer and took out something from it. It was a thick file with the title of 'Experiment Delta'.

"What is this?" Richard said and was about to open the file when…

"Oh no!"

Rachael's voice turned Richard attention from the file! He then quickly closed the drawer (But still kept the file with him.) and followed Rachael into the deeper part of the room. Then he saw Rachael standing there.

"Rachael?!" Richard approached his younger sister. "What happened?!"

"Onii-chan…" Rachael said and slowly pointed her paw forward to the end of the room. "L…Look at that!"

Richard looked at where Rachael's paw pointed and became shocked, because there's something there… It looked like a Pokemon, but it was a Pokemon that Richard had never seen before!

It is a quadruped Pokemon that looked like a combination of several kinds of living creatures. It had a blue fish-like tail. Its torso was black, as well as both of its rear legs. Its rear legs also had several purple scales too. Its front legs, however, were insectoid and green. It had a gray mane around its neck. The most outstanding thing of this Pokemon was its head, as its head was enclosed in a strange-shaped brown mask with four hinges at each edge of the mask, forming the shape 'X'. It had some sort of enclosed hair above its head, and there were two holes on its mask at the spot that should be its eyes. This Pokemon was restrained with strong and sturdy chain on all of its four legs. Overall, it looked like a chimera. And once its heard Rachael and Richard's voice, the gray eyes appeared at two holes on its mask, and it slowly stood up while keeping its gaze at Rachael and Richard.

"…" That Pokemon didn't say anything. It just kept gazing at Richard and Rachael.

"W…What is this Pokemon?" Richard mumbled. "I have never seen any Pokemon like this before…"

 _'Neither do I.'_ Holmer spoke up using telepathy. _'And I have never seen a record of this Pokemon in the chronicle too!'_

"Onii-chan, this is terrible!" Rachael said and pointed at the chimera Pokemon. "Why is it restrained like this?! This is terrible!"

"…" Richard said nothing before he remembered something. He then opened the file he found in the drawer and started reading it a bit.

"Experiment Delta: The experimental specie created by combining the genes of all 18 types of Pokemon; Normal, Grass, Fire, Water, Electric, Flying, Rock, Steel, Ground, Ice, Fighting, Psychic, Poison, Fairy, Bug, Ghost, Dark and Dragon. Its purpose was to be the ultimate Pokemon of destruction. The original name of Experiment Delta was Type: Full because it was created in order to have an ability to shift into all 18 types of Pokemon with a special device called 'Memory Disc'. We called this special ability 'RKS System'. However, it refused to acknowledge the RKS System and went berserk, so we had to restrain it using a special enclosed mask to control its power. However, its RKS System was nullified by this progress, so we changed its name from Type: Full into Type: Null."

"…So, they tried to create ultimate experimental specie, but failed to do so… And its name is Type: Null…" Richard said and closed the file, but then, he realized that Rachael was now slowly approaching the Type: Null!

"Rachael?! What are you doing?!" Richard said. "That thing is dangerous!"

Richard tried to warn his younger sister, but Rachael ignored his warning. She then continued approaching Type: Null slowly. Upon seeing Rachael's approaching, Type: Null slowly stepped back in a cautious motion, but the chain that restrained its body prevented it from doing so.

"Please… Do not be scared…" Rachael said as she was about to reach the Type: Null.

"Grrr…" Type: Null growled at Rachael.

"There… There…" Rachael said and tried to place her paw on Type: Null masked face, but Type: Null suddenly roared at her!

"Rachael!" Richard said.

"It's okay, Onii-chan." Rachael said before turning her attention back to Type: Null. "There's nothing to be scared…"

"Grrr…" Type: Null growled at Rachael again as she tried to reach her paw at its face again. However, this time, it allowed Rachael to touch its masked face!

"Poor creature…" Rachael mumbled as she started petting Type: Null. "You must be suffering a lot through this terrible experiment…"

"!" Richard was shocked as he saw Type: Null allowed Rachael to pet it easily! Right now, it didn't show any ferocious action toward Rachael, not even a bit!

"…" Richard slowly approached Type: Null too, but Type: Null still didn't show any ferocious action toward him.

"Onii-chan, is this truly the ultimate Pokemon of destruction?" Rachael asked. "It doesn't look like one, not even a bit…"

"…" Richard didn't say anything, but he nodded in agreement with Rachael's words.

"I feel pity for this Pokemon…" Rachael said and stopped petting Type: Null. "Onii-chan, is there any way for us to help it?"

Richard was about to open the file to find the answer for his younger sister's question when…

"Ah… This is a surprise…"

A voice could be heard by Rachael and Richard from the entrance of this room. They then quickly turned their attention to the door and found that there was a Pokemon standing there! Once he saw that Pokemon, Richard was shocked as that Pokemon was none other than the Alakazam who was keeping him restrained at this lab!

"Y…You…" Richard mumbled.

"It's such a surprise to see you again, Experiment Gamma." Alakazam said. "I have never thought that you would come back to this place again."

"Onii-chan, who is this Alakazam?" Rachael asked.

"…The mad scientist of Civilight Laboratory." Richard answered. "He was the one who was keeping me in this place."

"Oh! Is that a Latias?" Alakazam said as he noticed the presence of Rachael. "Perfect… It meant that not only we would get Experiment Gamma back, but we would also get new experimental specie! Hm… I think a new code name for that Latias should be Experiment Epsilon…"

"Never!" Richard roared. "I won't let you capture me or my little sister!"

"Ha… So you prefer to play it the hard way, hm?" Alakazam said and picked something from his bag. It looked like a remote control…

"!" Richard was panicked when he realized what that remote control is, but it was too late as the Alakazam already pressed a button on that remote control!

"WARNING! WARNING!"

A sound of sirens echoed through everywhere in the Civilight Laboratory after the Alakazam pressed the button, followed by red light shining everywhere!

"Damn it!" Richard mumbled. "He triggered the security system!"

"Hehehe…"Alakazam said. "Now, what would both of you do? Once the security system of Civilight Laboratory is triggered, all exits of this place would be immediately closed, and the security guards would come here within a few minutes. You have no way to escape from this place!"

"Tsk…" Richard mumbled.

"Haha… You don't know what to do, don't you, Experiment Gamma?" Alakazam said. "So, just be nice experimental specie and surrender to—OUCH!"

Alakazam suddenly cried in pain as the back of its neck was hit by something, and then he quickly fell unconscious from that attack!

"Jasper!" Rachael said, as it was Jasper who slammed the back of the Alakazam's neck with his katana! Not only Jasper, but Zenpai, Viola and Grimlock were also there too!

"Rachael! Richard!" Jasper said and sheathed his katana. "Are you alright?"

"Yes… We are fine…" Rachael said.

"We have already rescued Uncle Lumiere and let him escape from this place via the emergency exit we used to get in here." Grimlock said. "But what the hell is happening?! Why did the security system is triggered?!"

"…It was this Alakazam." Richard answered.

"Great!" Viola said. "And now all exits of this place would be closed, and the security guards would come here at any minute!"

"T…Then, what should we do?!" Rachael asked.

"…There must be a secret exit left!" Zenpai said. "Everyone, let's find a way to exit this place!"

Everyone nodded to Zenpai's words, and then Richard kept the file of Experiment Delta in his bag before approaching the entrance of the room while Rachael, on the other hand, looked at Type: Null reluctantly before following Richard. As they reached the entrance of the room, they then noticed the Alakazam's unconscious' body.

"…Jasper, you didn't kill him, do you?" Rachael asked.

"No, I didn't kill him." Jasper answered. "I slashed him with the blunt side of my katana. He should be unconscious for a while."

"Great." Richard said.

"Hey!" Grimlock said as he looked the unconscious Alakazam closely. "Isn't this the Alakazam who likes to do the weird experiment?!"

"You knew him?" Richard asked.

"Right. He was the one who gave me the code name of Experiment Beta." Grimlock said and approached the Alakazam before he picked his body and threw him into the deep of the room. "Alright, let's go, everyone!"

Everyone nodded and left the room, leaving the Alakazam alone in the room with… Experiment Delta.

"Ouch… My head…" Alakazam slowly regained his consciousness, but then, he realized that he was in front of experimental specie called Type: Null, who looked at him with eyes filled with rage!

"No…No…No…" Alakazam said with a panicked voice as Type: Null slowly raised its claw, preparing to attack him! "NO NO NOOOOOOO!" Alakazam roared, but it was too late as no one could hear him…

The sound that followed his voice was his scream and the sound of his body getting clawed mercilessly, and then his scream stopped, indicating that the living creature other than Experiment Delta was no longer alive…

* * *

"Damn it!"

Grimlock cursed as they tried to find a way to escape, but all exits of this place were closed!

"It's no good!" Viola said. "The exit right here is closed too!"

"S…Should we go to other floors?" Rachael suggested.

"That's not good, Rachael." Zenpai said. "We may get caught if we went upstairs."

"…" Richard tried to look around here a bit more until… He saw a room. It was the only room on this floor that Rachael and he hadn't entered yet. This room had a tight security system just like the room of Experiment Delta. However, the security system of this room looked much tighter than the room of Experiment Delta.

"That's it!" Richard said and approached the controlling pad in front of that room before opening the Chronicle of Daybreak and started hacking the security system.

"Richard, what are you doing?!" Grimlock asked.

"…That room has a very tight security system." Jasper said. "But it may be a hidden emergency exit…"

"B…But…" Viola was about to say something when…

 _"They are not on this floor!"_

 _"Then the intruders must be on the lower floor!"_

"Damn it!" Grimlock cursed. "They almost found us!"

"Everyone!" Richard said as he was finally able to hack the security system, making the door opened! "Quickly! Come here!"

While everyone was still hesitant, they had no other choice but to follow Richard into the room.

After everyone had entered the room, the door closed, leaving no trace of them outside the room. However, as they were hurried, no one had seen and read the sign in front of this room. The sign in front of this room could be read as… 'Experiment Alpha – Caution: Highly Dangerous Experimental Specie'.

* * *

"I can't see anything!"

Grimlock said after the door close. This room, like the room of Experiment Delta, was very dark.

"Flash!" Richard summoned a ball of light that illuminated the room, making it easier to see around here. Everyone then found that this room was very large, but… This room was…empty. Not only that, it seemed like this room was heavily damaged by something…

"Why there's nothing in this room?" Jasper said.

"Everyone, be on your guard." Zenpai warned. "I could sense something… Something dangerous in this room…"

Everyone quickly equipped their weapon and tried to look around this room, but they still couldn't find anything in this room except the other side of this room. It was so dark that the ball of light that Richard summoned couldn't illuminate.

"There must be something right there…" Jasper said and looked at the inner part of this room.

"Wait a minute, everyone…" Viola said and looked around until she found something on the wall. It was a circuit that controlled the light system of this room. However, it seemed like the circuit was out of power, making the light system of this room getting shut down.

"Allow me!" Viola said and extended her collar before using the move Parabolic Charge to give a power to the circuit, making the light gradually returned to this room.

"Thanks, Viola." Grimlock said.

With the light finally came back, everyone was now able to see this room clearly, including the other side of this room, which was once too dark to be seen by everyone. But… With the light, everyone then realized that there's something right there!

"!" Everyone was shocked when they saw the thing on the other side of the room.

It was…a Pokemon? No, it didn't look like Pokemon, not even a bit. It looked like a… robot? Or maybe a… Pokemon with many mechanical elements attaching to its body, such as two cannons on its back and two mechanical arms! That's right! It was a Pokemon, but it was a Cyborg Pokemon! The size of it was several times bigger than normal Pokemon. And because of this, none of everyone in the group could recognize what kind of Pokemon it was.

Upon the light had come back to the room, the Cyborg Pokemon, which was staying still like a robot without power, started moving! It then slowly walked up to the party!

"W…What the hell is this?!" Grimlock said.

"…REBOOTING SYSTEM…. SUCCESS…" A mechanical voice could be heard by everyone. It was from this Cyborg Pokemon! "SCANNING THE SURROUNDING…. DETECTING THE PRESENCE OF LIVING CREATURES… TARGET: LATIOS, LATIAS, SCEPTILE, SCYTHER, HELIOLISK AND AGGRON… SYSTEM ERROR… SYSTEM ERROR FIX… OBJECTIVE, ELIMINATE THE TARGET AT ONCE!"

Upon finished speaking, the Cyborg Pokemon started charging its cannons before firing a Flash Cannon at everyone! Luckily, everyone was able to dodge it! This made the attack hit the door instead!

"Curse it!" Viola mumbled. "It seemed like we had got ourselves in trouble!"

"L…Let's get out of here!" Rachael said and approached the door of this room, but then she found that the door was damaged from the Cyborg Pokemon's attack, making it stuck and unable to open!

"Damn it!" Jasper mumbled.

"W…What should we do right now?!" Rachael asked.

"…We have no choice but to fight this thing…" Zenpai said and looked at the Cyborg Pokemon, who was preparing for another attack!

"Are you mad?!" Viola asked with a panicking voice. "W…We have to fight this thing?!"

"No time to ask, Viola!" Jasper said. "Unless you want to die, we must fight!"

"…TARGET IS STILL ALIVE…" Cyborg Pokemon said. "CONTINUE THE PROCESS OF ELIMINATION…"

 **Experiment Alpha**

 **XXXXX XXXXXXX the XXXXXX**

This time, the Cyborg Pokemon charged up at everyone with the move Iron Head, but everyone was able to dodge the attack!

"Its move is quite easy to dodge…" Viola commented.

"Do not be fooled by this, Viola." Zenpai warned. "And do not let your guard down."

"YAH!" Jasper rushed up to the Cyborg Pokemon and slashed him with his katana at its back. However, his attack couldn't hurt the Cyborg Pokemon, not even a bit!

"What?!" Jasper said and jumped away as the Cyborg Pokemon tried to counter his attack. "W…Why did my attack…."

"Idiot!" Richard spoke up. "Look at its body. Its body is covered with high-quality steel armor, which nullifies all physical attacks!"

"T…Then, what should we do?" Grimlock asked.

"Use your move!" Richard said. "Special moves are preferable!"

"If that's so, then it's up to the four of you, Richard, Rachael, Jasper and Viola." Zenpai said. "My special attack stat is not good, so I will distract its attack for you using my speed."

"And I will guard you for its attack." Grimlock said.

Everyone agreed with this plan, and then everyone moved according to the plan!

"Come here, you big chunk of steel!" Zenpai said and jumped to in front of the Cyborg Pokemon. Upon seeing the Scyther, the Cyborg Pokemon tried to attack him with Iron Head again, but Zenpai was too fast for it.

"YAH!" While the Cyborg Pokemon was distracted by Zenpai, Jasper jumped onto the Cyborg Pokemon's back and… "GIGA DRAIN!" Jasper absorbed the HP from the Cyborg Pokemon and restored it to himself. However, this attack still didn't hurt the Cyborg Pokemon much!

"Idiot!" Richard spoke up again. "That Cyborg Pokemon must be a steel type Pokemon! Grass type move is not very effective toward the steel type!"

"So, what can we do?!" Jasper asked as he jumped away from the Cyborg Pokemon's back.

"PARABOLIC CHARGE!" Viola extended her collar and attacked the Cyborg Pokemon with her move. This attack seemed to hit the spot as it could deal a good damage to the Cyborg Pokemon!

"Our only change right now is using the electric move, which only Viola and I are able to do!" Richard said.

"GRRRRRR!" The Cyborg Pokemon roared after it was attacked by Viola's Parabolic Charge, but Viola's attack seemed like it had no effect on it! It then turned its attention to Viola and pointed its cannons at the Heliolisk before firing a beam at her!

"Viola, watch out!" Grimlock said and stepped between Viola and the Cyborg Pokemon, shielding the attack with his body!

"Grrr…" Grimlock growled after he was attacked by the Cyborg Pokemon's move. That attack didn't hurt him so much, but it left him with a paralysis!

"That must be the move Zap Cannon…" Richard said after seeing the move and its effect.

"Grimlock! I will heal you right now!" Rachael said before she started using the move Aromatherapy on the Aggron, making the numbness that ran through the Aggron's body disappeared!

"Thank you, Rachael…" Grimlock said after he recovered from the paralysis before returning into the battle. Right now, it was Viola, Jasper and Zenpai who were taking care of the Cyborg Pokemon.

"GRRRR!" The Cyborg Pokemon pointed its cannons at its attackers again before releasing another powerful beam from its cannons!

"That's Hyper Beam!" Richard said. "Everyone, watch out!"

Everyone quickly dodged the attack, making the Hyper Beam hit the floor instead. This created a big hole on the floor!

"Aww…." Grimlock mumbled. "I wouldn't dare to think of what would happen if we were hit by that attack…"

Everyone then returned to attack the Cyborg Pokemon, but no matter how much damage it took, the Cyborg Pokemon didn't show any sign of tiredness!

'…It's no use…' Richard thought as he saw the Cyborg Pokemon attacked Viola again using the move Iron Head, which missed. 'We must attack it at its weak point… Which must be…That!' Richard said and looked at the Cyborg Pokemon's chest. It had a hole where several wires gathered there.

Richard then started charging his attack, and then…

"THUNDERBOLT!" Richard roared and released a powered-up bolt of thunder at the hole in the chest of the Cyborg Pokemon! This time, his attack dealt a significant damage to him!

"GRRRRRR!"

"NOW!" Viola attacked the Cyborg Pokemon again with the move Parabolic Charge while Grimlock charged at the Cyborg Pokemon before he strengthened his tail and attacked it with his hardened tail at its chin!

"IRON TAIL!" Grimlock roared!

"GRRRRRR SYSTEM ERROR!" Cyborg Pokemon roared before he fell down onto the floor!

* * *

After the Cyborg Pokemon was defeated, Rachael approached everyone and gave them bottles of healing potion for them to restore their lost health.

"Thanks, Rachael." Zenpai said as everyone, including him, handed over the empty bottles back to the Latias

"Is it… over?" Rachael asked as she put away the empty bottles in her bag.

"…No." Richard answered, which surprised everyone. "It's not over yet…"

Everyone was about to ask Richard why when they saw the Cyborg Pokemon started moving again, but it looked pretty bad as it was damaged to the point of no return!

"BOOTING THE REPARING SYSTEM…. BOOTING ERROR…" Cyborg Pokemon spoke up. "BOOTING THE FUNCTIONAL SYSTEM… BOOTING ERROR… SYSTEM ERROR… COULD NOT DETECT THE SENSORY SENSOR…"

"…" Everyone said nothing and looked at the Cyborg Pokemon.

"SYSTEM FAILED TO RECOVER…" Cyborg Pokemon continued speaking. "ONLY ONE OBJECTIVE REMAINS… BOOTING THE SELF-DESTRUCTION SYSTEM… COUNTDOWN… EXPLOSION IN 5 MINUTES…"

"What?!" Everyone was shocked when they heard the Cyborg Pokemon's voice. Then everyone saw a countdown appear on the Cyborg Pokemon's chest, indicates that they only had 5 minutes left before the Cyborg Pokemon destroyed itself!

"W…We must escape at once!" Grimlock said.

"B…But…" Rachael said. "The exit was sealed! H…How can we escape from this place?!"

Everyone quickly looked around and tried to find a way to escape, but they couldn't find any escaping way except…

"That!"

Richard pointed his paw at a big hole that was caused by the Cyborg Pokemon's Hyper Beam. Everyone quickly approached the hole and saw that it led them to some place below this lab.

"It may lead to the sewer." Jasper said. "We could escape by jumping down into this hole…"

"But it is very deep!" Grimlock said. "We could be hurt if we jump down into this hole!"

"COUNTDOWN… 4 MINUTES LEFT BEFORE THE DESTRUCTION…"

"No time to think unless you want to die here!" Zenpai said. "I will go first!" Zenpai then jumped down into the hole!

"Zenpai! How're things down there?!" Jasper shouted into the hole after Zenpai jumped into the hole.

"…Down here isn't the sewer!" Zenpai's voice echoed from below. "But it's safe! Everyone! Jump down!"

"Right!" Jasper said and jumped into the hole.

"Rachael, let's go." Richard said before he grabbed Rachael's paw and flew into the hole together with his younger sister.

"Grimlock, quickly!" Viola said as she prepared to jump down into the hole. "Only 3 minutes left! Come here!"

Grimlock nodded and was about to walk up to the hole when…

 _"…Maxnet…"_

A heart-warming voice echoed into Grimlock's head. It was a voice that Grimlock had heard before, but he couldn't remember who the owner of the voice was. And… This voice called him by his old name!

"Who?" Grimlock said and looked around, but other than Viola and the nearly-destroyed Cyborg Pokemon, he couldn't see anyone else in this room.

 _"Maxnet… Maxnet…"_

"W…Who are you?!" Grimlock said and looked around the room. "W…Where are you?!"

 _"Maxnet… Maxnet… Maxnet… Maxnet…"_

"Arrr!" Grimlock roared and held his head with his paw. "Stop it!"

"Grimlock, what are you doing?!" Viola spoke up after she saw Grimlock's strange action. "Quick! Come here!"

Grimlock shook his head once and walked up to the hole before him, along with Viola, jumped down into the hole together. However, that voice still echoed through his head…

 _"Maxnet… Maxnet… Maxnet… Maxnet… Maxnet… Maxnet… Maxnet… Maxnet…"_

* * *

"Where are we?"

Rachael asked once everyone had jumped down into the place below. The lights on the wall of this place showed that it wasn't the sewers. Instead, this place had a rail on the ground.

"This… is the Underground Tunnel." Richard said. "This tunnel was once used to be the passageway of the Civilight Underground subway, but this tunnel was abandoned since a long time ago because it was too old to be used with the modern subway that the Gamma City used today, and the railroad in this tunnel are not compatible with the ATO system, which is the system used by the modern subway today"

"Again…" Viola and Grimlock mumbled after Richard spoke a long explanation.

"Anyway…" Zenpai spoke up. "Where should we go next?"

Before Viola could answer the question, everyone heard a voice from somewhere far away.

 _"Those damn Pokemon must be around here! Search carefully!"_

 _"They will never escape the justice of Civilight!"_

"What?!" Viola said. "T…Those guards from the lab knew that we are here?!"

"B…But… How?!" Grimlock said.

"No time to think!" Richard said before he looked around until he saw something not too far from them. It was an old two-car train…

"That!" Richard said. "We could use that train to escape!"

"But why there's a train around here?" Grimlock asked. "I thought all trains are either being used right now or being kept at the Train Storage…"

"No time to think!" Richard said before everyone approached the train, but then…

 _"There they are!"_

 _"Don't let them escape!"_

Everyone then saw several policemen of Gamma City on the other side of the rail. Upon spotting them, those policemen started running up to them!

"Damn it!" Grimlock cursed. "Now what?!"

"Richard, can you operate this train?" Zenpai asked.

"Of course." Richard answered.

"Then… Richard and Rachael, get into the train and take control of it." Zenpai said. "Everyone else, we would drive away those policemen!"

Everyone nodded to Zenpai's plan before Zenpai, Jasper and Viola swiftly jumped onto the roof of the second car of the train (For Grimlock, he had to use the ladder to climb onto the roof of the second car of the train as he couldn't jump very high.) and Richard and Rachael got into the first car of the train, which was the head of the train and where the controlling room was.

"Oh!" Rachael said as Richard and she got into the control room in the first car of the train. "There's so many control pads here! Onii-chan, are you sure that you would be able to operate this train?"

"Trust me." Richard said and approached the control pads, but before he reached them…

 _"Stop right there or we will send both of you to hell."_

A strong and hardy voice came from behind Rachael and Richard. Both of them quickly turned back and saw two Pokemon behind them!

"Y…You?!" Richard said once he saw two Pokemon who stood behind him and his younger sister!

* * *

 **-Meanwhile…**

"Geez… What are those dragons doing?!" Grimlock said as he, Viola, Zenpai and Jasper stood on the roof of the second car of the train. The policemen were not too far from them right now. "What are they doing right now?!"

As Grimlock finished speaking, the train started moving! It gradually moved from the spot where it was and headed along the rail to the other side of the tunnel!

"Damn you!" One of the policemen said as the train started moving. They then tried to reach the train when…

"Parabolic Charge!"

Viola attacked the policemen with Parabolic Charge, making the policemen unable to reach the train! And the train started to become faster, making it a lot harder for those policemen to reach the train!

"This is good." Jasper said. "With this, we would be able to escape—"

"BOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMM!"

A very loud sound of explosions came from somewhere above the starting spot of the train. Jasper, Zenpai, Viola and Grimlock could see the tunnel where the train was started collapsing!

"W…What is that?!" Grimlock asked.

"…It must be that Cyborg Pokemon…" Zenpai commented. "Its countdown must have reached zero, thus it began its program of self-destruction…"

"What a power…" Viola said as he saw the collapsing tunnel from the explosion as the train gradually moved faster. "This explosion must have completely destroyed the whole Civilight Laboratory for sure… Maybe it could destroy part of Gamma City too…"

But then…

"W…What is this?!" Grimlock said as the gray aura suddenly appeared and surrounded his body. This aura gave him a tremendous power and gave him a feeling that he could do anything in the world.

"Jasper, isn't this…" Zenpai said with a shocked voice as he saw the gray aura surrounding the Aggron's body.

"Haven't we seen…no, experienced something like this before?!" Jasper said.

Not only Grimlock's body, but Grimlock's weapon, which was a bazooka, was also surrounded by the gray aura, and then the bazooka started changing its appearance into a glowing silver bazooka! Grimlock could feel an enormous power emitting from his weapon!

After a while, the gray aura disappeared from Grimlock's body and weapon, but the power he felt was still lingering in his veins.

"What… was that?" Grimlock mumbled. "Why did I feel…stronger than before?"

"Grimlock…" Jasper spoke up. "Show us the back of your paw."

"What?" Grimlock asked.

"Just do it." Zenpai said.

Grimlock then showed the back of his right paw to Jasper and Zenpai. Upon seeing that, Jasper and Zenpai nodded in response.

"As we thought…" Jasper said.

"What's wrong with my paw?" Grimlock said and looked at the back of his right paw before he realized that there's a strange mark right there! "W… What?!" Grimlock said in a surprised voice. "W…What is this mark?!"

"It's the Mark of Legend." Jasper explained. "It is the Mark that would appear on the body of the Hero of Legend."

"H…Hero of Legend?!" Grimlock repeated the words of the Sceptile.

Jasper and Zenpai nodded before they showed Grimlock the back of their right paws, which also had the Mark of Legend right there! "I got this after the power of the Hero of Bug type has awakened in my body." Zenpai said. "…And for me, I got this after my father, Joshua the Sceptile, who was the Hero of Grass type, died."

"What about my weapon, the Quartz Bazooka?" Grimlock said and looked at his weapon.

"It's now a Sacred Weapon that only the Hero of Legend can use." Zenpai answered.

"I… If that's so…" Viola spoke up after watching everything for some time. "Grimlock, you are now the Hero of Steel type!"

"…But… How?" Grimlock said. "How could I become the Hero of Steel type?"

"…There are two explanations about this..." Zenpai said. "First, the power of legend has awakened in your blood and turned you into the Hero of Legend… However… I don't think so…"

"And second…" Jasper spoke up. "…The power of steel type must have been passed from the former Hero of Steel type after they…died… And… Grimlock, did you tell me that your father is one of 14 Hero of Legend who saved Symmetria from Fallen Crisis 30 years ago? So…"

"No…" Grimlock said. "Y…You want to tell me that my father is already dead, and I received the power of steel type from him?!"

"…" Jasper and Zenpai didn't answer the Aggron's question. They just stood silently.

"No…" Grimlock mumbled. "That couldn't be… That must be a lie…"

 _"Poor creature… You still don't know anything, do you?"_

A voice suddenly echoed through the tunnel as the train moved at a quite fast pace. Upon hearing this voice, Viola immediately recognized this voice.

"This voice!" Viola mumbled. "I know the owner of this voice…"

And then…

Suddenly, a figure jumped down onto the roof of the train! It was a Pokemon. That Pokemon now stood at the end of the roof of the second car of this train, facing Grimlock, Viola, Zenpai and Jasper. Despite wearing a black cloak, Viola immediately recognized him.

"You?!" Viola spoke with a shocking voice. "W…Why?!"

"…Tell me…" That Pokemon said as he removed his cloak, revealing himself as a male middle-aged Heliolisk who resembled Viola. "…How does it feel to be a murderer?"

 **To Be Continued…**

* * *

 **Dragon of Vale: And just I thought that Tail 2-6 and Tail 3-6 aren't long enough… This tail suddenly appeared!**

 **Well… We have a tail boss fight in this chapter with a Cyborg Pokemon… But… It seems like that Cyborg Pokemon is holding some secret…**

 **And… Look who's here at the end of the chapter! And don't forget two Pokemon who appear behind Richard and Rachael too! I think you can guess who they are…**

 **The next chapter would be the last chapter of the third tail, followed by the interlude and then I will take a break until the next year, which I would start the fourth tail.**

 **A special thanks to Ridin Valon for helping me with the error correction.**


	28. Tail 3-8: End of the Line

**A Dragon's Tail**

 **Tail 3: Richard's Tail - Ignorance**

 **Tail 3-8: End of the Line**

"D…Daddy?!" Viola said with a shocked voice as she looked at the Heliolisk who stood near the end of the roof of the train. That Heliolisk was none other than the Pokemon she despised to the deepest part of her heart, her very own father.

"…Daddy, hm?" The male Heliolisk mumbled. "When was the last time I heard someone calling me with this name? I think it must be... No… It's so long that I couldn't remember it…"

"…What are you doing here, dad?" Viola's voice suddenly changed into a serious tone. "Why did you show your face to me again?"

"Is that the way to speak with your father, Viola?" The male Heliolisk glared at Viola. "I thought I taught you better than that…"

"You never taught me anything, dad!" Viola suddenly became angry. "You abandoned me for 12 whole years! You heard me! 12 YEARS! You don't have any right to say something like that to me!"

"And yet you still call me 'dad'…" The male Heliolisk mumbled before turning his attention to Jasper and Zenpai.

"Perhaps I should introduce myself to both of you..." The male Heliolisk said. "My name is **Ellisk Sparkvolt the Heliolisk**. I am one of 14 Hero/ine of Legend who saved Symmetria from the Fallen Crisis 30 years ago, and I am Viola's father."

"Whatever!" Grimlock spoke up. "What did you mean by that question?!"

"Oh, I almost forgot…" The male Heliolisk, Ellisk mumbled. "So, how does it feel like for all of you to become a murderer just like me?"

"Us?! Murderer?!" Grimlock said. "I accept that I usually did such bad things such as illegal trading or something like that, but I am sure that I never kill anyone!"

"Poor creature, Maxnet…" Ellisk mumbled. "Among four of you, the guilt of being a murderer belonged to you most, Maxnet."

"W…What do you mean?!" Grimlock asked. "A…And why did you have to call me by that name?!"

"Well… Right now, you are the Hero of Steel type, right?" Ellisk said. "In order for you to become a Hero of Steel type, you must get a power transferred from the former Hero of Steel type, which was your father. However, your father didn't transfer his power to you, right? So it must be that he was already… dead."

"W…WHAT?!" Grimlock said.

"Tell me…" Ellisk said. "What happened just before you received the blessing and became the Hero of Steel type?"

"Hm…" Grimlock said. "Before the gray aura surrounded my body, there was an explosion… I think that it came from the self-destruction of…"

Grimlock suddenly stopped speaking. His eyes suddenly widened with fear as he had just realized something. Not only Grimlock, but Viola, Zenpai and Jasper were also in the very same reaction as the Aggron.

"No… It can't be…" Grimlock mumbled. "It's a lie, isn't it?"

"Well?" Ellisk said. "What did you just realize?"

"…" Grimlock didn't say anything as he had just realized an ugly truth. He truly wished that it wasn't true, but deep in his heart, he knew that this is true because it could explain many unexplained things that happened recently…

"…The experiment specie that you all just fought…" Ellisk mumbled. "…He is none other than **Kamui Rusteel the Aggron** , one of 14 Hero/ine of Legend who saved Symmetria from the Fallen Crisis 30 years ago… But for you, Maxnet, you would acknowledge him as your father."

* * *

"…Maxnet Rusteel the Aggron…" Ellisk started explaining. "You are one of two Pokemon that were arrested 12 years ago during the Civilusion War… The other was Kamui Rusteel the Aggron, your own father… Both of you were brought to the Civilight Laboratory in order to be used as experimental species. You were given a code name 'Experiment Beta' while your father was given a code name 'Experiment Alpha'. However, you were rescued from that place, leaving your father there… Thus, your father was taken into the experiment of increasing the power of Pokemon by attaching machines to his body in order to boost his power. The reason why they chose this method to increase his power was because Kamui was the Hero of Steel type. With the steel Blood of Legend in his veins, attaching machines to his body would benefit from this most. However, Kamui's body was against the attachment of machines, and he then became berserk. Not knowing what to do right now, the scientists of Civilight Laboratory decided to keep him in the hibernate state and locked him up in the deepest and the safest room of Civilight Laboratory. With this, Kamui would stay alive peacefully if anyone didn't step into that room and woke him up. But… There were six bad Pokemon who entered that room without permission, and they didn't only wake him up, but they also killed him! The saddest part of this story is that one of them didn't realize that they had killed their father until now…"

"!" Everyone was shocked after hearing everything from Ellisk. The Cyborg Pokemon they all had just fought turned out to be none other than Grimlock's missing father, Kamui the Aggron.

"…And right now, four of them are standing in front of me while the other two are on the train." Ellisk continued speaking.

"You don't say!" Viola suddenly spoke up. "If we are murderers, then you are no better than us!"

"Shut up, Viola." Ellisk scolded and turned his attention to Grimlock. "Maxnet Rusteel the Aggron, you have committed an unforgivable crime of murdering your very own father. What do you have to say about this?"

"…Answer…" Grimlock mumbled.

"Answer?" Ellisk repeated Grimlock's word. "What's the answer you want?"

"…Ellisk Sparkvolt the Heliolisk, I demand you an answer…" Grimlock slowly spoke up and looked at Ellisk. "You were the one who rescued me 12 years ago from that hell, yet why? Why didn't you rescue my father too?! If you rescued my father, he wouldn't have to suffer like this!"

"So, you couldn't bear the guilt you committed and tried to pin all of that guilt on me, eh?" Ellisk spoke with a sarcastic voice. "Well… The answer of that question would be that it was your father's wish."

"What?!" Grimlock was surprised after he heard an unexpected answer. "W…What did you mean?!"

"…It meant that it was your father who asked me to rescue his son from the Civilight Laboratory while leaving him there." Ellisk answered.

"B…But why?" Grimlock asked.

"How the hell should I know?!" Ellisk scolded.

"…I think I know the answer…" Zenpai suddenly spoke up. "Grimlock, your father did that in order to protect you."

"W…What?!" Grimlock quickly turned his attention to the Scyther.

"What would happen if both you and your father could escape from that place? Think!" Zenpai said. "Of course, the scientists of Civilight Laboratory would send someone after you and your father for sure! But if there's still one Pokemon left behind, they wouldn't waste their time in doing something like that…"

Grimlock was shocked again once he knew the truth about everything. It could answer so many questions that he couldn't answer before…

"…Dad…" Grimlock mumbled.

"Back to our topic, Maxnet." Ellisk said. "You have committed an unforgivable crime of murdering your very own father. What do you have to say about this?"

"…No regret." Grimlock answered.

"What?" Ellisk looked at the Aggron's face.

"I say that I have no regret in doing that!" Grimlock said.

"…You would say that you didn't feel any regret about killing your own father, right?" Ellisk said.

"Of course, I feel sad that he is now dead…" Grimlock continued speaking. "…However, what the hell I can do about this?! I am not a god of time who can change the past and the future to their will! And I am sure that all of this is also his wish too!"

"What do you mean by that, Grimlock?" Viola asked.

"…Just before we escaped, I heard someone call my name." Grimlock started explaining. "I am sure that it was my father's voice. Although he couldn't say it, I am sure that he wants to thank me for releasing his soul from a terrible fate. The father of mine that I knew was a very gentle and kind Pokemon despite him being an Aggron. So, I am sure that he didn't want to be a killing tool of destruction. That's why he chose to end his life after a fight with us. That's why I have no regret over all of this."

"…That's your decision over all of this, right?" Ellisk asked.

"Right." Grimlock said.

"…Then, I have no more to speak with you, son of Kamui." Ellisk said and turned his attention to two other Pokemon, Jasper and Zenpai. "You there, Sceptile."

"…Me?" Jasper looked at the male Heliolisk.

"…You are Joshua's son, right?" The male Heliolisk asked.

"…" Jasper said nothing and looked at Ellisk.

"So, tell me…" Ellisk said and looked at the Sceptile. "How's Joshua doing right now? Is he still doing fine?"

"…He is dead." Jasper answered with a cold voice. "His life was taken away by this cursed blade, the Emerald Katana." Jasper showed his weapon to Ellisk.

"…I guess so…" Ellisk mumbled. "How silly of me… If you are the current Hero of Grass type, then Joshua must be… Well… Too bad for him. But I wonder… How could he die? He was a very strong swordsman… None could match their skill of mastering the use of blade against him…"

"He committed suicide after he lost a battle against us." Zenpai answered.

"…Let me guess…" Ellisk mumbled. "Before he died, he became some sort of lunatic swordsman or something like that, right?"

"H…How did you know that?!" Jasper and Zenpai were surprised when they heard Ellisk's words.

"…I guess so... Not only Sharon, Kamui, Nyxier, Garland and I, but also Joshua too…" Ellisk mumbled. "All of us either turned into the bringer of chaos or brought a chaos to the realm upon our death… I start to wonder about Rucas, Zira, Magnus, Leonel, Fenrir, Tyrus, Iris and Hawkins…"

"What are you talking about?" Zenpai asked. "Who are those Pokemon you mentioned?"

"…Nothing." Ellisk mumbled. He then slowly turned his face from everyone and turned his back to everyone. "Well… I guess that it's time for me to 'go'…"

"Hey!" Viola spoke up. "We are not done talking yet, dad!"

"You wish to continue speaking with me, Viola?" Ellisk asked without looking at Viola.

"Right." Viola said. "Grimlock already knows the truth of his father, and now it's my turn to learn the truth of my father."

"…" Ellisk said nothing. His face was still facing the Underground Tunnel that the train passed.

"Dad, tell me…" Viola spoke up. "Tell me the real reason why the dog of President Voltson is here?! Are you here to arrest us?!"

"Dog?" Zenpai spoke up.

"Right!" Viola said. "After the Civilusion War ended and Voltson became the second president of the Republic of Civilight, that Heliolisk had turned himself into a dog who served that damned president without any reason!"

"Watch your tongue, Viola." Ellisk scolded. "Stop speaking if you don't know anything."

"I don't know anything?!" Viola said. "How dare you split those words out?! Don't you remember what were the things that happened after you had become a dog of President Voltson?!"

"…" Ellisk said nothing in response.

"After Voltson had became the president of Civilight, he had ruled over this nation with an iron fist! Of course, with this, protestations from the Pokemon of Civilight would follow…" Viola mumbled. "But there was no protestation! None! You know why?! It's because of you, dad!"

"…" Ellisk said nothing.

"President Voltson used you as his spy. Whether a Pokemon planned to start a protestation, you would actually find out and report to President Voltson so he could send a group of mafia who work under him to 'take care' of them!" Viola said. "And you know what's worse?! One of the Pokemon that was taken by them is your wife!"

"…" Ellisk said nothing.

"Wait…" Jasper spoke up. "…That must be… your mother, right?!"

"Right!" Viola said. "My mother decided to start a protestation, but one day, she was taken away from me, and she never returned! All of this was your fault, dad!"

"…It's true that I did almost all of that…" Ellisk mumbled. "However, you don't have any right to judge me, Viola."

"What?!" Viola said.

"First, it wasn't me who took away your mother from you, Viola." Ellisk said. "It may seem like it was me who reported that she tried to start a protestation."

"WHAT?!" Viola was shocked when she heard her father's words.

"I still remember that day clearly…" Ellisk said. "The last time I met her before she was taken away, she told me that the only thing she wishes is for you to be safe, Viola. So…I decided that I would do anything to keep you safe, no matter what…"

"But you didn't do anything!" Viola said. "All you did was become a slave dog to President Voltson!"

"…Tell me one thing, Viola…" Ellisk said. "You are a thief who stole from many travelers who visited Gamma City, and yet you are still walking free around the city without anyone coming to arrest you… You know why?"

"D…Don't tell me…" Viola said.

"…President Voltson offered that he would allow you to run free if I serve under him." Ellisk said. "He always wants someone with a quick paw and nimble feet to serve him. Combine this with your mother's last wish result in me right now…"

"…" Viola was shocked after she heard the truth from her father. Everything he did was for her own safety!

"…But it seems like our deal is now broken…" Ellisk said. Then everyone realized that, although quite far from the train they were on, another train with a logo of Republic of Civilight's police was chasing after their train!

"T…They are still chasing after us?!" Grimlock said.

"Too bad for you…" Ellisk said. He still didn't look at anyone. "It's time for me to go…"

"Wait, dad!" Viola spoke up. "Why don't you stop serving President Voltson right now? You could come with us!"

"… Are you really capable of forgiving me, Viola?" Ellisk's question pierced the heart of the female Heliolisk.

"!" Even thought she finally learned the truth of her father, her heart still didn't allow her to forgive her father!

"See?" Ellisk said. "Even with the truth in your mind, it's very hard to forgive someone like me. I have learned this before… In a hard way…"

"…" Viola, including everyone else, said nothing and looked at Ellisk.

"But since everything has come to this point, it's time for me to break everything I have and start following my heart…" Ellisk mumbled. "That reminded me… No matter what I am… Be a Hero of Legend, a Lightning Thief, a husband or a wife, I have always followed the order of everyone. It's time for me to start following my heart too."

Ellisk stopped speaking for a while before he continued speaking.

"…All of you, leave this city…" Ellisk spoke. "…And find the Aquamarines…"

"A…Aquamarines?!" Everyone repeated Ellisk's word.

"Y…You want us to go and find some sort of jewel?!" Grimlock asked. "What a stupid Pokemon you are!"

"…I am not very sure who's the stupid Pokemon around here…" Ellisk mumbled. "It may be all of you, but it's most likely to be me… Well… So long, little Hero/ine of Legend…"

After he finished speaking, Ellisk picked something up. Upon seeing that thing, Viola immediately recognized that thing and realized what her father would do next!

"Daddy, wait!" Viola said and rushed up to her father, but it was too late as her father jumped off from the roof of the running train!

* * *

Everything that happened afterward was very fast. All of this only happened within a few seconds, but for Viola, it seemed like the time had slowed down during the moment her father jumped off the roof of the train. During that, Ellisk turned his face toward Viola for the last time before speaking his last sentence…

 _"I know that you hate me, Viola, and I am always a very bad father to you… But… Sorry for never saying this before… I… I always love you, Viola…"_

* * *

"DADDY!"

Viola's voice echoed through the Underground Tunnel as the tunnel started collapsing from the explosion at where her father jumped down. The cause of the explosion was from her very own father… But this explosion also…

"Viola! What are you doing!?"

Grimlock grabbed Viola's tail as the female Heliolisk tried to jump off the roof of the train.

"LET ME GO, GRIMLOCK!" Viola struggled, but her strength was no match against the Aggron.

"It would be suicide if you jump off the roof right now!" Grimlock warned.

"I DON'T CARE!" Viola said. "DADDY!"

Viola's voice echoed through the tunnel once again, but there was no response. The only thing everyone could see right now was a huge pile of rubbles that came from the collapsing of the tunnel after the explosion. These rubbles also blocked the tunnel, making the police's train that was chasing after the group's train stopped following them and lost the track of them!

"No…" Viola mumbled as the train moving far away from the pile of rubbles…

Far away… From her father…

And…

"What?!"

A yellow aura suddenly appeared and surrounded Viola's body. This made everyone shocked as the same thing had just happened to Grimlock a few minutes ago. This also meant that…

"No… No… No…No… NONONONONONONONO!" Viola cried as the yellow aura surrounded her body and gave her tremendous power. The very same aura also surrounded Viola's crossbow and started upgrading it into a sparkling yellow crossbow as if it was made of a real jewel.

"…" Viola slowly flipped her paw and saw something there. It was none other than the Mark of Legend. This, not only it indicated that she was now the Heroine of Electric type, it also told her that the former Hero of Electric type, Ellisk Sparkvolt the Heliolisk, was now dead.

"…Viola…"

Someone walked up to the female Heliolisk and placed his paw on Viola's shoulder. Viola then looked at the green paw on her shoulder and saw that the owner of this paw was none other than the current Hero of Grass type, Jasper.

"I understand how you feel, Viola…" Jasper slowly spoke up. "Several weeks ago, I saw my father dying in front of me… That moment… That feeling still lingers through my mind… The moment when my father pierced the cursed blade through his flesh and ended his life… The moment when an aura surrounded my body… The moment I became the Hero of Grass type…"

"…" Viola still said nothing.

"…Me too, Viola." Zenpai spoke up. "Despite I didn't receive the title of the Hero of Bug type from my father, it was still painful to see my own father die in front of my eyes while I couldn't do anything…"

"..." Viola still said nothing.

"…For me…." Grimlock started speaking once again. "Not knowing anything about my father… And once I know, he was already dead…"

"…Thank you, everyone." Viola slowly spoke up. "Thank you for comforting my broken soul…"

Everyone said nothing. They all then gave Viola a patient smile.

"…There's no time for me to be a loser…" Viola said. "I must follow my father's words…" Viola looked at her crossbow, which was now the Sacred Weapon of herself. "…With my Topaz Crossbow… I promise that I will continue the duty of the Heroine of Legend!"

"…Right." Zenpai said. "But… What should we do next?"

"I think Viola's father wants us to do something…" Grimlock said. "He wanted us to find an Aquamarine or something like that… Why would he want us to find a jewel? I don't really understand him…"

"You dumbass!" Viola suddenly became angry at the Aggron. "He didn't want us to find a jewel! He wants us to find someone!"

"Someone?" Jasper said. "Who?"

"I will tell you once we could escape from Civilight." Viola said. "Right now, we need to tell Richard that we must go to—"

"CRASH!"

The train suddenly shook very hard as if it bumped into something, but it didn't as the train still ran at a very fast speed on the rail. Still, this made everyone who stood on the roof of the train fall down!

"Ugh!" Jasper mumbled as he tried to stand up. "What's that Latios doing?!"

"Yeah…" Zenpai mumbled as he was able to stand up again. "His skill of driving a train is so rough…"

"Strange…" Viola said. She was now able to stand up again too. "I don't think that Richard would be someone who would do something roughly…"

"Whatever…" Zenpai said. "I will go to the control room to give that Latios a good scolding… Viola, Jasper, help that Aggron, would you?"

Viola and Jasper then realized that, while Zenpai and they were able to stand up easily, Grimlock was now struggling in trying to stand up.

"Here…" Jasper said as Viola and he helped the Aggron stood up again.

"Thanks." Grimlock said as he was able to stand up again.

But then…

"WHAT?!"

Zenpai's voice attracted everyone's attention. Everyone then saw Zenpai standing at the other side of the train's second car's roof.

"What's wrong, Zenpai?" Jasper said as he, Viola and Grimlock approached the Scyther.

"…The first car…" Zenpai said and pointed his blade-like claw forward.

Everyone then looked ahead and realized that at the spot where the first car of this train should be was now… empty… In other words, the first car of this train had been separated from the second car at some point, leaving Jasper, Zenpai, Viola and Grimlock on the roof of the second car of the train that was now running on the rail with a gradually-decreasing speed, and the first car of the train was now missing, including two Pokemon who were in that car, Rachael and Richard…

* * *

 **Meanwhile…**

"Rachael, are you alright?"

Richard reached his paw forward in order to help his younger sister up again after the bump that made both of them fell down.

"Thanks, Onii-chan…" Rachael said as she took her brother's paw and flew up again.

After helping his sister, Richard turned his attention to a Pokemon who was controlling the steering wheel right now. "Didn't your parents teach you how to control a train smoothly?! Your driving skill is the worst!"

"Sorry!" The Pokemon who was controlling the steering wheel spoke up with a sarcastic voice. "My mother is now dead and my father would be dead soon! And don't forget that it was you who taught us how to control this train!"

"Sigh…" Richard sighed and looked at the Pokemon who was now controlling the steering wheel, who was a Garchomp.

The Garchomp ignored Richard's words and turned his attention to the last Pokemon in the controlling room, who was a Charizard. "Diego, speed up this thing."

"Don't order me, Zetarus!" Diego said.

"Come on!" Zetarus said.

"…Is it a good idea for me to let both of you took control of this train?" Richard mumbled.

"You have no choice, Latios." Zetarus said. "It was us who stole this train, and then both of you showed up and asked us to use this train too."

"Right." Diego said. "We were kind enough to let both of you come with us. If it wasn't for our kindness, both of you wouldn't be here right now."

"Do not say something like that." Richard spoke up. "Both of you didn't even know how to control this train when Rachael and I came here. So, if it wasn't for my brain, both of you would get caught by those guards who chased after two outlaws who stole their train!"

"What?!" Diego said. "Both of you don't even have enough strength to take control of this train! You may know how to control a train, but you don't have any brawl to do it!"

"P…Please…" Rachael said and tried to stop Richard and Diego from getting into an argument. "I…It is because of all of us that we could control this train. Zetarus, Diego, both of you let us use this train at the price that we must teach both of you how to control a train, and both of us must guide you to your destination, right?"

"Speaking of our destination…" Zetarus mumbled and turned his attention to Richard. "Latios, how far until we could reach the end of the line?"

"Not too far right now…" Richard said. "We are now at the border of Republic of Civilight. Within a few minutes, we would reach the end of the line, which was an abandoned situation, so both of you don't have to worry of getting caught."

"Great." Zetarus said. "Now, Diego, speed up!"

"Hey!" Richard was surprised by Zetarus' order. "Shouldn't we slow down instead!?"

However, the Charizard didn't listen to him. Diego then sped up the train, making the train run at a faster speed despite that they almost reached their destination!

"Oh…Arceus…" Richard mumbled.

* * *

"SCEEEEEEEEEEEEECH!"

A sound of train braking echoed through everywhere around here as the train that ran at a very fast speed suddenly got braked when it reached the end of the line, which was an abandoned station.

"Aww…" Richard mumbled as the train finally stopped moving. "I hate this…"

"Woohoo!" Zetarus said. "That was fun! Hey guys! Who wants another round?!"

"Fxxk you, Zetarus." Diego said and tried to stand up after his body was pushed forward when Zetarus suddenly braked the train.

Richard then helped his younger sister again before he moved to the door of the train and opened it. Once he opened the door of the train, a cold wind blew into the train, making three of four Pokemon in the room shiver!

"W…What the hell is this?!" Zetarus said as his body shivered from the cold wind.

"Wow!" Rachael said as she looked outside and saw a snowy landscape full with pine trees! "This is so beautiful!"

"W…What is that thing?!" Zetarus said and looked at snow.

"That's snow." Richard explained.

"Zno?" Zetarus asked.

"…Forget it." Richard said. "Anyway, as I told you before; we couldn't go to Fireview Kingdom by using the train as there's no tunnel that leads to Fireview Kingdom. So, here we are… We are now in the snowy part of the Queendom of Riverbrine."

"T…Then…" Zetarus said as his body still shivered from the cold wind. "H…How long until we could reach the Fireview Kingdom?"

"…From this map…" Richard opened the map of Symmetria. "I would say that it would take both of you at least one week before you reach Fireview Kingdom."

"O…One week?!" Zetarus was shocked after he heard Richard's words. "I…I have to stay with this terrible 'Zno' for at least one week?!"

"Nah… It's not a big deal…" Diego said. "Zetarus, why does your body shiver so hard? It's not that cold.

"Not that cold?!" Zetarus said. "H…How could you say something like that?! It's very cold!"

While Zetarus and Diego were into another argument, Richard and Rachael left the train in order to see what happened to their friends… Before they found out that the second car of the train was missing!

"W…Where is the second car of the train?!" Rachael was shocked as she realized that Jasper, Zenpai, Viola and Grimlock weren't here!

"…" Richard said nothing and approached the back of the first car of the train. "…I knew it."

"Knew what?" Rachael asked.

"Look here, Rachael." Richard said and pointed at a broken drawbar, which was a part of the train that connected one car of the train with another car of the train. This broken drawbar was old was rusty. "This drawbar is old and rusty… So I think that it broke during the time when the train was still running… Maybe it broke at when we fell down while the train was still running."

"B…But…" Rachael seemed to be worried. "If that's true, at least the second car should still follow the first car, right? But I don't see anything that follows the first car…"

"…" Richard said nothing and went back into the train. He then ignored Zetarus and Diego and looked at the control pad again. "This is it…"

"What's wrong, Onii-chan?" Rachael asked.

"Look here…" Richard pointed at a part of the control pad that controlled the shunting of the train. "When we fell down, I think one of us must have pressed a switch on this pad after the first train had run passed the shunting point. Because of this, the second car of the train would be shunted to another route…"

"T…Then…" Rachael said. "It meant that Jasper, Zenpai, Viola and Grimlock were taken to another station?!"

Richard said nothing and opened the rail map of Civilight's Train. "I think that the second car of the train was shunted at this spot…" Richard said and pointed at a spot on the map. "With this, I am sure that they all would end up in another station in Queendom of Riverbrine too, but they would end up at the beach part of Queendom of Riverbrine, which was quite far from this spot."

"T…Then, what should we do?" Rachael asked.

Before Richard could answer his younger sister's question, Zetarus and Diego approached both of them and spoke up. "So, here's the end of our second deal. We finally got out of Civilight, and we would proceed to Fireview next. What about both of you? What would both of you do next?"

"Well…" Rachael said. "We would go to—"

"…Could we go with both of you?" Richard suddenly spoke up. His words surprised everyone here!

"W…What?!" Zetarus and Diego said. "Y…You want to come with outlaws like both of us?!"

"Onii-chan!" Rachael said. "Shouldn't we go to the beach part of Riverbrine to find our friends?!"

"…There's no point in trying to find them." Richard said. "They would be alright without us. So, I think we should go to Fireview next…"

"Why would both of you go to Fireview?" Diego asked.

"Charizard, you told me that the ores of highest quality could be found in Fireview, right?" Richard asked.

"…I see…" Diego nodded. "You want to go to Fireview in order to find Blancer and Noiria so you would be able to upgrade your weapon to its fullest potential, right?"

"Right." Richard said.

"Well… What do you think about this, Zetarus?" Diego asked. "Should we let them come with us too?"

"…Yes." Zetarus said. "Both of them already knew our identity, right? So, it would be better to keep both of them close to us. And… At least they could guide us to Fireview…"

"As expected…" Diego mumbled and turned his attention to Richard. "Alright, both of you can come with us. However, do not be such a burden to us, okay?"

"Agreed." Richard said before turning his attention to Rachael. "Rachael, are you okay with this? Are you okay with that you have to be separated from your false 'brothers'?"

"…Jasper and Zenpai…" Rachael mumbled. "Both of them would be okay without me… Onii-chan, I really want to stay with you… So, I would stay with you no matter what, and I would always follow you no matter where you go."

"…Sorry for being selfish, Rachael." Richard said.

"Oh, that's okay, Onii-chan!" Rachael said. "I totally understand your feelings! You just want to fulfill your promise to me, right?"

"…" Richard said nothing. He just nodded in response.

"And…" Rachael turned her attention to Zetarus and Diego. "Zetarus-san and Diego-san, Onii-chan and I are very pleased to be a part of your team!"

"Same here…" Zetarus mumbled.

"Whatever!" Diego said. "Come on, everyone! Let's go! The sooner we reach Fireview the better, right? We still have a long way to go!"

Rachael, Zetarus and Richard nodded before four Pokemon left the train and went into the snowy forest area of Queendom of Riverbrine. Upon leaving the train, Rachael, Richard and Zetarus' bodies shivered from the frozen climate of this place. However, deep in their heart, all four Pokemon were very eager to continue their journey…

* * *

Two dragons had been separated from their legend friends… And now they were travelling with two outlaws…

However, there's one thing that they didn't know…

It was… this day…

This was the day the gap between them and their legend friends started to widen…

 **-End of Tail 3: Ignorance-**

 **To Be Continued…**

* * *

 **Dragon of Vale: Merry Christmas to everyone! (A bit late, but whatever…) Here, I present you with the end of the third tail: Ignorance. The reason why this tail is called 'Ignorance'… Do you already know or not?**

 **Rachael and Richard had been separated from Jasper, Zenpai, Viola and Grimlock, and now, they joined up with Zetarus and Diego and decided to go to Fireview Kingdom with them. What is the adventure that lies ahead? And what about Jasper,m Zenpai, Viola and Grimlock? What happen to them? None would know…**

 **This tail is quite boring as it mostly consists of detail and explanation, but don't forget that the protagonist of this tail is a bookworm… Just like the second tail, which has a psychopathic criminal as the protagonist, and the first tail, which has a cute girl as the protagonist…**

 **Alright, the next chapter would be the interlude of this tail, and then I would take a little break until the next year, which I would start the fourth tail, Rachael, Richard, Zetarus, Diego, Jasper, Zenpai, Viola and Grimlock would appear in the fourth tail for sure! However, their role would be different from each other… Some may have more role than others…**

 **A special thanks to Ridin Valon for helping me with the error correction.**


	29. Tail 3-Interlude: A Sacred Realm

**A Dragon's Tail**

 **Tail 3: Richard's Tail - Ignorance**

 **Tail 3-Interlude: A Sacred Realm**

 _"W…W…Wel…c…come to t…the sacred temple of G…Goddess Yggdrasil…"_

 _A shaking voice could be heard as I took the first step into the Temple of Life, the sacred temple that held the sacred worshipping to the goddess who protected Symmetria from falling into the paw of chaos, Yggdrasil. I could see several priests and priestesses in this temple. They were all praying to the goddess, except one…_

 _That priestess was the Pokemon who greeted me when I entered this place. This priestess was a female Eevee in a white robe. She seemed to be shy when she spoke to me._

 _"Please… Do not be afraid of me…" I spoke up with a gentle voice. "I must express my word of apologizing that my appearance may seem to be a bit scary, but I am, like you, the servant of Goddess Yggdrasil. Right now, I am on a pilgrimage, and I have stopped at this lovely village of Theocracy of Venturnome, Solar Village, to give my prayers to Goddess Yggdrasil."_

 _"T…There's no need to apologize to m…me…" The Eevee priestess said. "I…I am just n…not used to talking with s…strangers…"_

 _Before I could speak any more words, I heard a sound of footsteps, and then I saw another Eevee walking up to us. Her cloth, however, made me know that she must be a high-ranked priestess of this temple._

 _"There you are, Eva…" The high-ranked Eevee priestess spoke up with a gentle voice. "If you are not comfortable to speak with our visitors, please leave this task to another priest._

 _"B…But mother…" An Eevee priestess said. "I… I need to overcome my… my shyness, I… in order to become a better servant of G…Goddess Yggdrasil…"_

 _"You are so brave, my daughter…" The high-ranked Eevee priestess, said. "If your father is here, I am sure that he would be proud of you…"_

 _After she finished speaking, the high-ranked Eevee priestess turned her attention to me. "I am sorry for leaving you out of this conversation, my fellow priest…"_

 _"There's no need for the words of apologizing, madam…" I said and bowed down to the Eevee._

 _"Anyway, this little Eevee is my own daughter…" The high-ranked Eevee priestess said and looked at a little Eevee priestess. "Her name is Eva Daystar the Eevee, she is the apprentice priestess of the Solar Village's Temple of Life, which I am the Archbishop of this place. My name is Zira Daystar the Eevee._

 _"Wait a minute…" I said as I suddenly remembered something. "Zira… Aren't you one of 14 Hero/ine of Legend who saved Symmetria from the Fallen Crisis 30 years ago?"_

 _"You know my story too?" A high-ranked Eevee priestess named Zira asked._

 _"Right." I nodded. "And you are also the Purity Cleric who led a group of several hundred refugees from the Republic of Civilight to Theocracy of Venturnome during the Civilusion War, right?"_

 _"You seem to hold a large amount of knowledge about me…" Zira said._

 _"This must be the guidance of Goddess Yggdrasil…" I said and bowed down. "…To lead me to meet you here, Archbishop Zira."_

 _Zira bowed down a bit before she continued speaking. "By the way, did you say that you are a priest on a pilgrimage, right?"_

 _"Right." I answered. "I have just arrived at this village not too long ago, so I decided to stop here to give my prayers to Goddess Yggdrasil before I continue my pilgrimage."_

 _"I afraid that there's bad news that I must tell you…" Zira said with a concerning voice. "The field of the sacred land of Venturnome is no longer safe… Right now, it's full with a danger lurking from the shadow…"_

 _"What?" I was surprised after hearing Zira's words. "What happened to this sacred land of Venturnome?"_

 _"I..It's terrible…" The Eevee priestess named Eva spoke up. "A few weeks ago, a group of travelers from the Principality of Leafburg has mysteriously disappeared while they were travelling around the Venturnome Meadow… A…And yesterday, a villager from Solar Village also has mysteriously disappeared too!"_

 _"W…What terrible news…" I said with a concerning voice. "D…Does anyone know what had happened to them?"_

 _"Sadly, none has any idea of what was happening to them…" Zira said. "All we could do right now is to give our prayer to Goddess Yggdrasil for their safety…"_

 _"Right…" I said. "I am sure that Goddess Yggdrasil would protect them from any harm…"_

 _"For you…" Zira said and looked at me. "Please stay safe after you have resumed your pilgrimage... We all here will pray for your safety too…"_

 _"Thank you for your kindness, Archbishop Zira." I said and bowed down at Zira. "But before I go, I must give my prayer to Goddess Yggdrasil first…"_

 _Zira and Eva then led me to another room of this temple. This room had nothing other than an altar of Goddess Yggdrasil. This was where I would give my prayer to her…_

 _I walked up to the altar, and then I stopped and kneeled down before I started praying from the bottom of my heart…_

 _Pray for the Goddess…_

 _Pray for the safety of the missing Pokemon…_

 _Pray for…_

 _…_

 _However, deep in my heart, there was something else… It wasn't my prayer for Goddess Yggdrasil… It was…_

* * *

 **"Kill…"**

 **"ARRRGGG! My wing!"**

 **"No kill…"**

 **"ARRRGGGG! My wing!"**

 **"Kill…"**

 **"No! My leg!"**

 **"No kill…"**

 **"No! My leg!"**

 **"Kill…"**

 **"Please stop tearing my arm!"**

 **"No kill…"**

 **"AH! My other arm!"**

 **"Kill…"**

 **"Please! No more! That's my antenna!"**

 **"No kill…"**

 **"AH! Both of my antennas!"**

 **"Kill…"**

 **"ARRRGGGG! My scarf! Please! No more!"**

 **"No kill…"**

 **"…"**

 **"Well… That's all… Since it ends with no kill, I will spare your life… Wait… Why won't you say anything, little Ribombee? All I did was just tear off your wings, legs, arms, antennas, scarf and finished with your head from your body… Oh! You are already dead! Well… Too bad! But don't worry! I won't let your corpse become a waste!"**

 **"…"**

 **"That's so disgusting… Ribombee, did you realize that you taste so terrible! But that taste also made me want to consume all of your kind, not just you little Fairy type from the village of shining sun…"**

 **"But if a little honey-maker like you couldn't satisfy me, perhaps I should try another bug that also produces honey…"**

 **"…"**

 **"Stop! Please release me!"**

 **"Hm… This time, it's little Combee… Why would you say something so terrible like that?"**

 **"I…It's because you are a demon! You killed everyone without mercy! A…And my mom and d…dad… Y…You…"**

 **"That's too bad… I was just about to reunite you with your mommy and daddy…"**

 **"R…Really?! You didn't kill mommy and daddy, and you would free all of us, right?"**

 **"Of course, I would set all of you free… From this world!"**

 **"W…What?!"**

 **"Your parents had already departed from this world because I already sent them to hell… And now, it's your turn to join them!"**

 **"No! Help me! Mommy! Daddy! My friends! Help me!"**

 **"Scream as loud as you want, however, no one would come!"**

 **"EAEAEAE! Cheryl, Rachael, help me!"**

 **"…"**

 **"…"**

 **"…That's also disgusting… Is all honey this disgusting? Well, whatever… That's the end of today's lunch. What's the next mission for me again? Ah, that's right… I must bring another Pokemon from the land they called 'Sacred Realm' to this land they called 'Cursed Realm' and gave them as much pain as possible!"**

 **"RAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!"**

 **To Be Continued…**

* * *

 **Dragon of Vale: And here's the end of the third tail's interlude. This interlude also focused on the same character as the first tail's interlude, but there's also a little dark scene…**

 **Alright, this marks the true end of the third tail. The upcoming tail would be none other than the fourth tail!**

 **A special thanks to Ridin Valon for helping me with the error correction.**


	30. Paralogue I: The Festival of Presents

**A Dragon's Tail**

 **Paralogue I: The Festival of Presents**

 **-Sometime after the end of the third tail…**

"Ah! Everyone, look!"

Rachael pointed her paw to a lonely village at the clearing of the snowy forest. It has been about an hour since when Rachael, Richard, Zetarus and Diego had arrived at the abandoned station of the Queendom of Riverbrine. And now, after walking through the pine forest, they finally saw the first sight of civilization of the snowy land.

"That must be the Frostdrop Village." Richard said while looking at the map. "This is a small village near the border of Queendom of Riverbrine."

"Near the border?" Diego asked. "Does that mean that we are almost at the border of Riverbrine-Fireview?"

"No." Richard answered. "As I said one hour ago, it would take us at least one week to reach the border."

"Oh, crap…" Diego mumbled.

"But this may not be that bad…" Zetarus said with a calm voice (Despite his body was now shivering very hard.) "At least I could find something warm to drink…"

"Right!" Rachael said. "And look!"

Richard, Zetarus and Diego looked at the middle of Frostdrop Village and saw a gathering square that is full with many Pokemon. (Almost all of them were Ice-type Pokemon.) They were now gathering around a huge tree decorated with sparkling and colorful light. Under the tree laid several boxes of presents.

"That seems like some kind of festival!" Rachael said.

"You are right." Richard said after he opened the Chronicle of Daybreak. "There is a small festival here in the Frostdrop Village to celebrate something…"

"Something?" Zetarus asked. "What's that?"

"I don't know." Richard answered. "But at this festival, there's a tradition where the villagers would give a present to each other."

"That's great!" Rachael said. "I want to join this festival too!"

"Then, do it." Diego said and turned back. "I am not interested in this festival or whatever…"

"What?!" Rachael said with a shocked voice. "B…But… Why?"

"Do not forget that I am a gladiator." Diego answered. "All I do is kill Pokemon, nothing more. Moreover, don't forget that I am a wanted criminal too."

"Oh, that's right…" Richard mumbled.

"So…" Diego continued speaking. "I will go and find some shelter around here and call it a day. Zetarus, when you finish your gxxxxxn thing, come and find me. And…" Diego looked at Rachael and Richard. "You two can put your butt in the hotel or whatever, I don't care."

"W…Wait!" Rachael said, but it was too late as Diego had already walked away from them.

"Well…" Zetarus said. "I will go and find something to drink. You two can do whatever you want and come to find us next morning, okay?"

"W…What?!" Rachael said. "A…Aren't you coming with us too, Zetarus?"

"Do you want someone like me to stay with you?" Zetarus asked with a cold voice.

"No." Richard suddenly spoke up. "I really don't trust a psychopathic criminal like you."

"See?" Zetarus said and looked at Rachael. "Right now, both of you don't really trust outlaws like Diego and me, and for Diego and me, both of you are just burdens."

"W…What?!" Rachael was shocked after she heard the words of the Garchomp.

"See? Now, back off."

After finished speaking, Zetarus walked into the Frostdrop Village. He didn't even give words of apologizing when he bumped into other Pokemon on the road. (He just gave them a cold stare, and the Pokemon the Garchomp bumped into had fallen into the utter silence.)

"…Isn't that Garchomp a wanted criminal too?" Richard mumbled. "How did he get into the village without any villagers recognizing him?"

"Onii-chan…" Rachael spoke up. "Let's go! I want to see cute clothing at this village's shop!"

Richard nodded in response to his younger sister, and then both of them entered the village of snow, Frostdrop Village.

* * *

After entering the village, Rachael and Richard headed to the shop of this village. Once they were inside the shop, Richard headed to the Book Zone while Rachael headed to the Clothes Zone.

"Wow! There're so many beautiful clothes!" Rachael said as she walked around the shelves full with many clothes. Most clothes were the winter gear such as scarves and sweaters.

'Wait a minute…' Rachael had just realized something when she saw the scarves on the shelves. 'This place is so cold, and Onii-chan and I are a Dragon and Psychic type, so both of us are weak to ice… Yes! That's right! I think I should buy two! One for me and one for Onii-chan! And… Zetarus is a Dragon and Ground type, so… He is very weak to ice! That's why his body always shivered ever since we arrived here! I should buy one for him too! And for Diego… He is a Fire and Flying type, so he isn't weak to ice… But… Since Zetarus, Onii-chan and I are going to have one, why not one for him too? Yay!'

* * *

Rachael spent the next hour choosing four scarves. One for her and three for her comrades. After she finished choosing, she brought those scarves to the cashier couter.

"Good afternoon, lady…" The cashier greeted her. "How may I help you today?"

"Here!" Rachael gave the cashier four scarves. "How much are they?"

"All come together in 500 PokeCoin…" The cashier said. "But with a special discount from our village festival, you get 20% discount, which reduces the price to 400 PokeCoin."

"Thanks!" Rachael said as she handed over a bag of PokeCoin to the cashier and received a bag of scarves from them.

"By the way, lady…" The cashier spoke up. "Would it happen that you decided to buy four scarves to be the presents for the festival?"

"Not really!" Rachael said. "I bought them for me and my friends!"

"Then, why don't you turn them into presents for your friends too?" Cashier asked and pointed their paw to another counter not too far from them. "Today, we have a special service to wrap a present for our customers for free! Why don't you try one?"

"That's right!" Rachael said. "If I turn these into presents, my friends would be very happy! And… It would also match the theme of the festival too! Thank you, sir, for a great tip!"

"Always happy to serve you." The cashier said as Rachael moved up to the counter with the service to wrap a present.

* * *

"Onii-chan!"

Richard turned his attention to the source of that cute voice. It was none other than his younger sister, Rachael. Right now, both of them were in front of the shop.

"Took you long enough, Rachael…" Richard mumbled. "Anyway, what should we do next? Should we find some place to call it a day?"

"Um…" Rachael said. "Would it be better if we stay with Zetarus and Diego tonight?"

"Stay with them?!" Richard said. "Why?! Aren't they wanted criminals?"

"I know, but don't forget that they are our comrades too." Rachael answered. "We would travel with them for the time being, so why don't we try to build a bond of trust with them?"

"…But, aren't they wanted criminals?" Richard asked. "That Charizard is a gladiator who has no interest in doing anything other than killing Pokemon, and that Garchomp… Didn't you see that he is truly a psychopathic criminal?!"

"That's not true!" Rachael said. "I know that they really aren't bad guys! I just know it!"

"…You know that…" Richard mumbled. "…But without any reason?"

"Right…" Rachael answered. "I just know it… And I am sure of it…"

"Sigh…" Richard sighed. "Rachael, you are truly the younger sister of mine that I remember, especially for your innocence… Well, actually, I was thinking of the same thing as you."

"You too?!" Rachael asked.

"Right." Richard nodded. "While I still don't trust them because they are wanted criminals, I feel like we need to build a bond trust with them because they really are formidable Pokemon, which I don't want them to become our enemies for sure. Moreover, I really want to know their backstory. I want to know the reason why they became wanted criminal, but I am sure that they would never tell me unless they trust me, so…"

"That's right!" Rachael said. "Onii-chan, you really are the Onii-chan I know, especially for your curiosity!"

"Yes… Yes…" Richard mumbled. "Now, let's go and find them. I am sure that the place they would use as a shelter wouldn't be very far from the village."

"Right!" Rachael said.

* * *

 **-Several minutes later…**

"I'm back."

Zetarus walked into a small cave near the village. This cave was concealed by abundant groves of pine trees, making it a perfect shelter for Zetarus and Diego tonight. As the Garchomp walked into the cave, he could see that Diego had already set up a campfire as the sun had already descended from the sky.

"What the hell took you so long, axxxxxe?!" Diego asked.

"Hey…" Zetarus said with a crafty smile on his face. "Do not say anything like that to me or I will 'punish' you again."

"W…What?!" Diego said and unconsciously grabbed his tail. "D…Don't do it again, you bxxxxxd son of a—"

"I will do it if you don't shut up right now." Zetarus said.

"Hm!" Diego said. "Anyway, what took you so long?"

"I just had something to do." Zetarus said. "And… Here."

Zetarus dropped something on the ground. It was the body of a Walrein that's already dead.

"Tonight's dinner, eh?" Diego said. "Then, leaving the carving part to me."

Zetarus nodded and was about to sit down when he noticed something at the entrance of the cave. They were none other than the Latios and Latias, who were going to travel with him.

"Zetarus, Diego!" Rachael waved her paw as she and Richard moved into the cave. "Good evening!"

"Hm?!" Zetarus and Diego were both shocked as they saw the siblings. "What are you two doing here?!" Diego asked with a strong voice.

"Here!" Rachael placed a bag on the floor near the body of dead Walrein. Inside that bag were several kinds of berries. "These are the ingredients for our dinner!"

"Hm…" Richard said as he looked around the cave. "While both of you may not have much wit in your brain, your skill of choosing a shelter isn't bad."

"Hey!" Diego asked the same question again. "What are you doing here?!"

"What are you asking for?" Rachael asked with an innocent voice. "Onii-chan and I already completed our errands for today, so we come here to call it a day!"

"…Didn't I tell both of you that both of you would be burdens to us?" Zetarus asked.

"We can prove that we aren't!" Rachael said. "Look! We brought you some food! And I can cook you yummy meals too!"

"This isn't a childish camp, Latias." Diego said. "Now, back off!"

"You meanie!" Rachael said and pouted at Diego. "You are so mean!"

"Oh…" Diego mumbled. "Zetarus, help me there, wouldn't you?"

"…Are you really sure that you want to be here?" Zetarus asked. "A night in this place will be very cold… And wild beasts may come and eat you ALIVE! And… What if the bounty hunters found me and Diego here? They may think that both of you are like us and mistake you as wanted criminals too."

"Oh, don't worry about that…" Richard said. "I have calculated the direction and the speed of the blizzard for tonight, and I discovered that this cave will be safe from the frigid gale tonight. Moreover, I have already cast a spell using the Chronicle of Daybreak to make this cave invisible for most Pokemon, so there's no worry for any intruder who would come and discover our shelter here."

"…Da fuq?" Zetarus mumbled. "Can't you use easier words."

"…I mean that we all would be safe here for tonight." Richard said.

"Well, if you say so…" Zetarus said. "I really don't care what would happen to you. I don't care if anyone mistook both of you as wanted criminals or if wild beasts came and eat you. If you want to stay with Diego and me here tonight, then I won't say anything more."

"WHAT?!" Diego was shocked by Zetarus' words. "Zetarus, are you sure that you would be okay with both of them to stay here?"

"Why not?" Zetarus said.

"Geez…" Diego mumbled. "…Fine… Do whatever you want…"

"Great!" Rachael said. "And… I will make dinner for all of you!"

* * *

 **An hour later…**

The camp for tonight had already been set. There was a campfire in the middle of the cave, with a pot of soup hanging over it. Above the campfire was an air hole that served as the 'chimney' of this cave. A bit near the campfire were four sleeping bags for four Pokemon; a flower-patterned sleeping bag with an Espurr Doll sleeping on it for Rachael, a thunder-patterned sleeping bag with several books on it for Richard, a fissure-patterned sleeping bag with a pistol and several bullets on it for Zetarus, and a burning flame-patterned sleeping bag with several forging tools on it for Diego. The owners of those sleeping bags were sitting around the campfire, having dinner.

"How's the soup?" Rachael said. "I think I did a pretty good job today!"

"It's too sweet." Diego answered. "I wish it could be spicy."

"Oh, then… Here!"

Rachael put something in Diego's soup. It was a Spelon Berry.

"Spelon Berry is the spiciest berry in the world!" Rachael said. "How's the soup right now?"

"Much better…" Diego said. "Can I have seconds?"

"Sure!" Rachael said as she poured some soup and put a Spelon Berry into Diego's bowl. "How about you, Zetarus?"

"…" Zetarus said nothing and picked something from his bag. It was a bottle that contained a dark red liquid. He then poured some of it into his soup bowl, making his soup turn into a blood red soup. The Garchomp then tasted the soup for a bit before putting another thing into his soup. It was something that looked like a white crystal.

"W…What's that?!" Rachael asked. "W…What did you put into your soup?"

"Blood." Zetarus answered as he put away a bottle of blood. "It made things much better. And for this rock…" Zetarus pointed his claw at the gradually melting white crystal he put into the soup. "I don't know what it is. I found it while I was wandering in Dustorm Desert. It made food taste better for me."

"That must be Halite." Richard spoke up. "Halite is a mineral form of Sodium Chloride, which forms isometric crystals, and…"

"…" Everyone fell into silence as Richard continued his long explanation.

"…Or you could just call it 'Rock salt'." Richard finished his explanation.

"Whatever…" Zetarus said. "These made my food a lot better than before."

"Okay." Rachael said. "How about you, Onii-chan?"

"It's tasty." Richard answered. "It seems like you put something special into my soup, right?"

"I knew it!" Rachael said. "I knew that you like sour food, so I put a Nomel Berry into this soup just for you!"

"That's good." Richard said.

"And now, I now know what kind of food you all like, so I can prepare better food for all of you!" Rachael said. "And Zetarus, tomorrow, I will go to the shop to see if they have salt for sale or not. If they had, I will put it into your food too, but for the blood part…"

"I understand…" Zetarus said. "Just leave the blood part to me, okay?"

"Okay!" Rachael said.

* * *

After dinner, four Pokemon now sat around the campfire. They were now talking about tomorrow's plan.

"…And this would be the best route for us." Richard finished explaining the route for tomorrow's journey.

"Yawn…" Diego started yawning. "Is it over yet?"

"Yes." Richard answered.

"Great." Diego said. "The last thing we must do for tonight is taking turns for fire watch."

"Then, can you leave Rachael out of this?" Richard asked.

"Don't worry about me, Onii-chan!" Rachael said. "I can handle the fire watch too!"

"Rachael, you already made us dinner." Zetarus said. "Leave the fire watch to the three of us."

"Okay…" Rachael said.

"Then, I will take the first turn." Richard said. "I always sleep late at night, so the fire watch wouldn't be a problem for me."

"Then, I will take the next turn." Zetarus said. "Diego, you take the last turn, okay?"

"Okay." Diego said. "Alright, now everything's over. Just let me catch some sleep after a long—"

"Wait a minute!" Rachael spoke up. "Could you just hold on for a minute?"

After she finished speaking, Rachael moved to her bag and picked three boxes of presents up. "Here!" Rachael said as she gave the presents to Richard, Zetarus and Diego.

"What is this?" Diego asked.

"A present for all of you!" Rachael said. "Quick! Open it!"

Richard, Zetarus and Diego then opened the boxes and found a scarf in each of their box.

"Scarves?" Richard said before he realized that Rachael was now wearing a scarf around her neck too.

"I found these in the shop." Rachael said. "And I know that our journey in this snowy land wouldn't end soon, so I bought these for all of you! Try wearing it!"

Richard, Zetarus and Diego did as Rachael said. After three Pokemon wore the scarves, a joyous smile appeared on her face.

"You all look so good in those scarves!" Rachael said.

"…Rachael, this isn't an ordinary scarf, right?" Richard said and looked at his yellow scarf.

"That's right!" Rachael said. "For Onii-chan, since you are a special attacker, I decided to choose the Special Band, which will increase your special attack!"

Rachael then turned her attention to Zetarus, who was now wearing an orange scarf. "For you, Zetarus, that's Mach Scarf. I don't know what that does, but when I saw it, it reminded me of you!"

"Hm…" Zetarus mumbled. "I think it gave me some mysterious power, as if I have gained a special skill or something like that…"

"I am glad you like it!" Rachael said before she turned her attention to Diego, who's now wearing a red scarf. "For you, Diego, that's Kindle Scarf. I really don't know what that does, but it seems like it has something to do with the fire and the sun…"

"Whatever…" Diego said. "This scarf really isn't bad for me…"

"And for me…" Rachael looked at her scarf, which was green. "This is Pecha Scarf! It will prevent me from getting poisoned! It will be very useful!"

"True." Everyone agreed with the Latias.

"And…" Rachael looked at everyone. "I am so glad that you all like my present!" Rachael said.

"Yeah…" Zetarus said. "I am sorry that we don't have anything to give you."

"Me too." Diego said.

"So do I." Richard said.

"It's okay!" Rachael said. "You all already gave me the greatest present, which is your joy!"

Richard, Zetarus and Diego all nodded to Rachael's word.

"Well, then…" Diego said. "I think I should catch some sleep—"

"Here." Zetarus suddenly spoke up and handed over something to Diego. It was a hammer for forging. "I found it at the shop where I bought bullets today, and I think you would want it."

"Hey!" Diego said. "I was thinking that I want that. Thanks, Zetarus."

A red blush appeared on Zetarus' face for a second as the Garchomp heard Diego's words before it suddenly disappeared. "W…Well… That's nothing."

"Okay." Diego said. "I will go to sleep right now. Wake me up near the dawn, okay?"

Everyone nodded to Diego's words, and then Diego got into his sleeping bag and quickly fell asleep.

"Yawn…" Rachael released a yawn after Diego already fell asleep.

"You should go to sleep too, Rachael." Richard said.

"Okay…" Rachael said and was about to move to her sleeping bag when she noticed something.

"Oh, look!"

Rachael pointed her paw outside the cave. Richard and Zetarus then realized that it's now snowing outside.

"Wow! Snow!" Rachael said. "It's so pretty!"

"True." Richard said.

"…Could this white thing fall from the sky too?" Zetarus asked.

"Right!" Rachael said. "Look! It's so pretty!"

 _'You are right, Rachael.'_ Ilia suddenly spoke up using telepathy. _'The white puff falling from the sky is a beautiful sight of the world.'_

 _'…I don't really like snow, and I can't see anything.'_ Holmer spoke up using telepathy. _'But if you all say that it's beautiful, then I guess that it must be really beautiful.'_

 _'Hm…'_ Zygarde spoke up using telepathy. _'I have never thought that something in the world of mortal could be this beautiful…'_

Three Pokemon and three Dragon Legends then continued looking outside the cave as the white puff of snow continued falling from the shining sky above to the vast ground below.

 **-End of Paralogue I-**

 **To Be Continued…**

* * *

 **Dragon of Vale: Here's the first paralogue of A Dragon's Tail. A paralogue is a chapter where I will write a special scene of the main characters. Some paralogue, like this one, may be a tribute to a special day in the real world, such as this one is for the Christmas Day and New Year Day, but some paralogue would be daily activities of the main characters, and some paralogue would be a back story of the main characters...**

 **As I said, this chapter is the tribute to the Christmas Day and New Year Day. So, Merry Christmas again and Happy New Year to you all!**

 **After this chapter, I would take a little break, and then I will continue with the fourth tail in the next year! Don't worry! It won't be very long before the next tail comes out! I confirm!**

 **See you all soon in 2017!**

 **A special thanks to Ridin Valon for helping me with the error correction.**


	31. Tail 4-1: Once Upon a Time

**A Dragon's Tail**

 **Tail 4: Claura's Tail - Stagnation**

 **Tail 4-1: Once Upon a Time**

"…And finish this by using an alembic to filter the side effect of this potion." Richard said.

"Wow!" Rachael said as she looked at the potion she just made. "Thank you, Onii-chan!"

"You should give your gratitude to yourself rather than giving it to me, Rachael." Richard said. "The thing that enables you to make such a high-quality potion like this is your gift of making potions."

"But before that, I could only make the potion that restores HP, PP, cures status aliments and revives fainted Pokemon." Rachael said. "Because of your knowledge, you taught me the recipe of potions that temporarily give a stat boost during a battle!"

"Hm…" Richard nodded. "The recipe I taught you requires the use of Figy Berry, Iapapa Berry, Wiki Berry, Aguav Berry and Mago Berry in order to give one-stage boost to Attack, Defense, Special Attack, Special Defense and Speed. You can also use two berries and follow this recipe to add more attributes to the potion, such as using two Wiki Berries will give you a potion that gives a two-stage boost to Special Attack, or using a Figy Berry and a Mago Berry will give you a potion that gives a one-stage boost to both Attack and Speed."

"That would be useful for us, right?" Rachael said.

"Right, but remember…" Richard continued speaking. "The five berries that could be used in this recipe may sometimes give a side effect of inflicting confusion to someone who doesn't like the flavor of those berries. Thus, you must not forget to use the alembic to remove the side effect. A potion made by using two berries is harder to remove its side effect than a potion made by using only one berry. Keep all of this in mind."

"Okay!" Rachael said.

Richard nodded to his younger sister again and watched as the Latias put away her apparatuses. Right now, both of them were sitting near a campfire in a cave in the middle of a snowy pine forest. Other than both of them, there were two more Pokemon in this cave, a Garchomp and a Charizard.

"…" Diego the Charizard didn't say anything or move even a bit, as he was now sleeping peacefully in his burning flame-patterned sleeping bag near the camp fire.

"ZZZZZ!" Unlike Diego, Zetarus the Garchomp snored loudly while he was sleeping in his fissure-patterned sleeping bag.

"Yawn…" Rachael released a small yawn. "I think I'm starting to feel sleepy…"

"Then, you should go to sleep, Rachael." Richard said. "I will keep watching here until it's that Garchomp's turn."

"Okay…" Rachael said and was about to enter her flower-patterned sleeping bag when she seemed to remember something. The Latias then picked something from her bag and handed over it to the Latios.

"Onii-chan." Rachael said. "Could you read me a bedtime story for me?"

Richard looked at the thing that his sister gave him. It was a book about a bedtime story. He remembered that Rachael bought this when they went shopping together at the Gamma Department Store during the Equinox Sale.

"Fine…" Richard said. Rachael then gave him a hug before she sat down near the Latios as he opened the book and started reading the story.

 _"Once upon a time…"_

* * *

"YAHH!"

Two lures were thrown into the cerulean sea of Riverbrine. They were connected by two long strings to two fishing rods held by two Pokemon on the rear deck of a grand ship.

"Just wait and see!" One of two Pokemon who held a fishing rod spoke up after she threw the lure into the sea. "This time, I won't lose to you!"

"Shout what ye want, matey." The other Pokemon holding a fishing rod, who was a blue alligator-like Pokemon named Feraligatr who wore a black captain hat with a mark of jolly roger, spoke up. "But th' victory be always mine, yer sea horse."

The 'sea horse' didn't pay her attention to the Feraligatr. Instead, she focused all of her attention to the fishing rod with a hope that she would get something big today.

"Aye!"

The Feraligatr's voice attracted her attention again. She then looked at him and saw that he was wrestling with the sea Pokemon he had just caught with his fishing rod. That Pokemon was a Clawitzer. It tried to blast a stream of water to the Feraligatr in order to get free, but his strength was no match against the big jaw Pokemon as the Feraligatr used his jaws to block the Clawitzer's big claw from blasting him and finished the battle with a snap of his jaw on the howitzer Pokemon's body.

"Jackpot!" The Feraligatr said and held the body of the Clawitzer up with his right paw. "We be 'oin' to have a blast tonigh!"

The 'sea horse' ignored the Feraligatr's words and turned her attention to her fishing rod. However, it wasn't long until the Feraligatr caught something with his fishing rod again.

"Boi!" The Feraligatr said and showed his friend another water Pokemon he caught, which was a Kingler. "It seems like I got myself in a real pinch!"

Once again, the 'sea horse' ignored the Feraligatr and turned her attention to her fishing rod, and again that the Feraligatr was able to catch something with his fishing rod!

"Booty!" Feraligatr said and showed his friend a Gyarados he just caught. "'tis one is so 'reat and 'rant!"

"…" The 'sea horse' said nothing and was about to turn her attention back to her fishing rod when the Feraligatr spoke up first.

" How 'bout ye, sea horse? Did ye catch somethin'?" The Feraligatr asked as he placed the Gyarados near the Clawitzer and the Kingler.

"Shut up, Bismarck." The 'sea horse' said. "...Unless you want to bite the dust again."

"Scary as e'er, eh? Matey…" The Feraligatr said. "I accept that, while ye fishin' skill be not at jolly as mine, in battle, ye be one 'o th' scariest beas!"

"I am not a beast, Bismarck." The 'sea horse' said. "I am a dragon."

The Feraligatr nodded while he looked at the 'sea horse'. She was a Pokemon that looked like a big blue-scaled seahorse with a yellow-scaled belly. She had a curled tail and three fins, two at the back of her head and the third one at her back. She also had two horns on her head. Her eyes were dark red. Overall, one could tell that she was a dragon and water type Pokemon, Kingdra.

Before the Feraligatr and the Kingdra could say anything more, they noticed that the Kingdra's fishing rod was shaking. This indicated that the Kingdra had finally caught something!

"HAAA!" The Kingdra tried her hardest in order to pull the thing she caught from the ocean. It was not long until she succeeded!

"By the Powers!" The Feraligatr said as he saw the thing that the Kingdra caught with her fishing rod, as it was the Pokemon known as 'Lord of the Ocean'!

"HYAOOO!" Wishiwashi (School Form) roared as it was dragged out of the ocean by the Kingdra's fishing rod. It then prepared to attack the Kingdra!

"Ha! Don't think that you can take me down easily!" The Kingdra said and grabbed her weapon, which was an Anchor with a long chain attached to its head, and threw it at the Wishiwashi while dodging its Water Pulse attack!

"Ha! How's my attack taste like?" The Kingdra said as she pulled the anchor back to herself.

"HYAOO!" Wishiwashi roared and attacked the Kingdra again using the move Brine, but its attack didn't hurt the Kingdra even a bit!

"Fool!" Kingdra roared. "I am a Kingdra, a dragon and water type, so the water move won't hurt me even a bit! Now, take this!"

The Kingdra threw her weapon at the Wishiwashi's head! This attack hurt it so much that it stopped schooling!

"SESEEEEEE!" Several Wishiwashi (Solo Form) tried to escape back into the ocean when they stopped schooling, but…

"Ha! Don't ye think that I gunna let ye be off!" The Feraligatr roared and threw a net to catch the Wishiwashi, preventing them from escaping!

"Whew!" The Feraligatr said as he dragged the net with several Wishiwashi inside and placed it near the Clawitzer, Kingler and Gyarados he caught. "That's a tough one!"

"See?" The Kingdra said and put away her weapon. "I told you that I will catch something today! And look! The thing I caught is the Pokemon known as 'Lord of the Ocean'!"

"Ya ya…" Feraligatr mumbled. "I gunna let ye win 'tis the hour, lass… HEY!"

Feraligatr quickly dodged the anchor that was thrown from the Kingdra. The Kingdra's eyes were full with rage. "You stupid croc! I told you not to speak like that to me!"

"Boi! I for'ot!" Feraligatr said without having any regret in his action or grudge against the Kingdra's action. He seemed to be as casual as ever.

"Hm!" The Kingdra mumbled and pulled her anchor back.

"Whate'er…" The Feraligatr said and turned his head to face the door that would lead to the deck corridor of the ship. "Ahoy! Ye squiffies!"

After the Feraligatr shouted, the door opened, and five Pokemon, a Poliwhirl, a Prinplup, a Dewott, a Wartortle and a Machoke, appeared.

"Aye, sir!" All five Pokemon said.

"Take these fish to th' mess hall. We be goin' to have great, grand dinner t'night!" The Feraligatr said.

"Aye! Captain Bismarck!" All five Pokemon said, and then they approached the Water Pokemon that the Feraligatr and the Kingdra caught and took them into the deck corridor of the ship.

"Wew!" The Feraligatr wiped his sweat as he and the Kingdra put away the fishing rods. "This day be such a blast! i reckon I be 'oin' to 'rab somethin' to drink! Wanna join me, sea horse?"

"No." The Kingdra gave a firm answer. "It's still daytime, so no alcohol for now."

"Ha! I be knowin' that ye would shout that thin'!" The Feraligatr said. "Still, I couldn't do that because we be low on th' spiced grog. But we be almost at th' land, so we could stock some more spiced grog fer me matey."

"So, we are almost at the Riverbrine Island?" The Kingdra asked.

"No." The Feraligatr answered. "We almost reach th' town full wit' landlubbers, not Ri'erbrine Island."

"Seaside Town?"The Kingdra mumbled.

"Aye." Feraligatr nodded. "After we finish stockin', th' Seacross gunna once again rule over se'en islands 'o Ri'erbrine!"

The Kingdra nodded to the Feraligatr's words, but before either of them could say something, they heard a shout from someone at the crow's nest of the ship.

"Emer'ency! Emer'ency!" The Pokemon who stood at the crow's nest, who was a Politoed, said with a panicking voice. "We spot another ship comin' 'tis way!"

"What?!" The Feraligatr said and shouted at the Politoed. "What be that ship belong to?"

"I…It's the Razor Scale!" The Politoed said.

"That scallywag!" The Feraligatr roared. "How dare they think that they could match their might wit' th' Seacross?!"

"W…What's ye order, Captain Bismarck?!" The Politoed asked.

"We gunna show them who's th' cap'n around here!" The Feraligatr shouted. "Be tellin' them squiffies to prepare fer a brawl wit' th' Razor Scale!"

"Aye, sir!" The Politoed said before he made an announcement to everyone on the ship to prepare for a battle!

"AYE!" Everyone on the ship roared as they prepared their weapon for a battle, including the cannons!

"I must be off now, sea horse." The Feraligatr said to the Kingdra. "…Or would ye like to gather pirates in a battle wit' them scallywags?"

"With pleasure, **Bismarck Aquamarine the Feraligatr**." The Kingdra nodded.

"Aye!" The Feraligatr named Bismarck nodded. "Then, let's be off to th' main deck first."

* * *

As Bismarck and the Kingdra reached the main deck of the ship, they saw several crews dressed in pirate uniforms and wore a blue bandana running around the deck. It seemed that they were all preparing for the upcoming battle!

"That reminds me…" Bismarck seemed to remember something and turned his attention to the Kingdra. "'tis would be th' first naval battle we have since when ye come wit' us, right?"

"Don't worry about me, Bismarck." The Kingdra said. "This may be the first real naval battle for me, but I know what to do about this."

"Well, if ye shout so..." Bismarck said. "Then, I gunna be off to check th' preparation. Take care, sea horse."

After he finished speaking, Bismarck walked away from the Kingdra to check his crews, leaving her there.

"I can take care of myself, Bismarck." The Kingdra mumbled before she looked around. "Well, the first thing I must do is…"

The Kingdra was about to prepare her weapon for the battle when…

 _"Yawn… What happened,_ _ **Claura Pulsawhirl the Kingdra**_ _? Why it's so noisy around here?"_

A voice came from inside the saloon of the ship, followed by the appearance of a Pokemon. He was a tall bipedal dragon Pokemon with light orange skin and a cream-colored belly. All of his paws and feet had three claws. He had a tail and a pair of green wings too. His head had two nostrils jutting from his eyebrow and a small horn over his head. His eyes were dark green, and his face seemed sleepy, as if he had just woken up.

"What are you doing, **Xavier Storming the Dragonite**?!" The Kingdra named Claura yelled at the Dragonite who had just appeared from the saloon of the ship. "The battle is about to start! Hurry up and prepare yourself!"

"Battle?" The Dragonite named Xavier walked up to Claura. "Battle what?"

"What?!" Claura scolded. "We are on a pirate ship, so what battle could we have other than a naval battle between two pirate groups!?"

"Naval battle… Then, see ya!" Xavier said and turned back, preparing to go back to the saloon of the ship, but he was stopped immediately by Claura.

"WHERE ARE YOU GOING?!" Claura scolded again. "THE BATTLE IS ABOUT TO START! AND ALL YOU WOULD DO IS JUST NAP WHILE EVERYONE IS FIGHTING?!"

"And what should I do for this situation?" Xavier asked.

"Didn't you train to be the t—" Claura continued speaking, but her words were cut off by the Dragonite.

"This battle is a naval battle between two pirate groups, right" Xavier spoke up. "They don't need my help for a battle like this. Moreover, the naval battle mostly consists of a fight by shooting cannonballs to other ship, not a fight by attacking each other directly. So, unless the pirate from this ship board the other ship or the pirates from the other ship board this ship and engage a direct battle, this battle is pretty boring for me…"

"Whatever!" Claura said and grabbed Xavier's tail using her own tail. "No slack off for you!"

After she finished speaking, Claura was about to drag Xavier away from the path that would lead him back to the saloon of the ship when both of them heard a sound of cannon blasting!

"BOOM!"

"…The battle have already started…" Xavier said.

* * *

"YAH!"

"BOOOM!"

"HYAAAA!""

"BOOOOM!"

"Blast them!"

Bismarck commanded his crews to load the cannon balls and fired them at the Razor Scale's ship, and the crews on the Razor Scale's ship also did the exact same thing to this ship.

"That scurvy sea dog!" Bismarck roared. "They dare to approach our ship, so we must show them who's th' cap'n around 'tis sea!"

"But, captain…" A Machoke approached Bismarck. "O…Our cannonball…"

"What?!" Bismarck turned his attention to his underling.

" We be almost out 'o th' cannon ball!" Machoke said.

"AHOY!" Bismarck roared. "Ye want to be tellin' me that we have no balls?!"

 _"Good grief…"_

Claura mumbled. She, along with Xavier, now stood not too far from Bismarck, so both of them could hear the Feraligatr's words despite the sound of a cannon blast.

"Well… As I guess… Yawn…" Xavier mumbled.

"W...What we do, si?!" Machoke asked.

"An eye fer an eye, 'o course!" Bismarck said. "We must give a 'o' to approach th' Razor Scale's ship 'n show them our might!"

"Aye, sir!" Machoke said before he quickly walked away, and then Bismarck turned his attention back to command his crews.

"So, it's time for a real battle…" Claura said and picked her anchor, but…

"Yawn…" Unlike Claura, Xavier didn't seem to be very enthusiastic of the upcoming battle.

"XAVIER!" Claura scolded. "Don't just stand like that! Grab your weapon and prepare for a battle!"

"It's pointless, Claura…" Xavier mumbled. "We would never win this battle if we do something like that…"

"WHAT?!" Claura said. "How dare you say something like that?! If you split those words in Bismarck's face, you will be sure to get keelhauled, you know?!"

"But it's true…" Xavier mumbled. "While this pirate group is low on cannonballs, the other pirate group still continues barraging at us. Moreover, it was that pirate group who started this battle, right? All of this means that the other pirate group has an ample amount of cannonballs, and they are truly ready for a skirmish. With this, it would be suicidal for this ship to get close to the other ship because it would be easier for the pirate on the other ship to blast this ship with their cannons. Overall, this battle is just futile…"

"YOU MEAN THAT IT'S BEST FOR US TO GIVE UP?!" Claura roared. "I DON'T KNOW THE MEANING OF GIVE UP! I DON'T KNOW THE MEANING OF SURRENDER!"

"Then, what would you do?" Xavier asked with his arms crossed.

Claura stopped saying anything after she heard the Dragonite's words. She then looked around and tried to think what to do next…

Until she saw…

"That!"

Claura gazed at something on Xavier's chest. It was a hardened small black brooch that looked like a scale. Claura then looked at something on her chest. Like Xavier, she also had a brooch. Unlike Xavier, her brooch was a light small white brooch that looked like a feather.

"This?" Xavier mumbled. "Are you sure about this?"

"Absolutely." Claura said. "We didn't form a pact with them just for us to have a nifty brooch decorated on our chest."

"Well, fine…" Xavier said. "Let's go…"

After the Dragonite finished speaking, he and the Kingdra used the moment when everyone's attention was at the battle to sneak to the rear deck of the ship via the deck corridor of the ship in order to proceed with their plan…

* * *

"AHOY!" Bismarck roared at the ship of the Razor Scale. "Ye scallywag!"

"Captain!" A crew who was a Dewott approached the Feraligatr.

"WHAT?!" Bismarck turned his attention to his crew.

"Look there!" Dewott said and pointed his paw to something above the Razor Scale's pirate ship…

Suddenly, a flock of black clouds started gathering above the ship of the Razor Scale, followed by a sound of thunder! And… Not only that…

"Captain!" A prinplup crew approached Bismarck and pointed his paw at below the Razor Scale's ship. "Look th'!"

Like the black clouds above the ship, a ring of blue light suddenly appeared under the ship of the Razor Scale!

"W...What they be plannin' to do?!" Bismarck said.

"GRARRARAR!"

"RARARARARWWRR!"

A loud roar could be heard by everyone on both pirate ships, and suddenly, like the sudden appearance of the black clouds above and the ring of light below, two silhouettes appeared; one was a black silhouette from the black clouds above and the other one was a white silhouette from the right of light below. And… Two silhouettes weren't the only things that appeared from the black cloud and the ring of light.

"ZOOOM!"

"FLARRERRR!"

An enormous bolt of lightning dropped down from the black clouds above to the Razor Scale's ship below at the same time the black silhouette appeared from the black cloud. And at the same time, a blast of blue fire raised from the ring of light below the Razor Scale's ship at the same time the white silhouette appeared from the ring of light. The bolt of lightning and the blue fire crashed with each other at the deck of the Razor Scale's ship, resulting in a huge explosion!

"ARRRRGGRRR!" The crew of the Razor Scale roared in pain as they were attacked by the mysterious lightning and fire.

"NOW!" Bismarck roared. "FIRE!"

After Bismarck finished ordering, several cannon balls were fired from the ship of the Seacross to the ship of the Razor Scale again. This time, all cannon balls hit the ship of the Razor Scale directly, resulting in a huge damage to them!

With everything came like this, the battle had finally come to the end…

With the loser being the Razor Scale…

And the victory belonged to the Seacross…

But…

What was that mysterious lightning and fire?

 **To Be Continued…**

* * *

 **Dragon of Vale: Hello! After a break, I am back with the first chapter of the fourth tail. This tail is called Stagnation… Strange name again, isn't it?**

 **This tail will set up in a nation with both tropical and tundra climate, the Queendom of Riverbrine. This chapter starts with the point of view of Rachael and Richard at the snowy pine forest before it switches to point of view of the main protagonist of the fourth tail, Claura Pulsawhirl the Kingdra. While she is a female Pokemon, do not underestimate her or she would knock you out as she's a bit of proud tomboy. Her weapon is an anchor, but her weapon's name isn't revealed yet.**

 **This tail would be like Zetarus' tail as it would consist of two PoV. Each PoV will tell the story that happens at the same time, but happens in two different places; one at the sea and the other at the glacier.**

 **A special thanks to Ridin Valon for helping me with the error correction.**


	32. Tail 4-2: Queendom of Riverbrine

**A Dragon's Tail**

 **Tail 4: Claura's Tail - Stagnation**

 **Tail 4-2: Queendom of Riverbrine**

 _Once upon a time, there were two nations, the eastern nation of cerulean water and the western nation of the sparkling glacier… The eastern nation was ruled by greedy senates of merchants while the western nation was ruled by the graceful queen of snow. Because of its tropical climate and its location, the eastern nation became a nation of trading, making it a prosperous nation envied by other nations on the continent. The western nation, however, being located in an area with a harsh climate, couldn't afford to cultivate any agricultural products for exports. Thus, the only way for the western region to earn money was to send out groups of mercenaries to do their job in other nations, mostly in the eastern nation._

 _However, the eastern nation always gave the western nation unfair deals and turned the situation of the western nation even worse. Not knowing what to do, the snow queen of the western nation decided to pay a visit to the senates of the eastern nation in order to strike a better deal with them…_

 _The queen of snow went to the eastern nation, but she never returned…_

 _There were many rumors regarding her missing, including the rumor that she was assassinated by the senates of the eastern nation…_

 _Finally, a henchman who accompanied the queen of snow in her journey to the eastern nation came back in the worst condition possible. But before he passed away, he was able to pass the truth to the close friend of the queen of snow…_

 _The truth that confirmed a rumor…_

 _A rumor that the snow queen was assassinated by the senates of the eastern nation!_

 _Enraged by the merciless action of the eastern nation, the Pokemon of the western nation decided to start a war with the eastern nation, under the lead of the snow queen's friend who received the dying truth from the snow queen's henchman._

 _Because the Pokemon of the western nation were fierce warriors who lived in the region with harsh climates, their sheer power easily overwhelmed the force of the eastern nation._

 _However, there's yet one more surprise for them…_

 _As they marched into the eastern nation, the Pokemon of the western nation learned that the Pokemon of the eastern nation, under the rule of the corrupted senates, were all living in poverty. Not only that, the citizens of the eastern nation also supported the force of the western nation to take down the corrupted monarchy of the senates._

 _Finally, with the support of the eastern nation citizens, victory easily belonged to the western nation, and thus ended the corrupted rule of the eastern nation's senates._

 _After the end of the war, the queen of snow's friend who led the army of the western nation was chosen to be the next queen of the western nation. She also united the eastern nation and the western nation together and created a new nation of prosperity. Under her rule, the new nation was in a state of peace from that day until today…_

* * *

"Wait a minute, Onii-chan…"

Richard turned his attention to the book of bedtime story to his younger sister, who was listening to his story.

"I thought that I asked you to read me a bedtime story…" Rachael spoke up. "But… That story is actually the history of this nation, the Queendom of Riverbrine, right?"

"…What made you think like that, Rachael?" Richard asked.

"I have read the story of this war before, and it definitely matches the tale you had just told me…" Rachael said. "The western nation is the old Queendom of Snowlost while the eastern nation is the old Confederacy of Riverbrine. The war in your story is the War of the Snowlost Peninsula, and the friend of the queen of snow who led the army of the western nation, as well as the Pokemon who became the queen of the united nation, is Queen Nyxier Tundrafrost the Aurorus, right? I knew it!"

"…" Richard said nothing and continued listening to his sister's talking.

"Moreover, despite being a nation that won this war, the newly united didn't use the name of the western nation. Instead, Queen Nyxier decided to use the name 'Riverbrine', which was the name of the eastern nation, to be the name of the united nation in order to show her sympathy to the eastern nation. With this, the citizens of the eastern nation rejoiced and fully accepted Queen Nyxier as their ruler. Despite using the name of the nation that lost the war as the name of the united nation, the citizens of the western nation didn't harbor any bad feeling toward Queen Nyxier as they were the winner anyway, and the name 'Snowlost' had become the name of the peninsula that is the location of the united Queendom of Riverbrine and the nation that was born after the war ended, the Shadowlost Territory..." Rachael explained.

"…Rachael, aren't you sleepy by now?" Richard asked.

"Yawn…" Rachael released a small yawn. "I think I'm starting to feel sleepy…"

"Then, let's end today's story for now…" Richard said and closed the book of bedtime story he was holding in his paw. "We will continue this story tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay…" Rachael said. "But… Onii-chan, do not put a historical story in the bedtime story again, okay?"

Richard nodded as Rachael entered her flower-patterned sleeping bag and quickly fell asleep. Then the Latios picked his Chronicle of Daybreak and continued reading it.

* * *

 **Meanwhile…**

"Yo-ho-ho!"

In the saloon of the Seacross Ship, there was a party to cerebrate their victory in the naval battle against the Razor Scale. Several barrels of grog were brought here for everyone to celebrate, along with the food cooked from the Clawitzer, Kingler, Gyarados and Wishiwashi that Bismarck and Claura caught this morning.

"Aye!" Bismarck roared. He was holding a small barrel of grog in his right paw. "We show them who's cap'n around here wit' our ball, so we celebrate 'til mornin'!"

"Ahoy!" Eeveryone roared to Bismarck's words before they continued their meal.

"…" Unlike everyone, Claura didn't say anything. She just sat silently next to Bismarck, who was now pouring the grog from the barrel into his throat.

"Want some, sea horse?" Bismarck asked and offered Claura a mug of grog.

"Thanks." Claura said as she received a mug of grog from Bismarck and started drinking it using her straw-like mouth.

"Ye don't look extra well, sea horse…" Bismarsk said. "Do ye have somethin' in ye mind?"

"Nothing." Claura answered. "I am just wondering about… Xavier."

"Oh, that sea 'viar?" Bismarsk said. "I be sure that he be snorin' in his room by now."

"Then, I will go and bring him here…" Claura said.

"Aye." Bismarsk said before he poured another barrel of grog into his throat as the Kingdra left the saloon of the ship.

* * *

Instead of going to the room where most crews rested, Claura moved along the deck corridor of the ship until she reached the rear deck. This was the spot where she and Bismarsk went fishing this morning. Right now, because everyone was in the saloon, the rear deck was empty…

Except…

There was a Pokemon here. He stood there silently, facing the black ocean of the night. This Pokemon was none other than the Dragonite that Claura was trying to find.

"…" Xavier didn't say anything. All he did was just space out silently at the ocean.

"Sleeping while standing, huh?" Claura said and approached the Dragonite. "Only you have a talent to do something like this…"

"No, you are wrong, Claura." Xavier suddenly spoke up and turned his attention to the Kingdra. "Our grandfather has this talent too."

"Oh, I forgot about him…" Claura said. "By the way, weren't you sleeping?"

"Yes, I was." Xavier nodded. "Until your rough voice woke me up."

"Hm! You are always like this!" Claura said and approached the Dragonite before she stopped beside him.

"By the way, Claura…" Xavier spoke up. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you go and celebrate with those pirates in the saloon?"

"That question belonged to me, not you, Xavier." Claura said. "I am not surprised to see that you weren't in the saloon of the ship, but I was surprised that you aren't sleeping in your room just like usual."

"…I was just thinking about something…" Xavier answered. "About today's battle…"

"Ah…" Claura nodded. "You were trying to analyze the strate—"

"No." Xavier shook his head. "I was just thinking about…this."

Xavier pointed his paw at a black brooch on his chest. As he did it, the brooch started emitting a mysterious aura, followed by a voice that could be only be heard by Claura and Xavier.

 _'What do you want from me, Xavier?'_ A mighty and majestic voice of a male Pokemon echoed through the head of the Dragonite and the Kingdra.

"I just want to thank you for helping me today." Xavier answered.

' _Words of gratitude is inessential, Xavier.'_ The 'voice' spoke up again. _'It is my duty for me,_ _ **Zastra the Zekrom**_ _, to lend my power to someone who chose to form a pact with me.'_

"Serious as usual…" Xavier mumbled.

"That reminds me… Vastia…" Claura said and looked at the white brooch on her chest. This made it began to glow, and then another voice echoed through the head of Claura and Xavier. This time, it was a voice of a female Pokemon.

 _'You summoned me, Claura?'_ A graceful and majestic voice of a female Pokemon echoed through the Dragonite and the Kingdra.

"Right." Claura said. "Thank you for helping us during a battle."

 _'I am glad to be able to help you, Claura.'_ The 'voice' said. _'As the Dragon Legend whom you have formed a pact with, the power of me, Vastia the Reshiram, shall always be yours.'_

"As always…" Xavier spoke up. "Zastra and Vastia… Both of them are like the opposite side of the same coin… Black and White… Ideal and Truth…"

"You are right, Xavier." Claura nodded. "It's hard to believe that both of you are siblings."

 _'…Aren't you and Xavier the same?'_ Vastia said.

' _Right.'_ Zastra said. _'Despite being completely different from each other, you are siblings, right?'_

"Hm?" Claura said. "Sorry for not telling you before, but Xavier and I aren't siblings. However, we are actually related by blood."

"Right." Xavier nodded. "Claura's father is the elder brother of my mother. That makes Claura and I cousins of each other, right?"

 _'I see…'_ Vastia nodded.

"Whatever…" Xavier mumbled before he turned his attention to the Kingdra. "Claura, where are we right now?"

"Bismarck said that we would reach the Seaside Town tomorrow." Claura answered. "And then they will roam the seven islands of Riverbrine."

"Typical pirate…" Xavier mumbled. "Anyway, Claura, do you still remember the 'objective'?"

"Objective? Which one?" Claura asked. "Our own objective, the objective that we got from the Dragonqueen, or the objective that we chose to form a pact with Vastia and Zastra?"

"All of them." Xavier said.

"How could I forget them?" Claura said. "First, I won't abandon my own objective, no matter what. Second, the objective from the Dragonqueen… We were honored to receive a mission from the Dragonqueen herself, so we must not disappoint her. And the last one…"

"…" Both Claura and Xavier fell into silence for a while, and then…

"Thar ye be…Hick!"

A voice came from the deck corridor of the ship and followed by the appearance of the pirate captain, Bismarck. His face was really red, and it seemed like he was completely drunk.

"Hello there, Bismarck." Claura said.

"Hick!" Bismarck slowly walked up before he fell down in front of Claura.

"Bismarck?" Claura said and approached the Feraligatr. "You are drunk now. Come on, we will take you back to your room…"

"Hick! I be… Hick! Not drunk… Hick!" Bismarck mumbled.

"Come on!" Claura said. "Xavier, help me."

"Good grief…" Xavier mumbled.

"Hick!" Bismarck mumbled.

* * *

 **The Next Day…**

"Ahoy!"

After a long sailing, the pirate ship of the Seacross had arrived at the mainland. Right now, the ship was docked in a small cave named Seaside Cave.

"Don't for'et to 'et us supply 'n spiced grog." Bismarck ordered his crews. "We gunna lea'e fer th' se'en islands 'o Ri'erbrine three days from now on. Before that, do whatever ye want. I don't care if ye want to find somethin' to stuff ye belly or ye gunna be off 'n get laid wit' them landlubbers or not, just remember me words."

"Aye, sir!" Everyone on the Seacross ship said before some of them left the cave while some of them stayed at the ship.

"Well…" Bismarck said and turned his attention to Claura and Xavier. "Shall I show ye sea horse 'n sea 'viar around here?"

"Do as you want." Claura said.

"…" Xavier didn't say anything. He just nodded in response.

"Then, follow me!" Bismarck said before he left the Seaside Cave, with Claura and Xavier following him.

* * *

Queendom of Riverbrine was one of two nations that was located on the Snowlost Peninsula, the peninsula located northeast of the mainland Symmetria that also liedto the northwest of the mainland Symmetria. (The other nation that was located on the Snowlost Peninsula was the Shadowlost Territory.) This nation was connected to the Shadowlost Territory to the north, the Republic of Civilight to the south and Fireview Kingdom to the southwest. This nation was homed to most Water type and Ice type Pokemon.

Queendom of Riverbrine could be divided into three regions; the Snowy Region, the River Region, and the Brine Region. Both Snowy Region and River Region were located on the mainland Riverbrine, with the Misveil Mountain Range that separated both regions from each other. The Brine Region, on the other hand, consisted of the sea and the seven islands of Riverbrine.

The Snowy Region of the Queendom of Riverbrine mostly consisted of icy mountain, vast glaciers, snowy field and tundra forest of pine tree. The second-biggest town, as well as the capital of the Queendom of Riverbrine, the Snowlost City, was located in the middle of this region. This city was also the place where the beautiful queen of Riverbrine, Queen Nyxier Tundrafrost the Aurorus, stayed.

The Brine Region of the Queendom of Riverbrine consisted of the Riverbrine Sea and the Riverbrine Archipelago, which was the archipelago consisted of seven islands. They were…

Riverbrine Island: The biggest island of the Riverbrine Archipelago located at the middle of the Riverbrine Archipelago. This island was also the biggest port town and the biggest town of the Queendom of Riverbrine.

Sparkling Island: An island located northwest of Riverbrine Island. Other than being the closest island to the mainland Queendom of Riverbrine, this island was also famous for its beautiful and high-quality pearls.

Triangle Island: A group of three small islands that formed into the shape of a triangle. This island located north of Sparkling Island. Several archeologists believed that this island held some mysterious secret…

Twinwave Island: Two small islands joined together and created this beautiful paradise. Twinwave Island located east of Sparkling Island, southeast of Triangle Island and north of Riverbrine Island. This island was said to be the tropical paradise of Symmetria as its was discovered to harbor the most beautiful beach and sea of Symmetria!

Back Island: An island located southeast of Twinwave Island and east of Riverbrine Island. This island was infamous for strong currents that surrounded it, making it dangerous for anyone to approach it. However, this made it a safe haven for several groups of fearless pirate.

Isles of Spices: These isles were a group of four small islands located southeast of Riverbrine Island and Back Island. Each island was famous for its spice as most spices that could be found on the continent of Symmetria could also be found here too.

Solitude Island: A lonely island located southeast of the Isles of Spices. Being the last island of the Riverbrine Archipelago, this island was the furthest island from the mainland Symmetria. This island was also the most eastern point of the continent of Symmetria, making it a perfect place for travelers to observe the sunrise.

The River Region of the Queendom of Riverbrine was the smallest region among three. It only consisted of wetlands, rivers and beach. The beach of River Region was called Seaside Beach, which was a long beach that covered the entire eastern coast of the Queendom of Riverbrine. There were several small caves along the Seaside Beach. One of them was the cave where the pirate ship of the Seacross was docked right now, the Seaside Cave. Not too far from the Seaside Cave was the second-biggest port town and the third-biggest town in the Queendom of Riverbrine, the Seaside Town.

* * *

The Seaside Town, being a port town, was lively and crowded with many Pokemon. Most of them were either water type Pokemon or merchants from other nations.

"Thank you for showing us around the Seaside Town." Claura said as she, Xavier and Bismarck walked around the Seaside Town. Bismarck acted like a guide to the Kingdra and Dragonite.

"Aye, no problem." Bismarck said.

"But…" Xavier said and looked around the town.

"What's wrong, sea 'viar?" Bismarck asked.

"…Despite having a very clear sight that you are a pirate captain, no Pokemon in this town shows any sight of fear as they saw you, Bismarck." Xavier said.

"You are right, Xavier." Claura said. "Bismarck, why do no one fear you, despite that you are a pirate captain?"

"'tis because I be a cap'n 'o th' Seacross" Bismarck answered. "Unlike other 'roup 'o scurvy pirate, th' Seacross be known fer bein' a 'roup 'o scurvy pirate who only hunt treasure 'n corrupted nobles. In other words, we be not dan'erous to them."

"I see…" Xavier nodded.

"Anyway, whar do ye want to be off next?" Bismarck asked.

"I think I am thirsty right now…" Xavier said. "Bismarck, could you take us to a place where we could find something to drink?"

"Agreed." Claura said. "And how about we treat you as a thanks for being a guide for us?"

"Be ye sure 'bout 'tis?!" Bismarck asked. "I mean, I drink like a Camerupt!"

"So…That means 'No'?" Xavier asked.

"No! No! No! No!" Bismarck quickly refused Xavier's words. "I gunna never let 'tis chance get away from me."

"So, do you know any good place to have a drink?" Claura asked.

"Aye." Bismarck said. "Come wit' me."

* * *

Bismarck led Claura and Xavier to a big tavern named 'Wingull'. Bismarck explained that this was the place where sailors and pirates usually stopped by to have a drink; both alcoholic and non-alcoholic.

After ordering their drink, Bismarck started another conversation with Claura and Xavier.

"Come to think 'o it... 'tis be th' first the hour that both 'o ye come to Seaside Town, right?" Bismarck asked.

"Right." Claura said. "Before Xavier and I boarded your ship, I remembered that we were at the Theocracy of Venturnome…"

"Right." Xavier said and yawned. "We were at the Trading Post at the border of Venturnome and Leafburg…"

"I remember that th' Seacross was stoppin' thar too." Bismarck said. "However, th' Pokemon from 'enturnome tried to arrest us just because we be band 'o pirates. 'n it was both 'o ye that we could escape..."

"I just don't understand that place…" Claura said. "Everyone in Venturnome acted like they were some kind of special Pokemon chosen by Arceus…"

"Right…" Xavier said. "But that proved that Arceus is a heart—"

Before Xavier could finish his sentence, Claura quickly covered the Dragonite's mouth.

"You fool!" Claura whispered so that no one other than her and Xavier could hear her words. "Do not say anything like that!"

"…Aren't my words the truth?" Xavier asked.

"I know what you are thinking…" Claura said. "But do remember that we are on the continent of Symmetria. Everyone on this continent respected Arceus and Yggdrasil as their god and goddess, so do not go around and bad-mouth them unless you want everyone around here to beat you to death."

"…You say 'Do not go around and bad-mouth them'… But Claura, you are the one who REALLY want to do it…" Xavier mumbled. "Well, if you say so… I will keep my mouth shut."

"What be ye a pair doin'?" Bismarck asked as he was looking at Claura and Xavier for some time.

"It's nothing, Bismarck." Claura said.

"Anyway…" Bismarck continued speaking. "After ye a pair helped us, I be impressed by ye skill at battle 'n decide to let ye come wit' us, right?"

"Right." Claura said. "We must thank you for that."

"Ye help us first, so we help ye back, nothin' strange wit' it." Bismarck said before he remembered something. "By th' way, both 'o ye be tellin' me that ye be on a journey to search fer somethin', right?"

"Um…" Claura and Xavier looked at each other.

"Well, if it isn't booty, then I won't ask ye 'bout 'tis." Bismarck said. "But since we be in th' Queendom 'o Ri'erbrine, why don't ye start ye searchin' wit' th' seven islands? After we left 'tis town, we would roam th' seven islands, 'n 'o course, both 'o ye can come wit' us."

"Well, Claura and I need to think about it for a bit about what to do next…" Xavier answered. "But thank you for your offer."

"No worry!" Bismarck said.

The conversation ended when a waiter came back with two glasses of Pinap Berry Juice for Claura and Xavier and a barrel of Oran Berry Wine. Bismarck then wasted no time and poured the wine into his throat. Meanwhile, Xavier took out the map of Symmetria and placed it on the table.

"Let's plan our next move…" Xavier said. "We have gone to Civilight, Leafburg, Venturnome already, but we didn't find 'them'."

"That leaves us with Riverbrine, Shadowlost, Fireview and Dustorm…" Claura said. "Let's search Riverbrine first…"

"I am sure that 'they' aren't at the Snowy Region of Riverbrine, so all we must do is search the River Region and the Brine Region of Riverbrine…" Xavier said.

"Agreed." Claura nodded. "It means that we would travel together for a while longer, Bismarck."

Claura said and turned her attention to Bismarck, who already finished drinking the barrel of Oran Berry Wine.

"Glad to have ye wit' us." Bismarck said as he ordered another barrel of wine. "We gunna show ye th' se'en islands 'o Ri'erbrine!"

Bismarck stopped speaking right there as the waiter came with another barrel of Oran Berry Wine. As he poured them into his throat, Xavier put away his map and he, along with Claura, started drinking their Pinap Berry Juice…

And then…

"Oh my… You are such a beautiful babe…"

A voice of a male Pokemon echoed into Claura's ears. Claura then saw a male Sceptile in a suit of samurai armor walking up to her.

"My, my! You are like a sight for sore eyes in this place…" Sceptile said as he approached the Kingdra. "How about you come with me and—UGH!"

The Sceptile's words were interrupted by his own voice of pain as Claura suddenly headbutted the Sceptile at his crotch, knocking him down on the floor of the tavern.

"ARRGGG!" Before the Sceptile could do anything, Claura flung herself onto the body of him and bent his legs!

"GGAFAARARARA!" The Sceptile tried to struggle free as the Claura bent his legs, but he couldn't free himself from the Kingdra's sheer power!

"Do. Not. Do. That. Thing. To. Me!" Claura said as she bent the Sceptile's legs.

"I yield! I yield!" The Sceptile said. "Please, let me go!"

"Hm!" Claura mumbled and let go of the Sceptile's legs, freeing him from her torture at last.

"S…S…She's…a…blast…" The Sceptile said after he got freed, but he still couldn't stand up.

And then…

"Jasper!"

A voice came from another Pokemon who quickly walked up to the Sceptile. That Pokemon was a Scyther in a ninja garb.

"Z…Z…Zenpai…" The Sceptile mumbled.

"Geez… You hit on a girl again, didn't you?" The Scyther said before he turned his attention to Claura. "I am so sorry that my friend here acted rude to you, milady."

"Hm!" Claura mumbled. "At least your manners aren't as terrible as your friend."

"Jasper, you apologize her too…" The Scyther said and helped the Sceptile up.

"Well, I am sorry, ma'am." The Sceptile said.

"…Whatever." Claura said.

"By the way, Zenpai…" The Sceptile turned his attention to the Scyther. "Where are Grimlock and—"

"Hey! You guys!"

Another voice came from a Pokemon who had just entered the tavern. He was an Aggron. He slowly walked up to the Sceptile and the Scyther.

"Found that Pokemon yet, Grimlock?" The Sceptile asked.

"Nope." The Aggron said. "Only she knows his face."

"And where is she?" The Scyther asked.

Before the Aggron could say anything, another Pokemon entered the tavern and walked up to the Sceptile, Scyther and Aggron. That Pokemon was a female Heliolisk.

"There you are, Jasper, Zenpai, Grimlock." The Heliolisk said.

"Oh, Viola!" The Sceptile said. "Did you find him yet?"

"Hey! Don't you remember what I told you?!" The Heliolisk suddenly became angry. "He lived on the Riverbrine Island, not the mainland Riverbrine! So, we won't find him here!"

"Aww…" The Aggron said.

"Come on, let's go and find—" The Heliolisk said and was about to turn back when she saw Bismarck pouring another barrel of Oran Berry Wine into his throat.

"One moaaarrr…" Bismarck gave an order to the waiter to bring him another barrel of Oran Berry Wine.

"Bismarck!" Claura spoke up. "You are already drunk! Shouldn't you stop drinking for now?"

"Hick! I am… Hick! Not drunk… Hick!" Bismarck said.

"Hey!" The Heliolisk walked up to Bismarck. "Aren't you…"

"Hick! Oh…" Bismarck looked at the Heliolisk. "I know you… Hick! You are…"

"Viola, is he…" Zenpai asked.

"Yes…" The Heliolisk said and turned her attention back to Bismarck. "We finally found you, Aquamarine."

 **To Be Continued…**

* * *

 **Dragon of Vale: In this chapter, we learn that Claura had formed a pact with a Reshiram named Vastia, and her cousin, Xavier, had formed a pact with a Zekrom named Zastra.**

 **And… Look who we have here! But how could they come here?**

 **A special thanks to Ridin Valon for helping me with the error correction.**


	33. Tail 4-3: Visible Interval

**A Dragon's Tail**

 **Tail 4: Claura's Tail -** **Stagnation**

 **Tail 4-3: Visible Interval**

 **-Somewhere… Not very far from Seaside Town… Not very far from Riverbrine-Fireview border…**

In the middle of a lonely snowfield named Frostdrop Snowfield was the second-biggest settlement Queendom of Riverbrine. That place was none other than Snowlost City, a capital of the old Queendom of Snowlost and the new Queendom of Riverbrine. Despite being a capital city, Snowlost City was a quite small and lonely city. (Among seven capitals on the continent of Symmetria, Snowlost City was the second-smallest capital city, with the Shadowlost City, the capital of Shadowlost Territory, being the smallest.) The reason of this was because this city was located in the middle of a vast snowfield surrounded by mountain ranges, making it really hard for someone to gain access to this place. (But not as hard as Shadowlost City of Shadowlost Territory and Gamma City of Republic of Civilight.) However, this city was like a pure diamond hidden within the brutal blizzard as it was ranked to be the most beautiful city on the continent of Symmetria. The most spectacular place in this city was none other than the home of Queen Nyxier, Snowlost Castle…

Snowlost Castle was once known as 'House of Tundrafrost', which was the homestead of the Tundrafrost Family. However, after Nyxier became the queen of Queendom of Riverbrine, the House of Tundrafrost was turned into the Snowlost Castle, and the old Snowlost Castle, where the queen of the old Queendom of Riverbrine resided, was abandoned in a lonely glacier far from Snowlost City.

And Snowlost Castle's today was just like its everyday…

* * *

 **-At Snowlost Castle, Royal's Private Quarter**

"Ho ho ho! There you are, my beautiful daughter."

A voice came from an Aurorus in a royal garb as she walked into the room. She was none other than the ruler of Queendom of Riverbrine, Queen Nyxier Tundrafrost the Aurorus.

And other than her who had just entered this room, there was one more Pokemon in this room. She was sitting at the study table and reading a book about the history of Symmetria. Like Queen Nyxier, she was an Aurorus too because she was the daughter of Queen Nyxier and the heir to the throne of Queendom of Riverbrine, Princess Misvale Tundrafrost the Aurorus.

"Good Afternoon, mother." Misvale greeted her mother politely.

"My my! You are as beautiful and graceful as ever…" Queen Nyxier said as she walked up to her daughter. "I am so proud of you, my daughter."

"Thank you, mother." Misvale said with a voice that showed her utter respect to her mother. "Anyway, what brings you here, mother?"

"First, come here to your mother so I can give you a hug…" Queen Nyxier said. "Come here, don't be shy."

Queen Nyxier didn't waste anytime waiting for her daughter's answer. She approached her daughter and gave her a big hug before she continued speaking.

"A while ago, I got this official invitation from Fireview Kingdom." Queen Nyxier said and handed over a letter to Misvale. "It's an invitation for Prince Apollo's coronation ceremony."

"Oh, my!" Misvale said as she looked at the invitation letter her mother gave her.

"Do you remember Prince Apollo, right?" Queen Nyxier asked.

"Yes, mother." Misvale answered. "The last time we met him was six weeks ago at Prince Terrus' Succession Ceremony."

"You are right, my dear." Queen Nyxier said. "Prince Apollo's Coronation Ceremony will be held at the Palace of Flame three weeks from now on. So, we must be prepared."

"Right, mother." Misvale said.

"Because Fireview's Palace of Flame was closer to our Riverbrine's Snowlost Castle than Dustorm's Desert Palace, we will leave at one week before the day of the Coronation Ceremony." Queen Nyxier said.

"Alright, mother." Misvale said.

The conversation between Queen Nyxier and Misvale was stopped temporary when both of them heard a sound of door knocking.

"Knock! Knock!"

"Who's there?" Misvale asked.

"It's me." A humble and polite voice came from outside the room. "I brought the afternoon tea for you, Princess Misvale."

"Come in." Misvale said.

After Misvale finished speaking, the door of the Royal's Private Quarter opened, and a male Pokemon in a butler uniform walked up into the room. He also brought a dessert cart with a pot of tea and a dish of dessert with him too.

"Your grace, you are here too." The butler said and bowed at Queen Nyxier and Misvale. "Would you like a cup of Belue Berry Tea too, your majesty?"

"Pour one for me." Queen Nyxier ordered.

The butler bowed at the queen again before he prepared two cups of Belue Berry Tea. After he finished preparing, he handed over one cup to Queen Nyxier and another cup to Misvale.

"Thanks." Misvale said as she received a cup of Belue Berry Tea from the butler.

After he handed the cups of tea to the royals, the butler picked a plate of dessert and placed it on a table in front of Misvale.

"The dessert for today is Macaroon." The butler said.

"Thank you." Misvale said. "Also, the tea you made is as delicious as ever."

"I am hardly worthy of milady's compliment." The butler said.

"Please…" Misvale continued speaking. "Right now, we are in a private quarter. You don't have to act so formal to mother and me. Don't forget than you are my—"

"Marvelous!" Queen Nyxier's voice interrupted Misvale's words. "Everything you made is such a magnum opus! You truly are my best servant!"

"Thank you for a compliment, your majesty." The butler bowed at Queen Nyxier again. "I am a humble servant of yours, and I will do everything for you, your majesty."

"Ho! Ho! Ho!" Queen Nyxier laughed.

"And now, I must excuse myself." The butler said as he picked two empty cups from the table and placed them on the dessert cart. "I will take my leave right now."

"Ho! Ho! Ho! Thank you for giving us a beautiful time!" Queen Nyxier laughed again as the butler, with the dessert cart, slowly walked towards the door before he left the room. However, just before he left the room, a younger Aurorus in this room spoke up.

"…Thank you for a delicious afternoon tea…"

The butler stopped walking for a second as he heard Misvale's words and turned his face back to the owner of the voice. He then bowed at the young Aurorus princess again before he continued walking until he left the room, and the door closed…

* * *

 **-Meanwhile, at Wingull Tavern, Seaside Town, Queendom of Riverbrine…**

"It has be a while since th' last the hour I saw ye, Viola." Bismarck said.

Right now, seven Pokemon were sitting around a table in the Wingull Tavern. Three of them were Bismarck, Claura and Xavier while the other four were a male Sceptile, a male Scyther, a female Heliolisk and a male Aggron. All of them had a glass of juice in front of them. (Except Bismarck, who had a barrel of grog instead.)

"Right." The female Heliolisk said. "I think the last time we met was… No, I can't remember…"

"Me too, ya sea de'zard!" Bismarck said and poured a barrel of grog into his throat.

"So, Bismarck, are they your acquaintances?" Claura asked.

"Aye." Bismarck said. "That sea de'zard be me bucko."

"My name is Viola Sparkvolt the Heliolisk." The female Heliolisk introduced herself. "I am a… an acrobat from the Republic of Civilight."

"'n ya sea de'zard, them three Pokemon wit' ye be ye buckos, right?" Bismarck said.

"Yes." Viola nodded.

"Me moniker be Bismarck Aquamarine th' Feraligatr!" Bismarck introduced himself. "I be th' cap'n 'o Seacross!"

"…So, you truly are the Aquamarine he mentioned…" The male Scyther mumbled.

"'n ye three be?" Bismarck asked.

"My name is Zenpai Bugslash the Scyther." The male Scyther introduced himself. "I am a ninja from Principality of Leafburg."

"My name is Jasper Floratree the Sceptile." The male Sceptile introduced himself. "Like Zenpai, I come from Principality of Leafburg too, but I am a samurai, not a ninja."

"And I am Grimlock Rusteel the Aggron!" The male Aggron introduced himself. "I come from Civilight too! And everyone there calls me 'Boss'!"

"Ahoy?!" Bismarck suddenly changed his mood from a casual one into a more serious one. "Viola, Aren't they…"

"Yes, that's right." Viola said. "All of us, Jasper, Zenpai, Grimlock and I, are the same kind as you, Bismarck."

"…'n why do ye bring them to me this day?" Bismarck asked.

"Well…" Viola suddenly became serious as well. Then she, along with Grimlock, Jasper and Zenpai started telling Bismarck their story.

However…

None of them (Except Zenpai and Jasper) noticed that two other Pokemon who were sitting with them weren't here anymore…

* * *

 **-Meanwhile, outside the Wingull Tavern**

"I hate them all."

Xavier spoke up after him and Claura left the Wingull Tavern unnoticed. While he seemed to be as weary as ever, the voice that came from his mouth was as cold as frozen water.

"Me too." Claura agreed with the Dragonite. Unlike Xavier, the Kingdra's voice was filled with anger. "If Bismarck isn't with them, I would have smashed their heads into pieces by now!"

"…Don't forget that that Feraligatr is also… You know… Too…" Xavier said. His voice was still cold.

"Yeah, I know…" Claura said.

"And now, four more appear…" Xavier said. "What should we do about this?"

"…We still need Bismarck's help in our mission." Claura answered. "But after we finish…"

"Ahoy! Mateys!"

Before Claura could finish her sentence, a loud voice of a Feraligatr called her and her cousin. They then turned their attention to the entrance of the Wingull Tavern and found that Magnus was standing there, with four Pokemon behind him. They were the Sceptile named Jasper, the Scyther named Zenpai, the Heliolisk named Viola and the Aggron named Grimlock.

"Buckos, meet our new mateys!" Bismarck spoke to Claura and Xavier. "These four landlubbers gunna travel wit' us from now on."

A flash of anger and a flash of coldness appeared in Claura's eyes and Xavier's eyes respectively as they heard Bismarck's words, but they quickly disappeared as if they had never appeared in their eyes before.

"Whatever!" Claura spoke up and turned back. "I will go and find a better thing to do for now! Don't bother me if you don't want to die!"

"Ahoy…" Bismarck said and scratched his head as he saw Claura's sudden mood change. "What 'et into ye sea horse?"

"I think she's in h—" Jasper spoke up without thinking, which made Claura turning back to face him with a flash of anger in her eyes once again. This time, that flash didn't disappear like before… It still lingered in her eyes as she, with her anchor, suddenly approached the Sceptile…

And thus, the Sceptile had another chance to suffer a near-death experience…

* * *

 **-A Few Days Later…**

After a short break on the land, the Seacross Ship left the port town of Seaside. This time, the destination was their lair, the Back Island. It would take them about three days to reach Back Island by using the sea route that also passed through Sparkling Island and Twinwave Island.

Other than the rations and several barrels of grog, the Seacross also got four new Pokemon boarding this ship. They were a Sceptile named Jasper, a Scyther named Zenpai, a Heliolisk named Viola and an Aggron named Grimlock. Despite being what pirate called 'landlubbers', they all were quite friendly toward everyone on the ship. Jasper always flirted with the girls on the ship. Zenpai sometimes had a friendly battle with other pirates. Grimlock often had a drink with other pirates. (Mostly with Bismarck) Viola usually had a friendly talk with everyone. All of these made the pirates of Seacross acting friendly toward them, as if they were their friends…

All except…

A Kingdra and a Dragonite…

During their staying on the ship of Seacross, Claura and Xavier refused to get near Jasper, Zenpai, Viola and Grimlock, let alone speak to them. Bismarck always tried to introduce Claura and Xavier to his new friends, but Xavier always fell asleep during the introduction, and Claura wouldn't hesitate to become aggressive towards any of them if they did something she considered 'offensive' to her, such as when Jasper looked at her with a sparkle in his eyes, often resulting in her attacking him and accusing Jasper of flirting at her.

"What's the problem with those two?" Viola asked as Claura and Xavier already left the pirate ship and went onto the Sparkling Island. After several hours of sailing through the sea of Riverbrine, the sun was starting to descend from the sky. The pirate ship was now docked near Sparkling Island, the island of glittering pearl, in order to call it a day. Some pirates, including the Kingdra and the Dragonite from just before, had already left the ship and went onto the island in order to find a tavern to fill their belly or for anything else. Right now, Zenpai and Grimlock were helping Jasper, who had been attacked mercilessly by the Kingdra earlier.

"Dunno." Bismarck said. "That sea'viar always falls asleep just like 'tis, but the sea horse… I don't be knowin' what get into her…"

"But that Kingdra reminds me of Viola a bit…" Grimlock spoke up after he and Zenpai finished helping the Sceptile. "Y'know… Viola would be like that when she's on her pe—"

"GRIMLOCK!" Viola suddenly extended her collar and emitted several beams of electricity from her collar to Grimlock, attacking him with the move Parabolic Charge!

"ARRTGRGRG!" Grimlock cried in pain as he was attacked by the angry Heliolisk. Meanwhile, Bismarck, Jasper and Zenpai stood silently as they watched the whole scene…

'…Women are scary…' Zenpai thought to himself.

* * *

 **-A Day Later… At Night…**

"Found anything?"

Claura asked as Xavier got back onto the ship. Right now, the ship of Seacross was docked at Twinwave Island, one of the islands in Riverbrine Archipelago and one of two islands that the ship of Seacross would pass through during their journey back to Back Island. Just like yesterday, Claura and Xavier went onto the island after they arrived. And after a few hours, they came back onto the ship. It seemed like Claura and Xavier went onto the Twinwave Island in order to search for something, and then both of them came back to meet each other at the ship.

"Nope." Xavier said. "How about you?"

"No." Claura answered. "Just like Sparkling Island, they are not here too."

"As I have guessed…" Xavier said. "If they aren't on Sparkling Island and Twinwave Island…"

"There are five more islands for us to search, Xavier." Claura said. "And we will reach Back Island by tomorrow's lunch."

"For now, let's catch some sleep… Yawn…" Xavier said and yawned.

Claura nodded, and then both of them got into the saloon of the ship before they entered the deck corridor in order to go back to their room. However, as they entered the deck corridor, they met someone else…

"Ah! Thar ye be!"

A loud and gruff voice called the cousins. It didn't take them very long to recognize who the owner of the voice is.

"Bismarck?" Claura said and turned her attention to the owner of the voice, and then she realized that, other than the Feraligatr, there were four other Pokemon with them too, and they were none other than… 'them'.

"Whar have both 'o ye be?" Bismarck said as he approached the Kingdra and the Dragonite, along with Jasper, Zenpai, Viola and Grimlock.

"Nothing." Claura answered. Her eyes were fixed at Bismarck so that she wouldn't have to look at the other four Pokemon behind the Feraligatr. "What about you, Bismarck? What are you doing here at a time like this?"

"Yeah…" Xavier spoke up. "I remember that you would be at the tavern somewhere around here and stuff your belly with those liquid made out of berries—"

"Shut ye mouth up ye sea'viar, or ye gunna goin' to get keelhaul." Bismarck said.

"Oh, great…" Grimlock mumbled. "This Dragonite reminded me of…him."

"Anyway…" Bismarck continued speaking. "Ye be knowin' that we gunna reach our home by to'morrow's midday meal, right? What I be needin' to be tellin' ye be that I won't be at th' base fer a while."

"Why?" Claura asked.

"Let's explain the next part." Zenpai spoke up, making a spark of anger and a spark of coldness flashed in the Kingdra's eyes and the Dragonite's eyes for a second.

"First, you may don't know this…" Viola started speaking. "But we are—"

"The one who bears the Blood of Legend in veins with the destiny to 'save' the world from the 'danger', right?" Xavier spoke up with a sarcastic voice.

"Wait, how did you know that?!" Jasper asked.

"…Won't you continue your explanation?" Xavier said. "I am quite sleepy by now, so if you don't finish your explanation within the next—"

"Okay, okay…" Viola interrupted the Dragonite's words. "Well… Jasper and Zenpai came from Leafburg while Grimlock and I came from Civilight. The reason we are here was because the former Hero of Electric type, Ellisk Sparkvolt the Heliolisk, who is my father, told all of us to come and meet the Aquamarines…"

"…" Despite still holding a grudge against all of them, Claura and Xavier listened carefully to the Heliolisk.

"Th' Aquamarines that th' land'zard mentioned was referred to me 'n me pop." Bismarck spoke up. "Y'know… Me moniker be Bismarck Aquamarine th' Feraligatr, 'n me salty sea-dog 'o a father's moniker be **Magnus Aquamarine th' Feraligatr** , 'n he be th' current Hero of Water type."

"…So, the reason that four 'Hero' of Legend are here is because they want to meet the Hero of Water type and his son." Claura said. "And the son of the Hero of Water type is right here…"

"Right." Zenpai said. "And the next thing we must do is to meet the current Hero of Water type, Magnus Aquamarine the Feraligatr."

"I understand." Claura said. "The reason why Bismarck won't be around here after we reach Back Island is because he, along with you all, would go and meet the 'Hero' of Water type, right?"

"Half-right." Bismarck spoke up. "While, 'tis true that we gunna leave to meet me salty sea-dog 'o a father, a better word to use be 'to find me salty sea-dog 'o a father'."

"…What does that mean?" Claura asked.

"It means that me salty sea-dog 'o a father be now missin'." Bismarck said.

* * *

 **-Meanwhile… Near the Riverbrine-Fireview Border**

"WHAT?!"

A loud voice of a Charizard and a Garchomp could be heard from a small cave in the middle of a pine forest. The owner of those voices were none other than Zetarus and Diego.

"If I were you, I will lower my voice so no one would find out that there're two outlaws hiding around here." Richard spoke.

"H…Hey!" Diego spoke. "W…What did you mean by that?!"

"I mean that the words I told you earlier when we first arrived at Riverbrine was now invalid." Richard said.

"…Didn't I tell you to use easier words?" Zetarus said.

"…It means that it will take longer than one week for us to reach Fireview Kingdom." Richard said.

"Hey! How come that be?!" Diego said.

"Don't forget that it's our first time here in the Queendom of Riverbrine…" Richard said. "And the blizzard of this Frostdrop Pine Forest makes everything worse."

"Then, how long would it take for us to reach Fireview?!" Diego asked.

"I don't know." Richard said. "But I am sure that it wouldn't take us longer than one month."

"GARRR!" Zetarus suddenly roared out. His sudden action shocked Rachael, who was playing with Cathy.

"…" While his younger sister was shocked by the the Garchomp's roar, Richard didn't say anything, not even a bit. In fact, the reason why he remained silent seemed like he was scared by the Garchomp's ferocious action, not because he could stay calm and collected.

"Why do I have to stay with this 'Zno' thing for a whole month?!" Zetarus roared. "I fxxxxxg hate this place!"

"CHARRR!" Diego roared out. "When will I be able to get back to Fireview and kick those axxxxxxs in their axs?!"

"…" Richard didn't say (Or act) anything.

"Garrr… Whatever…" Zetarus said. It seemed like he had finally calmed down. "Geezz… I am so tired… I think I will call it a day right now…"

"WHAT?!" Diego was shocked by Zetarus' sudden change of mood. "Just like that?"

"Well… What can we do?" Zetarus said. "Those Lati are our only hope anyway…"

"Hm!" Diego grumbled before he turned his attention to Richard. "If it wasn't because we needed your help, I would murder you right now and right here!"

"…" Richard didn't say anything.

"Hm!" Diego grumbled one more time before he walked up to his sleeping bag near Zetarus (Who had already fallen asleep) and got into it. The Charizard then quickly fell asleep after a long day of journey.

"T…T…They are so scary…" Rachael spoke up after she saw that the Garchomp and the Charizard had already fallen asleep.

"…" Richard still didn't say anything. In fact, it seemed like he was paralyzed by fear when the Charizard threatened to kill him.

"O…O…Onii-chan… Let's continue our bedtime story!" Rachael quickly approached her brother and asked her brother to continue reading the bedtime story in order to distract her brother from his fear. "I want to know what would happen next."

"Hm? Y…Yeah, sure…" Richard said and picked a book of bedtime story before he continued reading it to his sister from where he paused.

 **To Be Continued…**

* * *

 **Dragon of Vale: Sorry for lack of update. It was because my whole break is over, so I wouldn't be able to update very often just like before…**

 **Anyway, it has already been 3 chapters of the fourth tail and we still haven't gotten into the 'main story' of the fourth tail yet… Don't worry. The next chapter will get this story into the main story of the fourth tail.**

 **One more thing, it may seem like this chapter goes on at a slow pace, but once it gets into the main story of the fourth tail, the story will go on at a faster pace.**

 **A special thanks to Ridin Valon for helping me with the error correction.**


	34. Tail 4-4: Tragedy of the Wave

**A Dragon's Tail**

 **Tail 4: Claura's Tail -** **Stagnation**

 **Tail 4-4: Tragedy of the Wave**

 **-In the throne room of Snowlost Castle, Queendom of Riverbrine**

"Your majesty! Please! We beg your mercy!" Several water type Pokemon pled as they were now kneeling in front of the throne, where the queen of the Queendom of Riverbrine was sitting.

"Silence!" Queen Nyxier scolded. "Your insolence of trying to cause havoc upon the motherland of Riverbrine is unforgivable!"

"But your majesty, right now, the Riverbrine Archipelago is plagued with a mysterious sea monster that destroyed everything in its path, making it almost impossible for us to earn enough for the tax—"

"Insolence!" Queen Nyxier scolded at the villagers of Riverbrine Archipelago. "Your job is to earn enough money for our beloved queendom. If you can't do it, then you will not have any right to walk the holy realm of water and snow. Guards! Take them to the dungeon!"

"My queen! Spare mercy on us!" Several villagers tried to plea again as the guards took them away from the throne room, but their plea was unresponded until none of them were in the throne room anymore…

"Those wretched creatures…" Queen Nyxier commented. "This punishment served them right! Ho Ho Ho!"

"…Mother?" Misvale spoke up. Right now, she was standing beside her mother. "Isn't it a bit… too much to punish them just because they couldn't afford to pay tax?"

"Not too much, my darling…" Queen Nyxier spoke to her daughter with a much softer voice than the voice she used to scold the villagers. "Their crime is truly unforgivable, so it served them right."

"But what they said is true, mother." Misvale said. "There's a report of a monstrous sea creature roaming around the Riverbrine Archipelago, destroying everything in its sight; be a house or a ship. With this, the villagers couldn't continue their work at the sea as it's too dangerous to travel the Riverbrine Sea right now, so their reason of not having enough money to pay for the tax is reasonable…"

"That's not reasonable, my beloved daughter." Queen Nyxier said. "If they can't pay, then they don't have any right to stay here. This is the law of Riverbrine, my dear."

"But—" Misvale tried to reason with her mother. However, her words were cut short here when another Pokemon entered the throne room. He was none other than the Royal Family's personal butler.

"You summoned me, your majesty?" The butler bowed at Queen Nyxier and Misvale.

"Ah, there you are…" Queen Nyxier turned her attention to the butler. "Have you prepared for tonight's grand dinner yet?"

"Yes, of course, milady." The butler bowed at the queen again. "We already got the ingredients for tonight's grand meal."

"Just remember that tonight will be an important night for Tundrafrost Royal Family." Queen Nyxier said. "I want every dish served at tonight's grand dinner to exceed the cost of living of those wretched creatures."

"M…Mother!" Misvale was shocked by her mother's words. "I…Isn't it a bit too much?"

"It must be, my dear." Queen Nyxier said. "Because all nobles and senates of Queendom of Riverbrine will come to join us for tonight's grand dinner, so we must give them our best care."

"But—" Misvale tried to continue speaking, but again, her words were cut off by the butler's voice.

"As you command, milady." The butler bowed at Queen Nyxier again. "I will go back to the kitchen to proceed with your instruction, if you excuse me, milady…"

"Ho! Ho! Ho!" Queen Nyxier laughed as the butler left the throne room, leaving Queen Nyxier and Misvale in the throne room…

'Why?' Misvale thought as she looked at the butler who was leaving the throne room. 'Why? I don't understand… Why?!'

* * *

 **Meanwhile…**

After leaving the throne room, the butler walked along the hall of Snowlost Castle before he proceeded to go to the storage of the castle, where all ingredients for cooking were stored. Then he picked up some ingredients that would be used for tonight's grand dinner. However, just when he reached the deeper part of the storage room…

"…There you are, **Snow Tundrafrost the Lapras**."

A strong and gruff voice called the name of the butler from the deepest part of the storage room. The butler stopped moving as he heard the voice. Although he still hadn't seen the owner of the voice yet, he knew who he is.

"…What are you doing here?" The butler spoke with a cold voice, unlike the heartwarming voice he used to speak with Queen Nyxier and Misvale.

"I just heard about Nyxier's action, so I decided to come here to see it with my own eyes." The mysterious Pokemon said.

"You don't have any right to come here, general." The butler said.

"I know." The mysterious Pokemon said. "And I don't really want to be here, especially to meet the corrupted queen of Riverbrine."

"I must ask you to stop speaking about your majesty using those words, general." The butler said.

"…If I don't, what would you do?" The mysterious Pokemon asked with a sinister voice.

"…" The butler didn't say anything.

"You never change…" The mysterious Pokemon said. "Well, I have my own morals, so I will leave now. However, expect me to visit here again soon…"

The mysterious Pokemon slowly walked up from the deepest part of the room. He slowly walked past the butler, who didn't say anything until the mysterious Pokemon left the storage room.

"…" The butler said nothing before he continued with his duty.

* * *

 **-Meanwhile... On the Back Island, Queendom of Riverbrine**

After several months of absence, the Seacross had finally come back to the place they called home, Back Island, one of seven islands in the Riverbrine Archipelago. Because it was surrounded by strong current and whirlpools, most ships didn't bother to go near it, except for the ship of fearless pirates, making it a perfect haven for them.

"Land Ahoy!"

The ship of Seacross slowly docked at the beach of Back Island, and severalpirates got out of the ship and walked the land of Back Island.

 _"We finally get back home!"_

 _"Ahoy! Cap'n says that we gunna stay here fer a while!"_

 _"Aye! That's great!"_

 _"I be goin' to drink spiced grog 'til I hit a knockout!"_

Several pirates spoke with their mates as they got out of the ship and walked the land of Back Island, until their head was knocked by a fist of their captain.

"What be ye all doin'?!" Bismarck scolded. "Get goin' or I be goin' to kick ye but!"

"AYE! SIR!"

Several pirates said and quickly went back into the ship to carry their supplies and several barrels of grog from the ship to their hideout.

"Don't slack off!" Bismarck scolded at his crew as they were doing their job.

"You seem to be busy, hm?" A voice spoke to the Feraligatr. It came from Viola, who was walking out of the ship along with Grimlock, Zenpai and Jasper.

"Aye." Bismarck said.

"Hey…" Grimlock mumbled and looked around, as if he was trying to find something. "Where's that Kingdra and that Dragonite?"

"Th' sea horse 'n th' sea'viar?" Bismarck said. "Don't worry 'bout them. They be never mornin' Pokemon anyway. But they gunna show up before I sail out anyway."

"Well, if you say so…" Grimlock said.

"So, when will we leave?" Jasper asked.

"Fer now, let's get some rest 'n preparation.." Bismarck answered. "When th' sea turns red, meet me at a cave behind 'tis island. We gunna leave when th' sea turns black."

After he finished speaking, Bismarck walked away into the Seacross' Base, leaving Viola, Grimlock, Zenpai and Jasper here.

"Meet him when the sea turns red? And then leave when the sea turns black?" Grimlock mumbled. "What did he mean by that?"

"He meant that we meet him at a cave behind Back Island at the twilight." Zenpai answered. "And then we will leave after the sunset."

"Not like that, Zenpai." Viola said. "It should be, 'You idiot! Didn't your ash-filled brain understands such common words of mediocrity?'"

Everyone laughed at Viola as she spoke using difficult words while also imitating a voice of a certain dragon who, along with another dragon, was travelling with them until not too long ago…

"Man… Not gonna lie… But I really miss his voice…" Grimlock said.

"Me too…" Viola suddenly became saddened. "Despite his arrogance, I think I really miss Richard…"

"Us too…" Jasper and Zenpai said. "We also miss Rachael… She is our beloved sister… I wonder where they are right now…"

"…Should we really be here?" Grimlock spoke up. "I mean, shouldn't we go back and find them first?"

"…They will be fine… I am sure…" Jasper said. "I trust that Richard wouldn't let his younger sister get into any harm."

"Well… If that's so…" Zenpai said. "Then, what should we do right now? We still have several hours before the twilight. For me, I think I will do some training. Anyone want to join me? Jasper?"

"Nah, not now…" Jasper declined Zenpai's offer. "I have a better thing to do."

"Do what?" Grimlock asked.

"Take care of my own 'weapon'. Not my Emerald Katana, but my hidden 'weapon'." Jasper spoke with a crafty voice.

"Whatever… Just don't let that Kingdra hear your words…" Zenpai said before he turned his attention to Viola and Grimlock. "What about you two?"

"My tummy's rumbling right now." Grimlock answered. "I think I will grab something to feed it."

"Well… I think that I will catch some nap." Viola said.

"Then, see you guys at the dusk of the day." Zenpai said.

* * *

 **-Several hours later… At the time of twilight…**

"WOAH!"

Grimlock shouted out with a surprised voice as Bismarck led him, Viola, Jasper and Zenpai to a small cave behind Back Island, which was Bismarck's private cave. In front of the cave was a ship, although it was much smaller than the Seacross Ship.

"She's th' real beauty, isn't she?" Bismarck said. "She was once me salty sea-dog 'o a father's. But since he be missin', she be mine now."

"That reminds me…" Viola spoke up. "Bismarck, you haven't told us about your father, have you?"

"Right." Jasper said. "How did he go missing?"

Before Bismarck could say anything, two Pokemon suddenly appeared. They were none other than the Dragonite and the Kingdra, Xavier and Claura.

"Oh, both 'o ye be finally here!" Bismarck said.

"Yeah." Claura said. "And it seems like the night has already conquered the sky."

"Then, let's be off." Bismarck said. "Hop onto me ship! I gunna be tellin' ye what I be knowin' 'bout me salty sea-dog 'o a father while we be on th' ship!"

After he finished speaking, Bismarck got onto his own ship, followed by Viola, Grimlock, Jasper, Zenpai, Claura and Xavier. When he saw that everyone had already boarded his ship, Bismarck turned on the control system of the ship!

"AHOY!" Bismarck roared as his ship gradually set sail from the Back Island, and went into the dark Riverbrine Sea at night.

* * *

After the ship left Back Island, Bismarck left the control of the ship to Claura and Xavier and went onto the deck of the ship, where Viola, Grimlock, Jasper and Zenpai were. All of them were looking at the sea of Riverbrine at night as the ship set sail.

"So…" Zenpai started the conversation. "Can you tell us what happened to the Hero of Water type, Magnus Aquamarine the Feraligatr?"

Instead of answering the question, Bismarck turned his attention to the female Heliolisk. "Viola, did ye remember th' first the hour we met each other?"

"Yes." Viola said. "It was…my dad who took me to Riverbrine Island to meet you. Back then, you were living with your merchant family, right?"

"Aye." Bismarck nodded. "As ye shout, I was born in a family 'o merchants. all ye pirates in me family be merchants... Except me salty sea-dog 'o a father. He used to be a scurvy pirate, just like what I be right now. However, after th' Fallen Crisis 30 years ago, he quited bein' a scurvy pirate 'n got married wit' me mother. 'tis whole thin' got him into a ship 'o merchant."

"And then?" Grimlock asked.

"Well… It started… seven years ago? Or six? Or five? Nah, can't remember… Usually, it was me salty sea-dog 'o a father's ship to do th' sea tradin' stuff wit' his ship. However, it was th' stormy season; a season when th' storms usually occur in th' Ri'erbrine Sea, but me salty sea-dog 'o a father still continue his ship 'o doin' th' tradin' stuff wit' his ship from Ri'erbrine to 'enturnome..."

"Don't tell me that…" Jasper mumbled as he started to be able to guess what happened.

"Aye… He didn't make it to Venturnome. Actually, he had never got his sail out 'o Riverbrine Sea." Bismarck said. "Ye be knowin'... Goin' into th' sea durin' a stormy season be a bad idea... So..."

Bismarck stopped telling his story for a bit, and everything fell into silence. No sound could be heard by anyone except the sound of the ship sailing across the sea of Riverbrine.

"Bismarck…" Viola spoke up. "Are you okay?"

"Me? Nah… I be fine…" Bismarck said.

"…And what happened next?" Zenpai asked.

"Th' ship capsized." Bismarck answered. "Almost all ye who boarded that ship died in that incident."

"What about your father?" Jasper asked.

"He went missin'." Bismarck said.

"What do you mean by 'missing'?" Grimlock asked.

"Well... After th' storm ended, th' rescue team could rescue th' survived Pokemon as well as salvagin' th' corpse 'o Pokemon who died in that incident... Except fer one Pokemon..." Bismarck said.

"…Your father?" Viola said.

"Aye." Bismarck nodded. "They have never found me salty sea-dog 'o a father, dead or ali'e. He be th' only Pokemon in that incident who be still missin' in th' sea 'o Riverbrine"

"…And what do you think about this?" Zenpai asked. "Do you think he is still alive or…"

"He be still ali'e. I be sure 'o it." Bismarck said.

"How could you know that?" Grimlock asked.

"First, I have a feelin' that he be still alive." Bismarck said. "Second, if he be already dead, I would have already inherited his power 'o legend 'n become th' Hero of Water type by now. But I didn't, so it means that he be still alive."

"I don't understand this." Jasper said. "I mean, he is the Hero of Water type! And he used to be a pirate too! If he is still alive, why didn't he show up back at your home? That doesn't make any sense!"

"Neither me…" Bismarck said. "However, since four Hero/ine 'o Legend have appeared, I reckon 'tis the hour fer me to find him 'n discover th' truth 'o what had happened to Me salty sea-dog 'o a father."

"How?" Grimlock asked.

"First, we gunna be off to Ri'erbrine Island." Bismarck said. "That place be... No... Used to be me home. I be quite sure that we would be able to find somethin' thar..."

* * *

 **-Meanwhile…**

While Bismarck was speaking to Viola, Grimlock, Jasper and Zenpai about his father, Claura and Xavier were in the ship's control room. Despite them having their paws on the control wheel, the Kingdra and the Dragonite could hear the words spoken by five Pokemon outside the control room.

"Riverbrine Island, hm?" Xavier mumbled and yawned. "That would be the fourth island of Riverbrine Archipelago that we would pay a visit."

"Yeah…" Claura said. "They said that they would try to find Bismarck's father. However, this matter doesn't concern us. What concerns us is that we must continue our duty of finding 'them'."

"Right… Yawn…." Xavier yawned again. "But what if we couldn't find them on Riverbrine Island? And I am sure that we wouldn't."

"Then we will find a ship to the remaining three islands." Claura answered and turned the control wheel in order to control the ship to their destination, Riverbrine Island. "Bismarck said that we will reach our destination by the time of daybreak, so there's still a long way to go… Luckily, we already had a plenty rest during daytime, so I don't think that we… No, I, would get sleepy…"

"Yawn…" Xavier released another huge yawn from his mouth.

* * *

 **-Several hours later…**

Riverbrine Island was the biggest island in Riverbrine Archipelago. It stood as a hub of several trading routes, as well as its past as the old capital of the old Confederacy of Riverbrine, making it the biggest settlement in the Queendom of Riverbrine despite not being its capital city. (The capital city of Queendom of Riverbrine was Snowlost City, which was actually the third-biggest settlement in the Queendom of Riverbrine behind Seaside Town and Riverbrine Island.)

By the time that Bismarck's ship was docked at the Riverbrine Island Pier, it was already the time of daybreak.

"Land ahoy… Yawn…" Bismarck mumbled as he, along with others, slowly got out of his ship.

"So… This is Riverbrine Island, the biggest settlement in the Queendom of Riverbrine…" Zenpai mumbled as he looked around the town at the daybreak. Despite being the moment of dawn, some Pokemon (Almost all of them were water type Pokemon) had already started working. They were either merchants or sailors.

"'tis place never changes…" Bismarck mumbled.

"Um… Bismarck?" Grimlock spoke up.

"Yup?" Bismarck turned his attention to the Aggron.

"Are you sure that you want to go into the town dressing in… THAT uniform?" Grimlock asked.

"The pirate captain uniform? But didn't he do it when we were at the Seaside Town?" Jasper said.

"Oh, I forgot about that…" Grimlock said. "That means everyone around here is comfortable with you in your pirate uniform, especially this place, which is your hometown."

Grimlock's words created a huge impact at the Feraligatr. It seemed like he was shocked by the Aggron's words, and he wasn't very good at hiding his emotion.

"Bismarck, what's wrong?" Viola asked after she noticed the Feraligatr's expression.

"…Ye be right." Bismarck spoke up. "I change my cloth fer now."

After he finished speaking, Bismarck picked another cloth from his bag. However, instead of going into his ship's cabin to change his cloth…

"WHAT?!"

Viola quickly covered her eyes as Bismarck started taking off his pirate uniform!

"Bismarck! W… What are you doing?!" Jasper asked with a shocked voice.

"Don't speak to me right now." Bismarck said as he continued taking off his cloth and putting on the clothes he had just picked from his bag, which was the cloth that most sailors usually wore.

"Thar, all finish." Bismarck said before he put away his pirate captain uniform.

"Bismarck, you shamless Feraligatr!" Viola suddenly became angry at the Feraligatr. "You should go into your ship's cabin to change your cloth, not doing it in the public!"

"What's wrong wit' it? I did it all th' the hour." Bismarck said.

"…I give up." Viola suddenly calmed down and mumbled.

"Well... 'tis prevent anyone to be knowin' that I be a scurvy pirate." Bismarck said.

"Um… Bismarck?" Jasper spoke up.

"Ahoy?" Bismarck turned his attention to the Sceptile.

"If you really want to conceal your pirate identity from anyone, I think you shouldn't speak too much." Zenpai spoke up.

"Why?" Bismarck said.

"It's your tongue." Zenpai said.

"My tongue? Brrrr…" Bismarck said and stuck his tongue out. "Ee ar om-in' ong it' e ongue? (Be thar somethin' wrong wit' me tongue?)"

"You moron." Viola mumbled. "Zenpai didn't speak about your tongue! He's talking about your speech!"

"Right." Zenpai nodded. "Although you didn't wear a pirate captain uniform, everyone could tell that you are a pirate captain by hearing your pirate accent."

"Oh, that's right." Bismarck said. "So, how about this? Is this alright?"

"Wait a minute…" Jasper said. "Bismarck, how did you change your accent within a second?! Is it even possible?!"

"Well, actually, this accent is my primal…" Bismarck said. "However, what's the deal with pirate captain who doesn't speak pirate accent? So I decided to speak using pirate accent of all time. Well… It's good to speak using my primal accent once in a while…"

"That's right." Viola said. "You are a son of a merchant on this island anyway."

"…" Bismarck said nothing.

"…By the way…" Grimlock spoke up. "Where're that Kingdra and Dragonite?"

Everyone looked around and realized that the Aggron's words are the truth, as Claura and Xavier were nowhere to be found around here.

"They left us when we first arrived at this island." Zenpai answered.

"That's not just like them…" Bismarck said.

"Whatever…" Grimlock said. "Well… Where should we start?"

"…Could you take me to the post office first?" Jasper spoke up, much to everyone's surprise.

"Post office?" Bismarck repeated Jasper's words. "Why there?"

"…I am worried about Julia, my aunt." Jasper said. "Zenpai and I left Leafburg for several months without either telling her or contacting her. I know… Leaving my home without either telling my family or sending them a letter is—"

"Don't worry about that, Bismarck." Viola spoke up. "I am not much different than you. I haven't contacted Uncle Lumiere since the day we left Civilight."

"…" Grimlock, Zenpai and Bismarck didn't say anything when they heard Viola and Jasper's words.

"Well then, I think Jasper and I will go to the post office first…" Viola said. "What about you three? Would you all come with us? Maybe you all could send a letter to your family too."

"… Everyone in my family is dead, not counting Jasper and her…" Zenpai said. "…But I think I would go with you anyway."

"…Maybe…" Grimlock spoke up. "I think I should contact my family too… I heard that they were now staying at the Solar Village at the Theocracy of Venturnome… Well, this would be the first time I contact them in this decade…"

"…" Bismarck said nothing.

"What about you, Bismarck?" Jasper asked. "But since you will meet them soon, I think you will have no need to send them a letter. Still, could you show us the way to the post office?"

"…Follow me." Bismarck said before he started walking into the town, with Jasper, Zenpai, Grimlock and Viola followed them.

* * *

 **-Meanwhile…**

"Found anything?"

Claura asked when she reunited with her cousin at the beach of Riverbrine Island. This beach located northeast of the settlement on the Riverbrine Island. It was the neglected area where most Pokemon usually didn't come around here.

"Nope." Xavier said and yawned. "I guess we are done for this island."

"So, three more to go before we leave the Riverbrine Archipelago." Claura said. "Do you have any idea where to go next?"

"I think we should head to the Isles of Spice and Solitude Island next." Xavier answered. "And then we will finish our investigation at the Triangle Islands before we move onto the mainland once again."

"Then, we should go back and tell Bismarck that we will go to the Isles of Spice." Claura said. "I doubt he would stay on this island only for a while, so let's catch another ship."

"Yawn…" Xavier yawned once again and closed his eyes, as if he was ready to fall asleep.

But then…

"?" Xavier suddenly opened his eyes turned his head to the other side of the beach.

"What's wrong, Xavier?" Claura asked.

"I think I hear…something." Xavier said and closed his eyes once again. Claura then did the same thing her cousin did.

"…You are right!" Claura said and opened her eyes. "I hear it! It sounds like a sound of…struggling! Strange… There shouldn't be anyone at the beach around here…"

"Should we check it out?" Xavier said.

Claura gave a nod to her cousin, and then both of them started walking across the beach to the other side in order to find what's going on there…

However…

The thing they found there was the thing that wasn't the thing they expected to see on the peaceful Riverbrine Island!

"W…What's this?!" Claura shouted out as she found several corpses laying on the beach. All corpses were torn, clawed, and bit savagely, making the sand around here tainted with red blood!

"So lovely…" Xavier spoke up. "The sight of Pokemon being killed mercilessly… So beautiful… So lovely…"

"This isn't the time for your admiration, Xavier!" Claura scolded her cousin before she turned her attention back to several corpses. All of them were Water type Pokemon. It seemed like they were killed just not too long ago.

"…The sounds we heard… are actually their screams…" Claura mumbling.

"Well, it's too bad that we couldn't come here sooner…" Xavier said. "If we did, I would be able to witness a beautiful scene of murderous death! And I may be able to join them too!"

"Not now, Xavier!" Claura scolded her cousin again. "Xavier, go and report this to the polices of Riverbrine. Tell them about what happened here."

"Oh, geez… Fine" Xavier mumbled before he started flying away.

After the Dragonite flew away, Claura turned her attention back to the corpses of the Pokemon that were brutally killed on this beach.

"Who…" Claura mumbled. "Who did this?!"

 **To Be Continued…**

* * *

 **Dragon of Vale: Here's another chapter of the fourth tail. It seems like things are starting to get serious right now… However, there're yet several unanswered questions in this chapter… Which would be revealed soon…**

 **A special thanks to Ridin Valon for helping me with the error correction.**


	35. Tail 4-5: A Ship Without an Anchor

**A Dragon's Tail**

 **Tail 4: Claura's Tail -** **Stagnation**

 **Tail 4-5: A Ship Without an Anchor**

 **-Snowlost Castle, at night**

Tonight was a big night for Snowlost Castle, as there was a banquet being held in the dining hall of the castle. The purpose of this banquet was to celebrate the 22th year anniversary of the reunion of the Confederacy of Riverbrine and the Queendom of Snowlost, and the birth of Queendom of Riverbrine. Many nobles, from Snowy Region, River Region and Brine Region, were invited to join this banquet held by the first queen of the reunited Queendom of Riverbrine, Queen Nyxier Tundrafrost the Aurorus.

"Long live Queen Nyxier!"

Everyone in the dining hall made a toast for the beautiful queen of Riverbrine during the banquet.

"Ho Ho Ho!" Queen Nyxier laughed happily. She was now sitting at the head of the table. Beside her was her daughter and the heir to the throne of Queendom of Riverbrine, Princess Misvale Tundrafrost the Aurorus. Behind the queen of Riverbrine was a Lapras butler who always served under the Royal Family, Snow Tundrafrost the Lapras.

"Would you like some more Oran Wine, your majesty?" Snow asked.

"Ah, yes." Queen Nyxier said. "Don't forget to bring the wine that most suits a beautiful queen like me."

"Will this one do, my queen?" Snow asked and showed Queen Nyxier a bottle of Oran Wine. The label on the bottle told them that this wine was made 28 years ago.

"Ah! I remember this one! It was made in Rucas and Fenrir's wedding day." Queen Nyxier said. "This sophisticated wine would truly suit someone like me! Pour it for me."

Snow nodded and poured the wine into an empty glass in front of Queen Nyxier. Meanwhile, Misvale spoke up.

"Mother…" Misvale spoke up. "Did you just mention the name 'Rucas' and 'Fenrir'? Are they… the 'Hero of Justice' and the chancellor of Shadowlost Territory?"

"Certainly correct, my dear." Queen Nyxier said as she sipped the Oran Berry Wine. "They are good friends of mine when we travelled together during the Fallen Crisis 30 years ago… Ah… This brings back good memories for me…"

"I remember that there are 14 Hero/ine of Legend during the Fallen Crisis…" Misvale continued speaking. "Other than the three you mentioned, Emperor Garland and Empress Sharon of Dustorm Empire and Pontifex Hawkins and Archsage Iris of Theocracy of Venturnome are one of them too… What about the rest?"

"Ah! There are Cleric Zira of Theocracy of Venturnome, Swordman Joshua of Principality of Leafburg, Thief Ellisk and Engineer Kamui of Republic of Civilight, Pirate Magnus of Queendom of Riverbrine and Guardian Leonel of Fireview Kingdom." Queen Nyxier answered.

"…The names you mentioned... Combined with the names I mentioned… equal to only 13 Hero/ine of Legend…" Misvale said. "What about the last one?"

Queen Nyxier didn't answer her daughter's question. Instead, it seemed like she had completely ignored Misvale's question!

"Your majesty!"

An Alolan Sandslash suddenly appeared and ran up to the Queen of Riverbrine, much to her annoyance.

"What reason do you have to interrupt a moment of my celebration, you lowly soldier?" Queen Nyxier asked with a sarcastic voice.

"Forgive my sudden appearance, your majesty." The Alolan Sandslash bowed at the queen. "But this is urgent! It's about the villagers!"

"What do those miserable villagers do this time?" Queen Nyxier asked.

"There's ruckus all over the place!" The Alolan Sandslash reported. "The villagers say that they can't stand under the oppression of the queen anymore, so they will start a rebellion!"

"What?!" Queen Nyxier said. "How dare they defy me?!"

"W…What should we do about this?" The Alolan Sandslash asked.

"We must put an end to this!" Queen Nyxier declared. "Deploy the troops to all settlements in Queendom of Riverbrine that tried to start the rebellion, and then execute everyone in those villages immediately!"

"B…But, milady…" The Alolan Sandslash continued speaking with a shaking voice. "T…T…There're still several villagers in those villages who don't participate in the rebellion!"

"So what?" Queen Nyxier said. "They may not join the rebellion, but they didn't do anything to stop them! And if we let them go, they might join the rebellion too! We must stop them all at once!"

"B…But—" The Alolan Sandslash tried to say something.

"Silence!" Queen Nyxier scolded. "How dare they defy my order! I am Queen Nyxier Tundrafrost the Aurorus, and I am the Heroine of of Ice type! I am the one chosen by the god! To defy me is equal to defy the god themselves! Now go!"

"Y…Yes, ma'am." The Alolan Sandslash said before he quickly left the hall.

"Those wretched creatures…" Queen Nyxier mumbled after her soldiers left the hall.

"Mother…" Misvale spoke up again. "Are you…"

"Don't worry, my dear. I am fine." Queen Nyxier spoke to her daughter with a much softer voice compared to before. "This is my duty as a queen, which I must do."

"…" Misvale said nothing after hearing her mother's words.

"Would you like some more wine, milady?" Snow spoke up.

"Ah, yes, please." Queen Nyxier said.

Snow bowed at the queen of Riverbrine before he refilled the glass with the Oran Berry Wine and handed it over to queen Nyxier.

And then…

"Ah! Your majesty!"

A voice turned the attention of both Aurorus and the Lapras to two Pokemon who were walking up to them. They were a female and male Alolan Ninetales who were the nobles that were invited to join tonight's meal.

"Greetings, your majesty the queen and Princess Mivale." The female Alolan Ninetales said and bowed down at the queen and the princess of Queendom of Riverbrine.

"Good evening." Queen Nyxier greeted the Alolan Ninetales.

"Your majesty looks very nice, as always!" The female Alolan Ninetales said. "And tonight's meal is so wonderful!"

"Ho! Ho! Ho! That's so kind of you." Queen Nyxier said.

"And here, let me introduce my son." The female Alolan Ninetales said and turned her attention to the male Alolan Ninetales beside her. "He is at the same age as Princess Misvale."

"Greetings, your majesty the queen and Princess Misvale." The male Alolan Ninetales bowed down at the queen and the princess of Queendom of Riverbrine.

"Greetings." Misvale said.

"Now, now… Why don't both of you sit down beside us?" Queen Nyxier waved her paw to two chairs beside her. One of them was across the seat of Misvale. Both Alolan Ninetales then bowed down at the queen one more time before they walked up to the seat and sat down, with the male Alolan Ninetales sat across Misvale.

"Snow, could you bring the finest pastry for our guests?" Queen Nyxier gave an order to her butler.

"Yes, of course, milady." Snow bowed at Queen Nyxier one more time before he slowly walked up to the door of the dining hall, and then he left this hall.

"And now… My son, why don't you start a conversation with Princess Misvale?" The female Alolan Ninetales said.

The male Alolan Ninetales nodded at his mother before he turned his attention to Misvale. "Princess Misvale, do you mind having a conversation with me?"

"Of course not…" Misvale said.

"Your majesty…" The female Alolan Ninetales turned her attention to Queen Nyxier and started another conversation. "Would you honor me by telling me more about the clothing you are wearing right now?"

"Of course." Queen Nyxier said. "First, you should know that I would never wear any clothe that's cheaper than the average cost of living of Riverbrine's peasants per year. And next…"

* * *

 **-Meanwhile…**

Snow was walking along the hallway of the Snowlost Castle. He then headed to the dark and long hall that would lead to the kitchen of the castle. Normally, this hall would have one or two soldiers guarding it, but since the army of Riverbrine was deployed to subdue the rebellion, there's no one around here.

"…" Snow started walking slowly across the long hallway. However, only just after he had already crossed half of the hallway…

"…Well… What do we have here… A member of the royal family walking around the castle in order to be a service to the nobles… Ironic, isn't it?"

The very same strong and gruff voice that the Lapras heard earlier today was heard again. It came from the very same mysterious Pokemon who was now standing at the end of the hallway. However, the darkness of the night made it impossible to see him clearly, but the Lapras knew who the owner of the voice was.

"…" Snow stopped walking, but he still didn't say anything while the mysterious Pokemon continued speaking.

"The Royal Law of Queendom of Riverbrine states that ' _Only female Pokemon could be accepted into the Royal Family'_ …" The mysterious Pokemon said. "Such a nonsensical law… Only Venturnome and Fireview have worse Royal Laws than this one…"

"…" Snow still doesn't say anything.

"And yet Nyxier chose to follow this stupid Royal Law…" The mysterious Pokemon continued speaking. "Didn't she see what suffering she had brought upon everyone around her?"

"…I afraid that you must be mistaken, general." Snow spoke up. "I am always happy to serve under Queen Nyxier and Princess Misvale, and I will continue to be until the rest of my life. And if I am not mistaken, you once found this law acceptable, general."

"I would lie if I didn't say no." The mysterious Pokemon said. "However, it was because I consider myself as a foreigner in this realm of snow and water, but Snow… Don't forget that you are actually Nyxier's younger brother."

"…What about you, general?" Snow asked. "Despite I am not part of Riverbrine Royal Family, I could at least stay with them and serve under them. But you, general. Not only you didn't serve under them, but you also abandoned them! Don't you remember what Queen Nyxier and Princess Misvale are to you?!"

"How could I forget?!" The mysterious Pokemon spoke with a hint of anger in his voice. "That's why I chose to remain with them for the time being. However, I couldn't serve under the corrupted queen who is selfish to the extreme, so—"

"Stop speaking those words, general." Snow said. "You aren't allowed to speak about the queen using those horrible words. I won't accept this."

"…How's Misvale doing right now?" The mysterious Pokemon said with a calmer voice than before and changed the topic of the conversation.

"…Even without you, the Queen does her best to make sure that she grows up into the finest lady on the continent of Symmetria." Snow answered. "Princess Misvale has grown into a beautiful young lady, making many nobles want to have their sons to get married with her. Just before I left the dining hall, there was another noble who came to speak with the queen in hope that the queen and the princess would be interested in them."

"What?!" The mysterious Pokemon said with a hint of anger in his voice again. "How dare they do something like that?!"

"Don't worry about this, general." Snow said. "Queen Nyxier always refuses the proposal of marriage from any nobles who dare to offer one to her because she wants Princess Misvale to choose her own lover on her own. She wants Princess Misvale to find her true love by herself, just like when the queen chose her lover by herself."

"…I must agree that, despite being like this, Nyxier does a very good job as a mother to Misvale." The mysterious Pokemon said. "If only 'he' is here too…"

"...What are you talking about?" Snow asked.

"…Does Misvale know of… my existence?" The mysterious Pokemon asked.

"Of course not, general." Snow answered. "Queen Nyxier conceals your existence from Princess Misvale in order to protect her from the suffering you have caused by leaving them. With this, Princess Misvale doesn't know even your name, much less what you are to her."

"…Snow, could you tell Misvale to come to the Crystal Garden of this castle alone after the meal?" The mysterious Pokemon asked. "I have something very important to tell her."

"I afraid that your request is impossible, general." Snow answered. "Not only were you forbidden by the queen herself to come back here, which is what you are doing right now, but you also were forbidden to make any contact with Queen Nyxier and Princess Misvale. This is why I couldn't permit you to meet Princess Misvale."

"If not, then…" The mysterious Pokemon continued speaking, but his words were interrupted by the Lapras.

"You were forbidden to contact Queen Nyxier and Princess Misvale at any regard, so if you want me to hand over a letter to her, I can't do it." Snow said. His words made the mysterious Pokemon stopped saying for a while before he opened his mouth again.

"…Don't forget who I am, Snow." The mysterious Pokemon said. "With my strength, I could walk up to the dining room and confront Nyxier right now. And no one could stop me, not even you, Snow."

"…" Snow said nothing.

"…However, I won't do it, at least not for now…" The mysterious Pokemon said. "But soon… The pain she inflicts upon the land of Riverbrine will strike back to hurt her… She may think that she does a good job in stopping it to happen, but she actually made a mistake by planting the seed of chaos by herself. This will only lead to her own destruction."

"…" Snow didn't say anything.

"Well… For now, I think it's time for me to leave…" The mysterious Pokemon said. "However… I will come back soon… And if my fear comes true, the next time we meet, instead of trading words, we would trade our blood instead. And then…"

After he finished speaking, the mysterious Pokemon slowly walked away until he was nowhere to be seen anymore.

"…" Snow said nothing before he continued walking to reach the kitchen. However, the words of the mysterious Pokemon still lingered in his mind.

"…General…" Snow mumbled.

* * *

 **-On Riverbrine Island…**

"…So, both of you were the one who found the corpses of these Pokemon first, right?" A Magnezone asked a question to two dragons who were standing at the isolated beach on Riverbrine Island. It was about 5 minutes after Xavier came back with Officer Magnezone and two Magnemites, who were the policemen stationed on this island.

"Right." Claura answered. "I told Xavier to go and bring you here while I remain here in order to see if there's any evidence of this murder."

"And did you find anything?" Officer Magnezone asked.

"Nothing." Claura answered. "The only thing I found around here were the bodies of those Pokemon and some Pyukumukus not too far from here. Maybe they have seen the scene of murder…"

"One of my subordinates went to ask them if they saw the one who did this or not, but those Pyukumukus told me that they were sleeping, so they didn't see anything or heard any voice…" Officer Magnezone answered. "Damn it… Another prey of this sea monster…"

"Another prey?" Claura spoke. "What do you mean by that?"

"Well… Actually, this isn't the first incident that happened in the Riverbrine Archipelago." Officer Magnezone answered. "Lately, several Pokemon were found dead on the beaches of Riverbrine Archipelago... All of them were brutally killed in a manner like these poor guys. This led everyone to think that it was some kind of sea monster who killed them."

"Really?" Claura asked.

"Yes." Officer Magnezone asked. "Other than being killed brutally, all Pokemon that were killed were killed on the isolated beaches around the Riverbrine Archipelago. We think that it was because the murderer did this to prevent being seen… But…"

"But?" Claura looked at Officer Magnezone.

"This case is strange…" Officer Magnezone continued speaking. "Because all murders were occurring on the isolated beaches around Riverbrine Archipelago, there would be only one Pokemon who wandered around those beaches alone and got killed. But this case…"

Officer Magnezone and Claura looked at the corpses of the Pokemon the beach. There were five corpses there, indicating that there were five Pokemon who were killed in this incident.

"Strange, isn't it?" Officer Magnezone continued speaking. "Instead of only one Pokemon, five Pokemon were killed this time. Why would these five Pokemon come to this isolated beach at the same time?"

"Hm… I have no idea about this…" Claura said. "My cousin and I came here by chance, but I don't think that they all would come here by chance too."

"We have no idea about this too…" Officer Magnezone said.

"…Wait a minute…" Claura seemed to realize something. "Does those five Pokemon have something in common? Something like they are friends or family?"

"Now that you mention it, they truly are." Officer Magnezone answered. "They all are the members of the wealthiest merchant family of Riverbrine Archipelago."

"A family of merchants?" Claura said.

"Yes." Officer Magnezone said. "They all belonged to the—"

"HEY! CLAURA! XAVIER!"

A shouting voice suddenly came from someone who were walking up to them. They were none other than Bismarck the Feraligatr. He was followed by Jasper the Sceptile, Zenpai the Scyther, Viola the Heliolisk and Grimlock the Aggron.

"Oh, hi, Bismarck." Claura mumbled.

"Are they your friends?" Officer Magnezone asked while Bismarck and others were walking up to them. Claura then gave a little nod as the answer to him.

"What are you doing here?" Bismarck asked. "And why is Officer Magnezone with you?"

"Well…" Claura said. "Xavier and I came here not too long ago and found corpses of five Pokemon."

"CORPSES!?" Bismarck, Jasper, Zenpai, Viola and Grimlock shouted out in a shocked voice after they heard the Kingdra's words.

"Yes." Claura nodded. "It seemed like they were murdered by the mysterious 'sea monster'. Right now, Officer Magnezone and other policemen are investigating the scene of murder."

"Sea monster?" Grimlock said. "Don't tell me it's the same sea monster that roams the Riverbrine Archipelago and killed several Pokemon… We heard this from the postman at the post office, but we never thought that we would run into one of its victims so soon."

"Another serial murderer…" Jasper mumbled.

"…Why do I have a bad feeling about this?" Zenpai mumbled.

"Anyway, who are the poor victims that were killed by this sea monster?" Bismarck asked.

"Well, they are right there…" The Magnezone said and turned his attention to five corpses of Pokemon lying on the beach. Seeing the corpses gave everyone different reaction. Viola was disgusted by the monstrous scene of murder. Grimlock seemed to be greatly disturbed by this. Jasper and Zenpai didn't show much emotion, but it's noticeable that both of them didn't like this. But for Bismarck…

"…" Bismarck didn't say or do anything after he saw five corpses on the beach. He just stared at them silently.

"By the way, Officer Magnezone…" While everyone was looking at the corpses of five Pokemon, Claura resumed her question she asked Officer Magnezone. "You said that these Pokemon belonged to the same family, right? What family do they belong to?"

"Well…They belong to the wealthiest merchant family of Riverbrine Archipelago…" Officer Magnezone continued speaking. "They are none other than the Aquamarine Family."

* * *

 **-Several Hours Later…**

"Bismarck, are you okay?"

Jasper, Zenpai, Viola and Grimlock approached the Feraligatr who were standing at the prow of his ship. Despite it was just a few hours, it seemed like a few years after the incident at the isolated beach of Riverbrine Island. After seeing the corpses of five Pokemon, Bismarck didn't say anything, and he also didn't show any emotion, despite all Pokemon that were killed were… his family.

"…" Bismarck didn't say anything. He then just stared at the sea as the ship moves through the azure water of Riverbrine Sea. (Right now, Claura and Xavier were handling the control wheel.)

"Well then…" Zenpai mumbled, and all four Pokemon were about to head back into the control room when Bismarck suddenly spoke up.

"It's irony, isn't it?" Bismarck said. "The day I came back to see my family again is the same day they all passed away… And now, I will never have any chance to say any words to them…"

"Bismarck…" Viola said.

"Well… It started a few years after my father disappeared…" Bismarck continued speaking. "That left me with my mother, my uncle, my aunt, my grandfather and my grandmother. However, I felt that I was left alone in this world after my father disappeared."

"…" Everyone carefully listened to Bismarck's story.

"Being born in the family of the wealthiest merchant of Riverbrine Archipelago, I was expected to follow my family's legacy of being a merchant by everyone. Being in this state made me…stressful because I didn't want to become a merchant… I want to choose the path of life by my own… But no one understands me… The only one who understands me is my father because before he got married to my mother and got himself into a family of merchant, he was a pirate. However, after my father disappeared, no one was there to understand me… And everyone in my family gave me harder pressure to follow their legacy… And in the end… I chose to follow my heart… I decided to run away from home…"

"Bismarck…" Viola mumbled.

"After I ran away from home, I was wandering around the Riverbrine Archipelago. And in the end, I was adopted by the old Pirate Captain of the Seacross, who later died and made me the new captain of the Seacross. And then I remain as a pirate until several years later… I come back to my hometown once again, only to find my family slaughtered brutally…"

"…" Viola, Grimlock, Jasper, Zenpai fell into silence after hearing Bismarck's words. And…

"…How are you feeling right now, Bismarck?" Jasper broke the silence.

"…Despite them giving me a lot of pressure in the past, I do not feel any joy…" Bismarck answered. "However, despite them being my family, I do not feel any sorrow… I feel… empty… I feel that I am now empty inside… And I don't know why…"

"It's because, despite running away from home and choosing your own path of life, you still bind yourself with your family." Zenpai spoke up. "It's like a ship that's tied down to a spot with an anchor. But after the anchor is removed, the ship would wander around the ocean without any destination. Without someone to guide the ship, the only thing that would bring the ship to the land is the waves."

"Right." Grimlock said. "All of us have experienced a feeling of being without any guide before. We all understand what you feel, Bismarck."

"…I understand now…" Bismarck spoke up. "Without any binding and any guide, it's time for me to stand on my own legs and guide myself to my own destination."

"That's the way, brother." Grimlock said and gave a thumb up to the Feraligatr.

"Well then, I can't let the grief of losing everyone in my family to overcome me right now. I must focus on the task of finding my father." Bismarck said.

"And what should we do next?" Viola asked.

"We will go to the Solitude Island." Bismarck answered.

"Solitude Island?" Jasper repeated the Feraligatr's words. "Why go to that place?"

"Well… With everyone in my family is already dead, there're no more clues to be found on the Riverbrine Island." Bismarck answered. "The only clue we have right now is the words from the survivor of that horrible incident."

"That's right." Grimlock said. "You said that there're survivors from that incident, so if we ask them, they would be able to tell us something."

"But that incident happened several years ago, right?" Jasper said. "If that's so, then why didn't you ask them about that incident sooner?"

"You will know soon when we arrive at the Solitude Island…" Bismarck answered.

"And why's the Solitude Island?" Viola asked.

"Because there's only one survivor from that incident." Bismarck answered. "And he's now living on the Solitude Island."

"Okay…." Everyone nodded after hearing the explanation from the Feraligatr.

"Well… I will go and tell Claura where to go next…" Bismarck said and started walking up to the control room. But just before he entered, the Feraligatr spoke up.

"…Thank you, everyone, for cheering me up." Bismarck said.

"That's what friends are for, Bismarck." Grimlock said.

"Hmhmm…." Bismarck nodded and entered the control room.

* * *

 **-A Few Minutes Later…**

"…So, our next destination is the Solitude Island." Claura said after Bismarck told them the next destination and left the control room.

"In order to go to the Solitude Island, we must pass through the Isles of Spice first." Xavier said. "We should reach the Isles of Spice by the time to today's dusk. And we should rest there for a night."

"That's a perfect opportunity for us to continue our search." Claura said. "And if we don't find what we are looking for on the Isles of Spice, we'd still head to the Solitude Island and continue searching there."

"Okay… Yawn…" Xavier nodded and gave another yawn. Seeing the Dragonite yawn reminded Claura of something…

"Xavier, back when we were on the Riverbrine Island, at the isolated beach…" Claura said. "While I was talking to Officer Magnezone, you didn't even get bored or fall asleep, like what you usually do… That means…"

"It's just the scene of lingering bloodshed had awakened me from a slumber." Xavier answered.

"And that murder at the isolated beach…" Claura said. "Xavier, I know that you know something about it, right? Being trained as a strategist, I think you had obtained a clue about that murder, and yet you didn't tell anyone, right?"

"It's just a thing that anybody would be able to see through a basic observation…" Xavier said. "Well, other than what you and Officer Magnezone said, there's one strange thing at that that beach."

"What is it?" Claura asked.

"The Pyukumukus." Xavier answered.

"The Pyukumukus?" Claura said. "Why?"

"Well… Everyone said that the one who killed Bismarck's family was a certain 'sea monster' that killed anyone brutally. However, despite it killing five Pokemon on the beach, it didn't even touch any single Pyukumukus who lived on that beach, let alone harming them."

"Now that I think about it, I find it strange too…" Claura said. "Could it be that the one who killed Bismarck's family isn't the 'sea monster' that everyone was talking about?"

"I don't think so…" Xavier said. "Before we left Riverbrine Island, I went to the Police Station again and asked Officer Magnezone to see the photos of the corpses of the victims of this 'sea monster'. The mark of claws and fangs on those corpses matched the mark of claws and fangs we saw on the corpses of Bismarck's family."

"Then…" Claura continued speaking. "Could it be that this sea monster only targeted Bismarck's family?"

"Didn't you hear what I said?" Xavier said. "This sea monster didn't only kill Bismarck's family, but it also killed the Pokemon who wandered onto the isolated beaches around the Riverbrine Archipelago. I already checked that none of those Pokemon who were killed by this sea monster has any relation with Bismarck and his family. If this sea monster really wants to kill Bismarck's family, why does it has to kill other Pokemon too?"

"Then, everything just doesn't make any sense!" Claura said. "A sea monster that roams Riverbrine Sea and killed everyone who went onto an isolated beach, usually alone, but today, it killed five Pokemon! Five Pokemon, all from the same family, and it didn't even hurt the Pyukumukus on the beach! And it didn't have any specific target too! I don't understand this!"

"Well… Actually…" Xavier spoke with a lower voice than before. "I think I have an idea about what's going on…"

"Hm?!" Claura looked at her cousin. "You say that you have an idea about those mysteries behind this?!"

"Yes." Xavier said. "However, I lack sufficient proof that my idea's right."

"Then, could you tell me that idea of yours?" Claura asked.

"Okay." Xavier said. "Now, listen up…"

 **To Be Continued…**

* * *

 **Dragon of Vale: Wow… Everyone in Bismarck's family (Except his missing father) is now dead… This tail quickly escalated into a serious story… Also, the story of Tundrafrost family… Do you see any crisis coming soon? And who is that Pokemon who was talking to Snow?**

 **A special thanks to Ridin Valon for helping me with the error correction.**


	36. Tail 4-6: The One Who Fears the Waves

**A Dragon's Tail**

 **Tail 4: Claura's Tail - Stagnation**

 **Tail 4-6: The One Who Fears the Waves**

 **-Somewhere near Riverbrine-Fireview Border**

"Onii-chan!" Rachael called her brother, who's now reading the Chronicle of Daybreak. "Let's continue the bedtime story! The last part you read to me was the part when the queen held a luxurious banquet at her castle and sent her troops to subdue the rebellion, right? I want to know what happens next! Please!"

"Not today, Rachael." Richard answered without moving his eyes from the Chronicle of Daybreak.

"Wah! Why?!" Rachael said and looked at her brother.

"Keep your voice low, Rachael." Richard said. "Did you remember the last time I read you the story? You spoke too loud about how's the story going on that Diego woke up and scolded us so hard."

"I promise to keep quiet this time!" Rachael said.

"But let's take a break for a day." Richard said.

"Wah! Boo!" Rachael pouted at her brother.

"Don't make a face like that." Richard said. "Instead of reading you a story, let me fulfill my promise to you by telling you about something you asked me when we were in Civilight."

"Hm?" Rachael thought back to when she and Richard were in Civilight. "Oh! About the Twilight Crisis and the Daybreak Crisis, right?"

"Right." Richard said. "Both crises were occurred so long in the past that no one could remember about them anymore… Maybe except someone who had lived that long… Because the Twilight Crisis, according to my chronicle, happened 1,150 years before the present year, followed by the Daybreak Crisis that happened 3 years after the Twilight Crisis, which equals to 1,147 years before the present year."

"That's such a long time ago!" Rachael said. "And what happened during those crisis?"

"First, about the Twilight Crisis…" Richard started explaining. "It started with a demon from 'Another World' who appeared and tried to steal the power from the god Arceus in order for them to become the ruler of Pokemon World. However, his process was hampered by a group of Hero/ine of Legend."

"Hero/ine of Legend?!" Rachael said.

"Yes." Richard nodded. "At that time, there were only 8 Hero/ine of Legend, but they all fought valiantly to defeat the demon from another world. However, they failed…"

"What?!" Rachael said. "How could the Hero/ine of Legend fail?! That's unbelievable!"

"With their failure, the demon from another world gained control over the world of Pokemon, and they then turned the World of Pokemon into a realm covered in the eternal twilight, dubbed the name of that event the Twilight Crisis."

"Then, what happened next?" Rachael asked.

"Despite being defeated, the Hero/ine of Legend didn't give up. They still tried to atone their mistake by opposing the demon from another world once again, and in the end, they were able to defeat and seal the demon from another world, thus ended the Twilight Crisis!"

"Wow! That's such a cool story…" Rachael said. "But I still don't understand how could they fail to defeat the demon in the first time…"

 _"Because all of them were pathetic."_

A voice echoed from Richard's Luster Pendant. That was Holmer's voice.

"Holmer? How could you say something like that?!" Rachael asked and looked at her brother's Luster Pendant.

 _"I just speak the truth, Rachael."_ Holmer answered. _"If you saw them, you will know how pathetic they were."_

"This means that you have seen them, right?" Rachael asked.

" _Precisely."_ Holmer said. _"And not only saw them, Ilia and I also accompanied them in their quest to defeat that demon too."_

" _Right."_ A voice came from Rachael's Mist Pendant. It was Ilia's voice.

"Wow! That's so wonderful!" Rachael said.

" _I still remember it, like it was happening yesterday…"_ Ilia continued speaking. _"In the final battle between the Hero/ine of Legend and the demon from another world, the demon tried to stand up one last time by extracting the 'darkside' from a Hero of Legend."_

"What?!" Rachael said.

" _It was because among 8 Hero/ine of Legend at that time, there's one Hero of Legend who had a 'darkside' that always haunted him by turning him into a mindless creature who wants to destroy the world."_ Ilia said. _"However, after the demon from another world extracted the 'darkside' from him, the Hero/ine of Legend were able to defeat both 'darkside' and the demon from another world, thus they sealed the demon from another world away, and the 'darkside' of that Hero of Legend disappeared, freeing him from his darkside at last."_

"I bet that Hero of Legend who was freed from his darkside was very happy, right?" Rachael said.

" _No."_ Holmer spoke up. _"Despite being freed from his darkside at last, that Hero/ine of Legend was still in a deep grief. And in the end, he turned into another demon who which to see nothing more than the destruction of the world."_

"What?!" Rachael was shocked by Holmer's words. "How could that be?!"

"But it's true." Richard spoke up. "So, once again, 8 Hero/ine of Legend, some old and some new, set out onto another quest to stop their friend from destroying the world. This event was known as the 'Daybreak Crisis' because everyone thought that event would be the 'beginning' of the end of the world."

"Holmer, Ilia…" Rachael said. "Did you also accompany the Hero/ine of Legend in the Daybreak Crisis too?"

" _No."_ Homer answered. _"Both of us had something more important to do at that time, so we didn't accompany them."_

"Then…" Rachael turned her attention back to her brother. "How'd the Daybreak Crisis end?"

"According to the record in the Chronicle, one of the demon-turned Hero of Legend's minion betrayed his master because he wanted to create a new world out of the destroyed world, not leaving the world destroyed like what the demon-turned Hero of Legend tended to do. So, the Hero/ine of Legend, along with the demon-turned Hero of Legend, cooperated together and finally defeated the true villain of the Daybreak Crisis. And the demon-turned Hero of Legend sacrificed himself to revert the destroyed world back to normal, thus ended the Daybreak Crisis." Richard said.

"Wow… What a story…" Rachael said. "However, I feel really bad for that one Hero of Legend. I mean, he was plagued by the darkside of his life, and when his darkside was removed, he fell into a deep grief and became a demon who wanted to destroy the world. And in the end, while he once again became the hero again, he died. I feel so sorry for him… I feel so bad that he had to die…"

"…For me, I feel quite opposite of you, Rachael." Richard spoke up. "I mean, I think that maybe… Death is the thing that that Hero of Legend really wants… He wants to escape from the grief, so he chose to destroy the world… However… In the end, while the world wasn't destroyed, he finally got the thing he wants, the eternal repose…"

"… _So… That's both of your perspectives… Interesting…"_ Holmer mumbled.

"Well… This is the end of the story about Twilight Crisis and Daybreak Crisis…" Richard said. "However, there're several more interesting events in the world of Pokemon that happened in the past such as the Fallen Crisis 30 years ago…"

"I already know about the Fallen Crisis, Onii-chan." Rachael said.

"Then, what about the Wars of the God?" Richard spoke up. And, while Richard and Rachael didn't notice, Holmer and Ilia were greatly disturbed when they heard what Richard spoke.

"Wars of the God?" Rachael said. "What is it?"

"They were the biggest wars that had happened in the world of Pokemon." Richard explained. "There were 3 Wars of the God happened in the past. The last War of the God occurred 1,000 years after the Daybreak Crisis and 117 years before the Fallen Crisis, which means it occurred 147 years before the present year. And for the other two Wars of the God, they occurred in a very long distant past."

"The biggest wars of the world of Pokemon…" Rachael mumbled. "Tell me about it, Onii-chan."

"Not today, Rachael." Richard said. "Right now, let's continue our bedtime story."

"What? How come?!" Rachael said.

"Well, if you don't want to listen to this bedtime story anymore, I will stop reading it for good." Richard said.

"Hm! You big meanie!" Rachael pouted at her brother again while Richard continued reading the bedtime story.

"Despite the queen sending her troops to subdue the rebellion, the rebellion continued to live on, and it even grew stronger, and the battle becomes even fiercer as the days go by. Eventually, it led to the civil war… And then… Hm?"

Richard looked beside him and realized that his younger sister had already fallen asleep.

"…" Rachael slept peacefully beside the Latios.

"Well then…" Richard closed the book. "Let's continue our story tomorrow…"

* * *

 **-At Solitude Island**

After a long journey, the ship of Bismarck, Jasper, Zenpai, Viola, Grimlock, Claura and Xavier finally reached the seventh island in the Riverbrine Archipelago, the Solitude Island. Because it was located far to the east of other islands, Solitude Island became the easternmost place on the Continent of Symmetria. It was also famous for being the best place to watch the sunrise. But other than that, Solitude Island was quite lonely as there were only few Pokemon who lived on this island.

"Land ahoy!" Bismarck said as everyone stepped out of his ship onto Solitude Island.

"So… This is Solitude Island…" Viola said as she looked around and saw that there were only few Pokemon on this island. "The atmosphere of this island is much different than that on Riverbrine Island…"

"Only few Pokemon choose to live on this faraway island." Bismarck said.

"But I like this place." Zenpai said. "This place reminds me a lot of the village of ninjas where I came from…"

"Oh, you came from a village of ninjas?" Bismarck turned his attention to Zenpai. "Then I think you would get along with the Pokemon we are going to meet."

"Do you mean the only survivor from that incident?" Zenpai asked.

"Yes. Well, actually, he's also my father's cousin." Bismarck said.

"Really?" Jasper spoke up. "Then he must know something about your father's disappearance for sure."

"I think so." Bismarck said. However, before he could say anything else, he saw a Pokemon flying up to them. That Pokemon was a Pelipper with a postman hat on his head.

"Greeting, everyone." The Pelipper spoke up as he stopped in front of Bismarck and his friends. Then he turned his attention to Jasper and Viola. "Are you Jasper Floratree the Sceptile and Viola Sparkvolt the Heliolisk?"

"Yes." Jasper and Viola answered.

"Then, I have two letters, one for each of you…" The Pelipper said as he took out two letters from his bag. "One is from Julia Floratree the Serperior to Jasper Floratree the Sceptile, and the other one is from Lumiere Sparkvolt the Ampharos to Viola Sparkvolt the Heliolisk."

The Pelipper handed over both letters to Jasper and Viola. "Now, I must be going. Have a nice day, everyone."

After he finished speaking, the Pelipper spread his wings again and flew away from everyone.

"A letter from Julia and Lumiere?" Zenpai said.

"I think this is the reply they wrote for us." Jasper said before he and Viola opened the letter they had just received from the Pelipper.

"…" Jasper and Viola carefully read the letter.

"Well… What did Julia write to you, Jasper?" Zenpai asked.

"…As I thought…" Jasper said after he finished reading the letter. "Most of her letter is about her life at the orphanage with other orphans and Jasmine… But she also said that she is worried about me because I left Leafburg without telling her… This is just like her…"

"…So, they are safe, right?" Zenpai asked.

"If she could write a letter like this, she mustn't be in any danger for sure." Jasper said before he put away his letter.

"What about you, Viola?" Zenpai spoke up to the Heliolisk after he saw that Viola had just finished reading her letter.

"…Uncle Lumiere said that he was shocked by my father's death. However, he knew that his life would be in great danger after we rescued him from the Civilight Laboratory, so he decided to leave Gamma City. At the time he was writing this letter, he was already in Leafburg. He said that he was heading to Venturnome to start a new life there." Viola said and put away her letter.

"…So, both Julia and Lumiere are safe… That's good to hear…" Zenpai said before he noticed that Grimlock seemed to be upset after the Pelipper delivered the letters to Jasper and Viola, but not to him…

"…Don't worry too much, Grimlock." Zenpai said. "I am sure that your family would get the letter from you for sure. It's just that they live in Venturnome, which is much further from here than Leafburg, so it may be a while before they receive your letter and wrote back."

"…You are right." Grimlock said. "And right now, I am so glad that both Uncle Lumiere and Jasper's aunt are both safe."

"Same goes for me." Bismarck said. "But right now, we have a thing to do. Let's go and meet the sole survivor of that incident. He lives in a small wood in the middle of this island."

"Wait a minute…" Grimlock spoke up and looked around.. "Where're that Kingdra and Dragonite?"

"Usual." Jasper said. "They left us as soon as we reach this island."

"Let them be." Bismarck said. "Now let's go."

* * *

Bismarck led Jasper, Zenpai, Viola and Grimlock to a lonely house in the middle of a small wood in the middle of the island. This house was small and simple.

"Here we are." Bismarck said. "This is his house."

"This place reminds me even more of my home village." Zenpai said. "It's so serene and tranquil…"

"And why does he have a house in the middle of a wood in the middle of the island?" Grimlock asked.

"Because this is the only place on Solitude Island where you can't hear the sound of the waves." Bismarck answered.

"Sound of the wave?" Viola said, and then everyone closed their eyes and realized that Bismarck was right. They couldn't hear the sound of the waves in this place.

"But why must he live in the place where you can't hear the sound of the wave?" Grimlock asked.

"You will see soon…" Bismarck said and walked up to the door of the house, and then he knocked the door.

"Knock! Knock!"

"Who's there?" A voice came from inside the house.

"It's me, Bismarck!" Bismarck said. "Can I come in?"

"Bismarck? Okay, you can come in." The voice said.

"Let's go." Bismarck said and opened the door of the house.

* * *

This house was decorated in a simple and exotic tradition. The style of this house's decoration reminds Jasper and Zenpai a lot of Leafburg.

"It reminds me a lot of my house…" Zenpai mumbled.

"Welcome, everyone."

A voice came from a Pokemon who stood on the opposite side of the house. That Pokemon was a male Greninja.

"Good morning, Uncle Riftblade." Bismarck greeted the Greninja.

"It has been a very long time since the last time you visited me, Bismarck." The Greninja said. "And it seems like you also brought some friends here too."

"Right, and let me introduce them." Bismarck said. "They are Viola Sparkvolt the Heliolisk, Grimlock Rusteel the Aggron, Jasper Floratree the Sceptile and Zenpai Bugslash the Scyther."

"Oh, three of you are Ellisk's daughter, Kamui's son and Joshua's son, right?" The Greninja said. "My name is Riftblade Shuriken the Greninja. While Bismarck may call me 'uncle', I am actually the cousin of his father, not the brother of his father."

"You know our fathers?" Viola, Grimlock and Jasper asked.

"Right. I became a friend of them during the Fallen Crisis." Riftblade gave an answer to Jasper, Viola and Grimlock before he turned his attention to Zenpai. "Judging by your cloth, I assume that you are my fellow ninja, right?"

"…I come from the hidden hamlet of ninjas in the middle of Leafburg Forest." Zenpai answered. "I am the son of now-deceased Hokage of this village."

"I see…" Riftblade said before he turned his attention to Bismarck. "Tell me, Bismarck… What brings you and your friends here today?"

"Well…" Bismarck said. "We come here to talk about… that incident…"

Bismarck's words had a great impact on the Greninja, as upon hearing his nephew's words, Riftblade's eyes widened in fear, and his face showed a sight of panic.

"P…P…Please do not talk about that!" Riftblade's voice was shaking as he spoke.

"Uncle, please…" Bismarck said. "We need your help in order to find my father. Please… If you happen to know anything about that incident, please let us know…"

"I…I think I…" Riftblade's body started shaking. "I am sorry, but please give me some time… Please, take your time here…"

After he finished speaking, Riftblade slowly walked up to a door that led to his private room and entered it, leaving Bismarck and his friends in the living room.

"…So… That's what's going on with him…" Viola spoke up.

"He seems to have a trauma from that incident…" Jasper said.

"The action of him that you all had seen is just a tiny part of the whole…" Bismarck said. "After that incident, every time he hears the sound of the wave, Uncle Riftblade will be enveloped in a great dread, even greater than what you all have just saw…"

"He feared the sound of the wave?!" Everyone said.

"Right." Bismarck said. "That's why he lives in a place where you can't hear the sound of the wave. He also refuses to get anywhere near the sea after that incident."

"That means he always lived on this island since that incident?!" Grimlock said.

"Yes…" Bismarck said. "The next morning after that incident, the Pokemon who live on this island found Riftblade washed ashore, and then they took care of him until he got better. However, because of his trauma with the wave, he refuses to get near the sea, which means he couldn't leave this island, so he decides to live on this island from that incident until now…"

"Poor guy…" Grimlock mumbled.

"…Being washed ashore to the easternmost place on the continent of Symmetria…" Jasper mumbled. "Bismarck, do you know the spot where the ship capsized?"

"It was the spot southeast of the Solitude Island—" Bismarck answered before he stopped speaking, as if he had just realized something.

"What's wrong, Bismarck?" Viola asked.

"Strange…" Bismarck spoke up again. "At the day of that incident, the wind was blowing to the southeast. This would result in the waves carrying Uncle Riftblade southeast of the spot where the ship capsized, which would be the vast ocean east of Symmetria… But… How could he end up on the Solitude Island that was located northwest of the spot where the ship capsizes?"

"It was because of the tempest."

A voice came from inside the room where Riftblade went in, and then the door opened, and Riftblade slowly stepped out of his room.

"Uncle Riftblade?" Bismarck said.

"I could remember the horror of that night clearly…" Riftblade slowly spoke up. "There was a tempest occurring in the sea of Riverbrine that night. The tempest made the wind blow in the opposite direction of what it should be, resulting in the waves heading to the northwest instead of southeast. However, the ship was heading to the southeast, but the waves carried it to the northwest…"

"…" Everyone carefully listened to Riftblade's story.

"And in the end, we couldn't triumph over the force of nature…" Riftblade said. "I still remember the picture I saw… The picture of Pokemon being blown by the tempest, which immediately tore their bodies apart… The sound of the tempest… The sound of everyone's screams… And the sound… of the crashing waves…"

"…Uncle Riftblade…" Bismarck mumbled.

"…And I would surely share the fate with everyone in that night if it wasn't for… Magnus." Riftblade continued speaking.

"Father?" Bismarck said.

"Magnus tried to save everyone from that incident. However, he couldn't. And in the end, the only one he could save was me…" Riftblade said. "He rescued me from the ship as it was about to capsize, and then we both tried to escape from the tempest by swimming away together. However, the fierce waves separated us from each other, and I shortly fell unconscious after I was separated from Magnus. The next thing I remember was waking up in the room in a clinic on the Solitude Island… With the dreadful sound of the waves still lingering in my head…"

"…" Everyone was shocked after hearing the story from the Greninja. The story about the dreadful night…

"Sorry for not telling you about this sooner, Bismarck…" Riftblade said.

"…Do not worry about it, Uncle Riftblade." Bismarck said. "I understand how you feel about this…"

"So, this is the reason why you ended up on the Solitude Island instead of being washed away in the ocean…" Jasper spoke up. "The cause of this was the reversed wind caused by the tempest…"

"Usually, the reversed wind like this would still blow for a few days after the time it was reversed..." Bismarck said.

"This means that, while the search parties from Riverbrine Island tried to search for the survivor from that incident, the wind must still blow to the northeast instead of southeast, resulting in the Pokemon who would have survived the tempest would surely be washed from the spot where the ship capsized to the Riverbrine Sea…" Viola said.

"And it was right." Bismarck said. "The search parties could find the dead bodies of everyone on that ship. Their bodies were mostly found on Solitude Island and the Isles of Spice. Some of them were found on Riverbrine Island and Twinwave Island while a very few could be found as far as Sparkling Island and Seaside Town."

"What about Back Island and Triangle Island?" Grimlock asked.

"You meathead!" Viola suddenly became angry. "Don't you remember that Back Island is surrounded by a strong current that repelled anyone who tries to get close to it! This means that the dead bodies of those Pokemon would be washed away from Back Island when it got close to the island."

"Right." Bismarck said. "And for the Triangle Island… This place was surrounded by a range of reef. So, not only the dead bodies, but a ship also couldn't get near this island. The only way to get from the reef to Triangle Island is swimming—"

Bismarck suddenly stopped speaking, as if he had just realized something. The same thing went for everyone in this room.

"How couldn't I realize this sooner?!" Bismarck said. "Because Triangle Island was surrounded by the reef, and the ship couldn't reach this island, I bet the search parties wouldn't waste their time by going to search at Triangle Island. In other words… They haven't searched the Triangle Island for my father yet… I am quite sure of this."

"And if Magnus is still alive… But he couldn't be found anywhere in the six islands of Riverbrine Archipelago… It would be quite possible that he is on that island for the whole time…" Riftblade said.

"But if he is truly on that island, then why didn't he come back to his home?" Viola said. "And how could there be no one on the Triangle Island who has seen him there?"

"…The answer of the latter question is that there's no one who live on Triangle Island." Riftblade spoke up. "The only Pokemon who go to the Triangle Island are the travelers and the archeologists. However, this still couldn't explain why none of the travelers and the archeologists who went to the Triangle Island have seen Magnus…"

"…The answer of those questions lies within the Triangle Island…" Zenpai said. "Everyone, let's head to Triangle Island next."

"Okay." Bismarck said before he turned his attention to Riftblade. "Uncle Riftblade, thank you for your help. We really appreciate your help."

Riftblade said nothing. He just nodded and gave a patient smile at his nephew as Bismarck and his friends walked up to the door of the house before they left his house.

* * *

 **-Meanwhile…**

"…They are not on this island too." Claura said to her cousin. Right now, both of them were standing on the beach where Bismarck's ship was docked.

"This leaves us only Triangle Island…" Xavier said.

"But I heard that this island was surrounded by a range of reef… How could we go to this island?" Claura asked

"First, we must know where Bismarck's next destination is." Xavier said. "If he and others go to somewhere near the Triangle Island, such as Sparkling Island and Twinwave Island, we could tag along with them and then all we must do is swim and fly to the Triangle Island. However, if he and others go to the Isles of Spice, Riverbrine Island or Seaside Town, we could just grab a ship and go to Sparkling Island to continue our journey. But if they decide to go back to Back Island… Well… The only thing we could do is take a ship to Sparkling Island while they stopped at the Isles of Spice."

"Good." Claura said before she turned her attention to the sea of Riverbrine. "Now all we must do is wait for them to come ba—"

Claura suddenly stopped speaking as she saw something in the distant sea. It was…

"Smoke of fire?" Claura said as she saw a black smoke of fire coming from somewhere far away in the sea. "Hey! Isn't this kind of smoke a sight of emergency?"

"…The smoke…" Xavier spoke up as he looked at the smoke. "… It's coming from the direction of Back Island!"

"Back Island?" Claura said. "It means that something must have happened there, and the pirates must have made the smoke in order to call for help."

"Well…" Xavier said before he yawned again. "What should we do, Claura? Should we go back and help them?"

"Let's leave them be." Claura said. "The Pokemon from other islands, such as Riverbrine Island, would also notice the smoke and send some help to those pirates by now."

"Don't you forget something, Claura?" Xavier asked. "Back Island is surrounded by a strong current, making it very hard to get near the island. Only the pirates know how to navigate pass through those current."

"So, you would say that no one could help them… Except their fellow pirate… Such as Bismarck, right?" Claura said.

Xavier gave a yawn as the answer to his cousin. And then…

"There you are! Claura! Xavier!"

A voice came from not too far from them. It was from Bismarck. He was running up to them, followed by Jasper, Zenpai, Viola and Grimlock.

"Bismarck?" Claura said. "Did you see that?"

"Yeah." Bismarck said. "That's the sight of emergency, such as when there's another pirate group that tries to attack our base."

"And what should we do?" Claura asked.

"Well, at first, we were going to head to Triangle Island…" Bismarck said. "But… For now, we must go back to Back Island as fast as we can. Claura, Xavier, let's go."

Claura gave a nod to Bismarck, and Xavier gave another yawn to him. And then everyone got into Bismarck's ship. And when everyone had already gotten into the ship, it then started moving from the Solitude Island into the sea of Riverbrine once again.

"Wait for me, everyone…" Bismarck mumbled as he took the control of the ship. The only thing he had in his mind right now was that he must head back to Back Island as fast as he can… Before something terrible happens there…

 **To Be Continued…**

* * *

 **Dragon of Vale: We met Riftblade, who knows something about that incident. And everyone decided to go to the Triangle Island… However… It seems like something bad is happening at Back Island!**

 **A special thanks to Ridin Valon, as well as everybody else, for helping me with the error correction.**


	37. Tail 4-7: Clash of Ice and Water

**A Dragon's Tail**

 **Tail 4: Claura's Tail - Stagnation**

 **Tail 4-7: Clash of Ice and Water**

"The rebel became much larger… And the civil war turned much fiercer… Several Pokemon from both sides were injured and killed… However… The moral of the rebel was increased significantly as the civil war went on, and the moral of the queen's army was decreased significantly… Some of the queen's army even chose to defect to the rebel's side… It was because of the queen's tyranny, and the rebel's justice…

At last, the day that everyone had been waiting for has arrived. The Snowlost Castle was surrounded by the army of the rebel. No matter how strong they were, the queen's troops couldn't triumph over the rebel's rage…

In other words, it's only a matter of time before the Snowlost Castle fell…

And before…

The time for the queen to atone for her sin…

* * *

 **-At the Throne Room of Snowlost Castle**

Queen Nyxier was now sitting on the throne of Snowlost Castle. This throne belonged to the ruler of the Queendom of Riverbrine. However, in a few hours ahead, this throne would no longer belong to her…

"…" Queen Nyxier was very panicked. She didn't think that her life would end up like this. And she never knew that everything she had done would cause this to happen to her…

"Knock! Knock!" The sound of door-knocking came from the other side of the Throne Room's door.

"Who are you?!" Queen Nyxier said. "I said I don't want anyone to visit me at this time!"

"It's me, milady." A calm and gentle voice came from the other side of the door. "May I come in?"

"Snow?" Queen Nyxier said. However, the Lapras didn't waste any time waiting for her answer. He then opened the door of the throne room and stepped into this room.

"Have you finished the task I've given you yet?" Queen Nyxier asked as Snow walked up to her.

"Of course, milady." Snow answered. "I helped Princess Misvale escape from Queendom of Riverbrine already. Because heading into the Shadowlost Territory by foot would require her to pass through the arduous Mt. Snowlost, I suggested that she should go to Fireview Kingdom and take the boat from there to the Shadowlost Territory in order to take refuge there."

"Good…" Queen Nyxier said with a relieved voice. "The chancellor of Shadowlost Territory is my old friend. I am sure that she would be able to lend her hand to my dear Misvale. And… What about…"

"…If you mean the Lapis Parasol, the personal weapon of the Heroine of Ice type, I also gave it to her too." Snow said. "But I didn't tell her what it is. The only thing I told her was that she would know when the time comes…"

"Good…" Queen Nyxier said. "Soon, she will inherit my title as the Heroine of Ice type… And the Lapis Parasol shall be hers…"

"What about you, milady?" Snow asked.

"I… I…" Queen Nyxier's voice was shaking as she tried to answer the question of her butler, but she couldn't. "Everything… is my fault… And I… must be the one to bear the consequences of my action…"

"…Not today, milady." Snow said before he walked up to the curtain behind the throne and folded it, revealing a hidden passageway on the floor behind the throne!

"Snow, that's…." Queen Nyxier was shocked when she saw the hidden passageway.

"Milady, you must escape too." Snow said.

"B…But…" Queen Nyxier's voice was shaking.

"Don't worry about it, my queen." Snow said. "I will stay behind and seal the passageway when you go, so they will never find you, and you would be able to escape safely."

"No!" Queen Nyxier said. "I…I can't leave you behind, Snow!"

"Milady, this is for your own safety." Snow said. "I am ready to do anything to keep you safe."

"B…But…" Queen Nyxier voice was shaking, and the clear water started flowing out of her eyes.

"Don't worry about me, my queen." Snow said. "I promise that I would be alright… I promise that I will see you again…"

"D…Do you?!" Queen Nyxier looked at the Lapras.

"Yes, I promise." Snow said. "Now go, milady! Before the rebel comes!"

Snow pushed Queen Nyxier into the hidden passageway. "This passageway will lead you to the old castle on the peak of Mt. Snowlost. Milady, I wish you good luck."

"You too… My brother…" Queen Nyxier said before Snow closed and sealed the hidden passageway, making it unable to be opened again.

"Farewell, my queen…" Snow said as he walked up to the throne before he stopped there. Despite making a promise to his sister, he knew that he wouldn't be able to keep this promise…

Because…

Soon…

"BANG!"

The door of the Throne Room was opened violently. It was as Snow's expected. However… He was expected for the army of rebel to storm into the Throne Room… But… In front of him was… the only one Pokemon… And that Pokemon… was none other than…

"…Where's Nyxier, Snow?" That Pokemon asked with an aggressive voice as he stomped into the Throne Room and closed the door.

"… You aren't allowed to step back into this sacred Throne Room, general." Snow answered with a cold voice.

"Answer my question, Snow." The same mysterious Pokemon that Snow had met during the banquet several days ago spoke again. "Where's Nyxier?"

"…What would you do if I answer your question?" Snow asked.

"I will go and find her." The mysterious Pokemon answered.

"And then?" Snow continued asking.

"It's none of your business." The mysterious Pokemon said. "Now tell me where Nyxier is."

"…I afraid I can't give you the answer you want, general." Snow answered with a cold voice.

"Hm!" The mysterious Pokemon made an unpleasant voice. "You fool… Don't you realize that you have just spilled out your secret?"

"…I don't know what you are talking about, general." Snow said.

"And why would someone who said that he is the humble servant of the queen stand vainly in front of the empty throne?" The mysterious Pokemon continued speaking. "It seems like you are trying to protect the throne or something… And I remember that there's a secret passageway behind the throne that leads to the old castle on the top of Mt. Snowlost, which is only known to the royal family and someone very close to them… Which both of us used to be one…"

"…" Snow didn't say anything.

"Step away and let me pass, Snow." The mysterious Pokemon said.

"…I afraid that I can't grant you the request you asked." Snow answered with a cold voice.

"Step away, Snow." The mysterious Pokemon spoke with an aggressive voice. "Or I will be forced to show no mercy to you."

"…My choice remains the same, general." Snow answered.

"So…" The mysterious Pokemon said. "You choose to fight me?"

"I am the humble servant of the queen…" Snow spoke and picked out two knives he always carried with him in his hidden pocket. "And it's my duty to keep her safe, no matter what."

"…So be it…" The mysterious Pokemon said and picked up his weapon. "It's time for our showdown… A battle between us… Your Devotion and my Betrayal… Let's see who would triumph over this battle!"

Snow then quickly rushed up to the mysterious Pokemon and slashed him with his dual knives. However, his attack didn't even leave a scratch on his body! The mysterious Pokemon then countered his attack by bashing the Lapras with his weapon at his neck! While this attack wasn't a critical hit (Because Snow had the ability Shell Armor, which prevented the critical hit.), it dealt fatal damage to the Lapras!

"UGHAGT!" Snow cried in pain after he got hit by the mysterious Pokemon's attack. He dropped both knives he was holding in his paw and then fell down onto the floor.

"Down in a single hit? I expected more from you, Snow…" The mysterious Pokemon said as he put away his weapon. "How did someone so weak like this become the butler of the queen?"

"…" Snow said nothing as he clung onto the floor. His breathing was lighted, and his eyes were gazing at the mysterious Pokemon face.

"Nyxier… At first… She chose to stay here to bear the consequence of her action… But when she saw the way to escape, she just abandoned her thought and escaped… How… I couldn't find any word to describe her action…"

"…" Snow said nothing as he tried to stand up, but he couldn't.

"…And you, Snow. I see something in your eyes…" The mysterious Pokemon spoke. "I see… fear."

"…" Snow didn't say anything.

"Snow, your soul is filled with fear…" The mysterious Pokemon continued speaking. "You fear death even when you chose to remain behind and let Nyxier escape… You fear death when you have to fight me because you know that you will never defeat me… And yet you still remain in your choice…. You are such a fool…"

"N…No…" Snow spoke with a shaking voice as he tried to stand up, but he couldn't. "T…The foo…lish one… is y…you… G…General…"

"Me? A fool? Well… Maybe you are right…" The mysterious Pokemon said. "But unlike you… I am not the one who's filled with Devotion… I am the embodiment of Betrayal… I have betrayed countless Pokemon… Be my queen, my father, my friends, my wife and my children… And now… I am betraying the world…"

"G…General…" Snow voice was shaking.

"You are such a coward, Snow." The mysterious Pokemon said. "I hate killing cowards. So, I will not kill you because I have more important things to do. Moreover, the rebel army would break into the Throne Room soon… And I will let them decide your fate… If you don't die before then, of course."

The mysterious Pokemon walked past Snow and headed behind the throne. Then he smashed his weapon at the sealed door of the hidden passageway, making it opened again!

"I don't think that we will meet each other again. So… Farewell, Snow Tundrafrost the Lapras, my brother-in-law." The mysterious Pokemon said before he headed into the hidden passageway, leaving the heavily-injured Snow in the middle of the Throne Room.

"Arr…Ar…" Snow groaned as he tried to get a hold of himself. However, the injury he got from the duel with the mysterious Pokemon was too harsh, and his consciousness started to drift away…

"I…I am…sorry… N….Nyxier…" Snow spoke quietly as his vision started blurring, and a few seconds later, he finally lost his ability to hold onto his consciousness…

 _"I am sorry, Nyxier… Please forgive your cowardly servant…"_

* * *

 **-At Back Island, Riverbrine Archipelago**

At last, after a full-speed journey, Bismarck and his friends finally arrived at the Back Island. Because Bismarck drove his ship as fast as he can, it only took him a couple of hours to reach this island. However, a couple of hours they took may equal to that they were too late…

"Avast, thar, all ye pirates!" Bismarck said as he jumped out of his ship. "Whar be ye all?! Answer me!"

"Strange…" Claura said as she, along with Xavier, Jasper, Zenpai, Viola and Grimlock, jumped out of the ship. "This place is usually lively… But… Why?"

"All ye pirates, be ye alright?!" Bismarck said as he and his friends ran up to the entrance of the pirate's hideout. "Ye meathead! Answer me!"

Bismarck's voice echoed into the pirate's hideout. And then…

"Ar….A….C….Captain…"

A voice came from inside the pirate's hideout, followed by the appearance of a Politoed who was the outlook of the Seacross. But now, his body was full with the marks of bites and claws, which bled out the red blood!

"Hey!" Bismarck quickly approached his underling. "W...What happen to ye?! Answer me!"

"C….Captain…" The Politoed tried to get a hold of himself. However, he couldn't as he fell down onto his captain's arm. "I….It came…. A…. And…. K….Killed us….all…"

"What?!" Everyone said. And then Jasper and Zenpai quickly entered the pirate's hideout to check what's going on while Viola and Grimlock stayed with Bismarck as he continued questioning his crew.

"It?! What be 'it'?! What 'bout th' whole crew else?!" Bismarck asked.

"T…Th' whole crew….B… Be in… Davy Jones' treasure chest…" The Politoed said. "B…By th' paw…'o….S…Sea….M…Monster…"

"Sea monster?!" Bismarck was shocked as he heard the name of the creature that murdered his entire family. "W...What kind 'o Pokemon be it?!"

The Politoed looked at his captain before he raised his paw and pointed his paw at Bismarck's mouth. After this, he succumbed to the injury he got, and then he passed away... It seemed like he tried to tell Bismarck something. However, he couldn't…

"Damn…" Bismarck said and gently put the Politoed's body on the sandy ground. "Damn that sea monster… DAMN IT! RAAAAAWWWWWRRRRRR!"

"Bismarck…" Viola said. And then she and Grimlock noticed Jasper and Zenpai came out of the pirate's hideout. Both of them then looked at both Sceptile and Scyther in hope that they would have good news for them. However, their hope was lost when both Jasper and Zenpai shook their head.

"We are sorry…" Jasper and Zenpai said.

"…Everyone…" Bismarck slowly spoke up. "Please give me something… I need… to give my crews a proper burial…"

"Then, let's help you." Everyone (Including Claura and Xavier) said.

"Thank you…" Bismarck said.

* * *

 **-A Few Hours Later…**

After giving every member of the Seacross a proper burial on the Back Island, Bismarck and his friends were now standing near his ship. Everyone now felt very bad for the Feraligatr, as not only he lost everyone in his family, but he also lost everyone in his pirate group…

"All ye pirates, I swear that I gunna revenge ye Davy Jones' treasure chest…" Bismarck said as he looked at the tombs of his crew. "Once I find me salty sea-dog 'o a father, I gunna be off 'n hunt that sea monster 'n make it pay fer everythin' it has done!"

"And don't forget us too." Viola said.

"Right." Jasper said. "We will also with you too."

"And we will share the joy and the sorrow you have…" Zenpai said.

"That's what 'friends' are for, big guy." Grimlock said.

"Thank you, Jasper, Zenpai, Viola and Grimlock…" Bismarck said. "Now, let's go. We must make haste and go to Triangle Island!"

Everyone nodded to the Feraligatr before they got onto Bismarck's ship. (Claura and Xavier had already boarded this ship after they finished helping Bismarck bury his crews.) And then the ship started moving away from the Back Island, the island that was once a safe haven of the Seacross… But right now…

"…This… is the end of the Seacross…" Bismarck mumbled as he drove his ship into the azure sea of Riverbrine.

* * *

 **-A Few Days Later…**

At last, after a few days of journeying from the Back Island, the ship contained Bismarck, Jasper, Zenpai, Viola, Grimlock, Claura and Xavier finally reached the reef that surrounded the third island of the Riverbrine Archipelago, the Triangle Island.

"See three islands over there?!" Bismarck pointed his paw forward to three small islands on the other side of the reef. "That's the Triangle Island. It's form the three small islands into one island. This is as far as this ship can go."

"So…" Viola said and looked at the reef. "This means that we must now swim from here to the Triangle Island?"

"Correct." Bismarck said. "However, everyone, I want you all to remain here."

Bismarck's words gave everyone a shock. Did this mean that…

"You will go to the Triangle Island by yourself?!" Grimlock said. "That's an absurd idea!"

"Right." Jasper said. "Don't forget that we are your friends. We will help you no matter what."

"But not this time…" Bismarck said. "This is my own business that I must deal with it by myself. Plus, none of you can swim this far from this ship to the Triangle Island."

"But—" Jasper was about to say something, but his words were interrupted by the Feraligatr.

"Moreover, are you going to leave this ship here at the reef? Aren't you afraid that this ship would be washed away by the waves? And we can't anchor here because the anchor may damage the reef."

"Then, let us go with you."

A voice came from the other two Pokemon on this ship. The owners of those voice were none other than Claura and Xavier.

"Claura? Xavier?" Bismarck looked at the dragons.

"I can swim as good as you, Bismarck, and Xavier can both fly and swim too." Claura said. "If you aren't going to let your 'friends' come with you, then at least take us with you."

"But—" Bismarck was about to say something, but Claura continued speaking first.

"If you don't allow us to go with you, then… Both of us will go by ourselves." Claura said.

"… There's nothing that I can do to stop you about this, right, Claura?" Bismarck said.

"Can you?" Claura answered.

"Fine, I yield." Bismarck said. "Claura, you are such a passionate and enthusiastic Pokemon. Your vitality is so strong… I don't think that I will ever meet someone who has a stronger vitality than you, Claura."

"Enough talking." Claura said. "Now let's go. We don't have the whole year for this chit chat."

After she finished speaking, Claura jumped off from the ship and over the reef into the sea at the other side of the reef. Beside her was Xavier, who's now flying above his cousin.

"Well, then…" Bismarck said and prepared to jump off his ship when Grimlock spoke up.

"Don't ever die there, Bismarck." Grimlock said.

"… Don't worry about it." Bismarck said. "I am as tough as thirty Tauroses. I won't die that easy."

After he finished speaking, Bismarck jumped off from his ship and over the reef into the sea at the other side of the reef to join with Claura and Xavier, and then three Pokemon started swimming and flying toward their destination, the Triangle Island.

"…Be safe, Bismarck." Jasper, Zenpai, Viola and Grimlock said.

* * *

 **-An hour later…**

After a long swim and flight, Bismarck, Claura and Xavier had arrived at the third island of the Riverbrine Archipelago, the Triangle Island. This island consisted of three small islands formed into one island in the shape of a hollowed triangle. Because of the reef that surrounded it, the Triangle Island was the only island in the Riverbrine Archipelago that didn't have any settlement on it, and the only Pokemon who would pay a visit to this island were the travelers and the archeologists who believed that this island held some ancient secret…

"This island doesn't look like the island…" Claura commented as she and Bismarck jumped out of the sea, and Xavier landed beside them. "This island looks more like a big rock floating in the sea more than an island for me…"

"But this place is truly an island." Bismarck said.

"… No wonder why there's no one who live on this island…" Xavier mumbled. "So… This means that 'they' aren't in the Riverbrine Archipelago. Such a waste of time…"

Bismarck, Claura and Xavier looked around the Triangle Island. But no matter what, they couldn't find any place that could be the 'hideout' for Bismarck's father.

"Dad, where are you?" Bismarck mumbled.

"I don't see any place that someone could hide…" Claura said.

"…" Xavier didn't say anything. He just gazed silently at the azure sea in the middle of Triangle Island.

"…Zastra…" Xavier mumbled. "…Could it be?"

 _"Positively."_ Zastra responded to the Dragonite's question.

"What are you talking about, Xavier?" Claura asked when she noticed that her cousin was talking to the Dragon Legend that he had formed a pact with.

"Listen up, Claura." Xavier said before he whispered something into Claura's ears.

"Hm?!" Claura looked at her cousin after she heard what he said. "Do you really think that?"

"I already asked Zastra about it." Xavier said. "And he confirmed that I was right."

 _"Yes."_ This time, it was Vastria who spoke up. _"Your cousin was right."_

"Hey, guys!" Bismarck walked up to Claura and Xavier. "Did you find anything?"

"No." Claura said.

"Well, this would be a problem…" Bismarck said. "What should we do?"

"Let's dive." Xavier spoke up. His words surprised Bismarck.

"Dive?" Bismarck said.

"Do you see the sea in the middle of the Triangle Island?" Xavier said and looked at the sea in the middle of the Triangle Island. "I think there must be some sort of undersea cavern down there or something…"

"And my father may be there?!" Bismarck seemed to understand. "Well… If he's really down there, then it's no wonder why no one saw him… But… If he's really down there… Why didn't he show up to us?"

"Well…" Claura said. "Maybe the entrance to that cavern may be sealed by something…"

"Then, let's go!" Bismarck said and jumped into the sea once again, following by Claura and Xavier.

* * *

A Feraligatr, a Kingdra and a Dragonite dived together into the sea below. Despite this was the sea, it wasn't very deep. In fact, it's too shallow, even to be called the sea. It only took them a few minutes to reach the bottom and found what they were looking for, the undersea cavern.

"!" All three Pokemon was surprised to find that, despite they truly found the cave, the entrance of the cave wasn't sealed!

"…" All three Pokemon wasted no time and entered the undersea cavern. It led them to the narrow and curved hollow upward. However, all of them noticed that the hollow had the mark of damage, as if there were something that often rammed into it.

And at last, Claura, Xavier and Bismarck got out of the narrow entrance and got to the large cave that also had the air for them to breath normally and the light for them to see around here!

"There is air for us to breathe!" Claura said.

"At a place like this?" Bismarck said and looked around.

"Well… This place looks some sort of like an ancient temple of something…" Xavier said. "I think the one who built this temple must have created some sort of mechanic that allows this temple to stay without the sea water flowing into it. And there must be some sort of air hole and light hole that enable us to breathe and see while we are here."

"Air Hole and Light Hole for the Undersea Temple?!" Claura said. "Are you nuts?!"

"I am serious." Xavier said. "While we were on the Triangle Island, I noticed some sort of several small holes there…"

"Whatever." Bismarck said before he looked around. "Dad! Are you here?! Please show up or answer me if you are here!"

Bismarck's voice echoed into the Undersea Temple. And then…

"GRARARAGARARARGAARARAGATATGATAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Suddenly, a loud roar echoed from the deep of the temple, followed by the appearance of a Pokemon…

"Dad!" Bismarck said when he saw the Pokemon who had just appeared. That Pokemon were a Feraligatr like Bismarck, except that he was bigger and much older than Bismarck. He was none other than the Pokemon Bismarck was trying to find, Magnus Aquamarine the Feraligatr.

"Dad, I finally found you!" Bismarck said when he was about to approach his father, but he was stopped by Claura.

"Wait a minute, Bismarck…" Claura said.

"What's wrong, Claura?" Bismarck asked. "My dad is right there! Right in front of us!"

"There's something strange about your father…" Claura said. "Look carefully…"

Bismarck turned his attention back to Magnus and realized that there was something wrong with his father…

"GARARARARAR!" Magnus suddenly roared out. He didn't show any sight of friendliness. In fact, he was acting very aggressive toward everyone!

"Dad, what's wrong with you?!" Bismarck asked.

"His eyes…" Xavier spoke up. "His eyes don't have pupils… It's just a white orb…"

"What?!" Bismarck said and looked at his father again. "Dad! What happenned to you?! Please, answer me!"

"ARRGATGAARRRARAR!" Magnus roared again before he charged straight up at Bismarck and everyone!

"Be on guard, everyone!" Claura said and picked up her weapon, as well as Xavier who picked up his weapon. "Here he comes!"

 **The Ocean Pirate**

 **Magnus Aquamarine the Feraligatr**

Magnus charged at Bismarck, who barely dodged his father's attack because he was not as fast as Jasper, Zenpai and Viola.

"Dad!" Bismarck tried to call his father again, but Magnus didn't listen to him. The bigger Feraligatr then attacked his son with the move Crunch, which he barely evaded again.

"Don't waste your breath with him, Bismarck." Claura said and attacked Magnus with the move Dragon Breath. "It seems like he is under the control of something."

"Under control?!" Bismarck said when he saw his father roared in pain as he was attacked by Claura's Dragon Breath, before he changed his target to the Kingdra.

"Right." Xavier said as he watched his cousin trying to evade Magnus's attack. "It seems he needs someone to knock some sense into his thick skull…"

"But won't he die if we attack him?" Bismarck asked as Claura attacked Magnus with her anchor.

"Well… You say as if the current Hero of Water type would die that easy…" Xavier said and yawned.

"WOULD BOTH OF YOU HELP ME IN DEALING WITH THIS ONE?!" Claura roared out as she were left to deal with Magnus alone.

"Sigh…" Xavier said and equipped his weapon for the first time since he arrived in the Riverbrine Archipelago. Xavier's weapon of choice was a Halberd.

"It's time for 'Troposphere' to drink some blood!" Xavier said before he suddenly changed. He then quickly charged at Magnus and attacked him mercilessly with his halberd, Troposphere.

"GARRRRARRARAR!" Magnus roared as Xavier attacked him mercilessly.

"W…What are you doing, Xavier?!" Magnus was shocked when Xavier suddenly became aggressive.

"Sigh… That's just like him…" Claura said. "He may be calm, but once it's a battle or bloodshed, he will start to show his monstrous side…"

"Xavier! Stop!" Bismarck roared. "You will kill him if you keep doing that!"

"What?" Xavier said and stopped attacking Magnus. "Well, a Hero of Legend like him wouldn't die that easy…"

"Whatever!" Claura said and equipped her weapon again. "Just leave it to me and my Citcra."

"…What's 'Citcra'?" Bismarck asked.

"It's name of this beauty." Claura said and showed Bismarck her weapon, which was an anchor named Citcra.

"Strange name for weapons…" Bismarck mumbled. "An anchor named Citcra… And a halberd named Troposphere… What kind of names are they?"

"RARARARAR!" Magnus was able to stand up after he was attacked mercilessly by Xavier's Troposphere. He then roared aggressively and charged at Bismarck!

"RAWR!" Bismarck roared and lower himself to evade Magnus' attack, and then he punched his father at his tummy!

"AUGRR!" Magnus roared in pain as he was attacked at his tummy, and then it suddenly fell down onto the floor!

"What?! Just like that?!" Claura said when she saw Magnus getting knocked out easily.

"No…" Xavier said before everyone saw Magnus slowly stood up again. However, this time…

"GRRRRR!"

"WHAT THE FXXK?!" Bismarck cursed after he saw what happened to his father. It was because there was something long and white suddenly growing out of his father's mouth! It was something that looked like a white tentacle! Magnus now charged at Bismarck and attacked him using the tentacle that grew out of his mouth!

"ARGRR!" Bismarck roared in pain as he was punched by Magnus's 'tentacle'.

"What the hell is this?!" Claura said.

"… This thing is the proof of my suspicions…" Xavier mumbled.

"Taste my Citcra!" Claura said and attacked Magnus with her anchor. However, Magnus used his 'tentacle' to grab the anchor that Claura threw at him before pulling Claura to him and punched her at her face!

"Ouch!" Claura said after she was attacked by Magnus's tentacle. "You are going to regret doing this to me!"

"Wait a minute…" Xavier mumbled after he saw Claura getting attacked by Magnus's tentacle. And when he combined this with the reaction Magnus had when Bismarck punched him at his tummy and his suspicions…

"Claura!" Xavier spoke up. "Attack him with your Citcra again!"

"And he's going to punch me again!" Claura said.

"Throw it at his legs!" Xavier said.

"Got it!" Claura said and threw Citcra at Magnus's legs. She then bound her weapon around Magnus's legs!

"Now, pull!" Xavier said.

"HI YAH!" Claura said and pulled her weapon as fast as she could. Her action made Magnus fall down with his back on the floor!

"Now! Bismarck!" Xavier said. "It's time to end this battle! Stomp him as hard as you can on his tummy!"

"But…" Bismarck said.

"Just do it!" Xavier said.

"…Fine." Bismarck said before he quickly ran up to where his father was lying on the floor.

"…Forgive me, dad." Bismarck said before he raised his foot, and then he stomped as hard as he could on his father's tummy!

"ARRRRRGGGGGGG!" Magnus roared in pain as he was stomped by his son on his tummy, before his voice stopped, and then he stopped moving…

 **To Be Continued…**

* * *

 **Dragon of Vale: This must be one of the longest chapter I have ever written ever… And it seems like things almost comes to the end… In the Water Part, Bismarck finally reunite with his father… And in the Snow Part…**

 **A special thanks to Ridin Valon, as well as everybody else, for helping me with the error correction.**


	38. Tail 4-7x: Revelation and Atonement

**A Dragon's Tail**

 **Tail 4: Claura's Tail - Stagnation**

 **Tail 4-7x: Revelation and Atonement**

On the lonely Mt. Snowlost, the snowy mountain that separated Queendom of Riverbrine from Shadowlost Territory, this place was known for its eternal blizzard, making everyone who wanted to travel between Riverbrine and Shadowlost decided to to travel by boat instead of by foot, as it would be suicide for non-ice type Pokemon to travel across this place…

However, right now, there was someone here… She was walking alone in the howling blizzard. Despite wearing the cloak, her body was still shivering, not from the cold, but from the fear…

"What should I do?" Queen Nyxier mumbled as she slowly walked through the blizzard of Mt. Snowlost. "What have I done…? I was supposed to be the Heroine of Ice type who protected this world from the chaos… But in the end… It's me who ends up falling into the evilness…"

Queen Nyxier continued walking slowly through the blizzard. At first, she was thinking of heading into Shadowlost Territory to take refuge there, but now… She wasn't sure anymore…

"Misvale…" Queen Nyxier mumbled. "I am sorry for not being a better mother to you… Please… Forgive your arrogant mother…"

Queen Nyxier's words echoed into the howling blizzard, in hope that it could reach her daughter. However, she knew that it would be impossible…

"Snow…" Queen Nyxier continued mumbling. "You have done so much for me… While I am such a bad sister to you… I treat you like you are my slave, not my own brother… Oh, Goddess Yggdrasil… Please… Protect him from the reaper's embrace… If I can, I would trade my life for his… I would rather die in his place... Please let me die in his place…"

Queen Nyxier's voice echoed into the howling blizzard, but there was no response, just like she thought…

"And… This place…" Queen Nyxier stopped walking… "This is the place where you and I met each other for the first time in forever… My beloved… I am sorry for treating you like that… The day you left me, I cried so hard and cursed you to never come back, only to realize that it was because of my arrogance that you decided to leave… It was because I am not the same Nyxier you fell in love with… That Nyxier you knew… is already dead… The only Nyxier that remained is the arrogant queen of Riverbrine who thinks that she is better than everyone… And she could do anything she wants… Oh… I am so sorry… Please… Before I die, I just want to see you once again…"

Once again, Queen Nyxier's words echoed into the howling blizzard. However, it was a vain attempt as she knew that her wish would never come true…

"…"

"…?"

Queen Nyxier heard a voice of something… It seemed like the sound of heavy steps through the howling blizzard of Mt. Snowlost. The source of the sound was somewhere in front of her…

The sound of footsteps gradually became louder, and then, she could see a figure of someone in front of her!

"…!" Queen Nyxier was shocked when the figure in front of her gradually walking up to her, until at the range where she could see him clearly!

"!" Queen Nyxier was shocked after seeing the figure that stopped in front of her, because the owner of that figure was the one she wished to meet most before the end of her life!

"Oh!" Queen Nyxier spoke up. A clear water started flowing out of her eyes, which was frozen immediately as it came out by the howling blizzard. "Y…You… Am I not dreaming?"

"…" The Pokemon in front of her didn't say anything. Instead, he started walking closer to Queen Nyxier. Actually, the moment he gradually walked up to her didn't look like the moment of tearful reunion even a bit. It looked more like… a moment of a reaper that approached the near-dead being…

"Oh…" Queen Nyxier gradually walked up to the Pokemon in front of her at the same the Pokemon in front of her gradually walked up to him.

And finally, they stopped in front of each other, with almost zero distance that separated them from each other…

"…This… is just like… that time…" Queen Nyxier spoke up. "We met each other here, on the lonely Mt. Snowlost… Do you… remember?"

"…Nyxier…" The mysterious Pokemon spoke up with a loud and gruff voice.

"And then… We went on the mission to save Symmetria from the Fallen Crisis together…" Queen Nyxier continued speaking and reached her paw to touch the chin of the Pokemon in front of her. "Do you… remember… that night? The night when you came back with heavy wounds on your body, and then I took care of your wounds and exchanged our secret… And then we… passed that night together…"

"…" The mysterious Pokemon said nothing as Queen Nyxier gently touched his chin, but he gave a little nod to her question.

"But then…" Queen Nyxier's voice was shaking as she continued speaking. "I became the queen of Riverbrine… And you became the highest-ranked general… Despite we couldn't rule the land of ice and water together, we promised to always be together, right?"

"…" The mysterious Pokemon didn't say anything.

"However, it was me who broke that promise…" Queen Nyxier continued speaking. "I was intoxicated by the role of the queen… I let the power I have slowly destroy my soul from within… I gradually turned into an arrogant queen who didn't care for anything except for herself… And it got worse at… that day… 17 years ago…"

"…" The mysterious Pokemon still didn't say anything.

"It was the day I gave birth to two eggs…" Queen Nyxier continued speaking with a voice that was filled with grief. "Normally, both eggs would hatch into the twin children of us… One boy and one girl… However… I… I did the terrible thing that day… A terrible thing that no one would forgive me for what I have done…"

"…" Despite he didn't say anything or do anything, it was not hard to see that the mysterious Pokemon was trying to hold back his tear.

"I let the Royal Rule of Riverbrine to overcome me… And… Ordered you… to get rid… of our son…" Queen Nyxier said. Right now, she couldn't hold back her tear anymore. "I am such a terrible mother… I ordered the execution of my own son… Who hasn't done anything wrong… I am the worst mother ever… I don't even deserve to be a mother of anyone… Be Misvale or my unborn son…"

"Nyxier…" The mysterious Pokemon spoke up and touched Nyxier's paw gently.

"And then you left… with a feeling of disgust in your heart…" Queen Nyxier continued speaking. "You couldn't continue to serve the corrupted queen of Riverbrine… And you couldn't continue to be with the worst mother and wife ever…"

"Nyxier…" The mysterious Pokemon continued speaking.

"And now… I am back here… With nothing else in my life…" Queen Nyxier continued speaking. "I know that you will never forgive me… But… At least… Let me be with you… For a while is enough…"

"…Sure." The mysterious Pokemon said.

Queen Nyxier looked at the Pokemon in front of her at his face once again, and then she slowly embraced him with her front legs, and the Pokemon in front of her embraced her with his arms.

"…Thanks…" Queen Nyxier said. "Now… I can die without regret…"

"…" The mysterious Pokemon didn't say anything.

"I am sorry for being a burden to you… I am so sorry…" Queen Nyxier continued speaking. "I always live my life in regret after the day you left… And now… The day that I was waiting has come… The day… for my atonement…"

"Nyxier…" The mysterious Pokemon said.

"I am sure that we will meet each other again… Someday…" Queen Nyxier spoke. "…Farewell, Tyrus."

After she finished speaking, a sharp object penetrated Queen Nyxier at her chest through her heart, making her body gently collapse onto the arms of the one who embraced her.

"…Forgive me, Nyxier." The mysterious Pokemon said as he looked at Queen Nyxier's lifeless body in his arms. Even now lifeless, there was a smile on her face… It was a gentle and tender smile, unlike the arrogant smile she always had on her face when she was the queen.

The mysterious Pokemon drew a sharp blade that penetrated Queen Nyxier's heart out of her chest. However, right now, he could hold back his tear no more. "Forgive me, Nyxier… I promise that I will take good care of our children… Until the moment of my atonement arrives… And then… I will go and join you… We will meet again… I promise…"

The mysterious Pokemon gently carried Queen Nyxier's lifeless body up in his arms. "But for now… As your husband… Let me… protect you… one last time…"

The mysterious Pokemon looked at the smile on Queen Nyxier's lifeless face one more time before he started walking into the howling blizzard once again… Until he could no longer be seen…

 **To Be Continued…**

* * *

 **Dragon of Vale: At first, I wrote this chapter as the part of Tail 4-7. However, it would make Tail 4-7 too long, and I don't want to merge this part into Tail 4-8, so I separated this part into Tail 4-7x.**

 **Well… The next chapter will be the last chapter of the fourth tail!**

 **A special thanks to Ridin Valon, as well as everybody else, for helping me with the error correction.**


	39. Tail 4-8: Happy Ever After

**A Dragon's Tail**

 **Tail 4: Claura's Tail - Stagnation**

 **Tail 4-8: Happy Ever After**

"… And then everyone in this realm has lived their lives in happy ever after. The end." Richard said and closed the book of bedtime story he was reading to his sister.

"It ends here?!" Rachael said. "What about that cruel queen?! What happened to her?"

"Everyone later found her lifeless body buried within a beautiful yet unbreakable crystallized ice in an old castle on the snowy mountain." Richard answered. "Despite their rage against the queen, they couldn't destroy the ice to get the queen's body out of there. However, everyone who saw her corpse said that she had a gentle and tender smile on her face. Maybe she found peace at last? Or maybe… We will never know the answer…"

"What about the princess?" Rachael asked.

"No one ever found her again." Richard said. "However, everyone decided not to follow her as they knew that the princess had nothing to do with the queen's tyranny. And everyone also believed that the princess is now living her life normal yet happily ever after."

"Okay…" Rachael said as the bedtime story had finally come to the end. "This is the saddest tale I have ever heard of! And I do feel bad for both the queen and the princess…"

"It's not you who feel bad for them…" Richard said. "It's your innocence that makes you feel bad for them."

"Alright…" Rachael said before she yawned.

"As I thought…" Richard said. "I told you that we would be able to continue this story tomorrow, but you insisted that you want to hear the rest of the story within tonight. And look at you right now!"

"But I do really want to hear the end of this story!" Rachael said and looked at her sister with a cute and innocent face.

"Sigh…" Richard mumbled and put away his books.

"Onii-chan…" Rachael spoke up. "Do you have any more bedtime stories for me?"

"No." Richard answered. "This story is the only one I have."

"Wah!" Rachael said with a disappointing voice. "I really want to hear more stories!"

"… Could you two lower your voices a bit?"

A voice came from one of two other Pokemon in this camp. The owner of the voice was a gladiator named Diego the Charizard.

"Diego?" Richard looked at the Charizard, who seemed like he had just woken up. "Sorry, did we wake you up?"

"Yes." Diego said. "Normally, I would stab your throat as a punishment for waking me up, but… Whatever…"

"Then…" Richard said. "Why don't you go back to sleep?"

"… Actually…" Diego spoke up. "It's already the time for my turn for fire watch."

"Hm?!" Richard said and looked at his watch before becoming surprised. "I have no idea that it's already this late!"

"Well… Whatever…" Diego said.

"But I thought that this is Zetarus' turn for fire watch, not yours…" Rachael said.

"Well… Zetarus asked me to switch our turns for a day." Diego answered before he sat down next to the campfire and stared into the burning flame above the wood. The camp then fell into silence for a while until Rachael spoke up.

"Um… Diego?" Rachael spoke up. "Could you… tell me a bedtime story?"

"WHAT?!" Diego spoke up. "Seriously?!"

"Yes!" Rachael said. "Onii-chan doesn't have any more bedtime stories, so I guess that, maybe you have one for me! Please! Could you read it for me?"

"Did you forget who I am?!" Diego looked at the Latias. "I was a gladiator from Fireview, and I am a wanted outlaw right now! The only thing I know is killing people! I don't have any sort of that thing for you!"

"Pretty please…" Rachael looked at Diego with the innocent face of hers. Her action made the Charizard restless.

"…Hm! Fine!" Diego said. "Now stop making that face already!"

"Yeah!" Rachael said. "Thank you, Mr. Charizard!"

'Sigh…' Richard thought to himself. 'No one could resist Rachael when she makes a face like that… Diego… You are no exception…'

"Whatever!" Diego said before he started telling his bedtime story…

* * *

 _There was everyone lived together…_

 _And then…_

 _Everyone died._

* * *

"Um… Diego?" Rachael spoke up.

"What's wrong?" Diego looked at Rachael.

"What kind of bedtime story this is?" Rachael asked. "And why don't you continue?"

"It ends here." Diego answered. "This is the whole story."

"What?!" Rachael said. "Just like that?!"

"What did you expect from a gladiator who knows nothing more than hurting people?!" Diego said.

"… Diego…" Rachael spoke with a sad voice. "Are you…really happy?"

"What?!" Diego looked at Rachael. "What's with that question?"

"I mean, you always say that you know nothing more than hurting or killing people…" Rachael said. "Are you… really happy with being like that? Are you really enjoying killing everyone?"

"…" Diego didn't answer Rachael's question. He just stared blankly at the burning flame in front of him.

"Well… I think I am so sleepy right now…" Rachael said. "I think I should go to bed right now."

"Then, good night." Diego said.

"Let's go, Rachael…" Richard said before he seemed to remember something. "By the way, Diego, if there's no unexpected obstacle, I think we would reach the border of Riverbrine-Fireview within tomorrow."

"Really?!" Diego looked at Richard. "Are you sure?!"

"Quite sure." Richard answered.

"…I see…" Diego said.

"And…" Richard continued speaking. "Don't forget to tell your friend over here…" Richard looked at Zetarus, who was now sleeping peacefully. "… When he wakes up, okay?"

"Okay." Diego said before he turned his attention to the campfire while Rachael and Richard got themselves into their sleeping bags and quickly fell asleep.

* * *

 **-At the Undersea Temple**

"GRRRRRR!" Magnus roared painfully after he got stomped by Bismarck on his belly. The white tentacle that grew out of his mouth stopped swaying left and right erratically.

And then…

"Cough! Cough! COUGH!" Magnus suddenly spat something out of his mouth. Then that thing landed on the floor near Bismarck.

"WHAT THE FXXK?!" Bismarck said as he saw the thing that his father had just spat out. That thing was a black creature that shaped like a sea cucumber with several pink spikes. That thing was… a Pyukumuku.

"Pyu?" The Pyukumuku looked around before it saw Bismarck, who was looking at it with a face full of rage.

"PYU!" The Pyukumuku was frightened by Bismarck's face and tried to jump away. However, it couldn't move away very far before Bismarck stomped his foot as hard as he could on its body!

"YOU!" Bismarck said and crushed the Pyukumuku with his foot. "BECAUSE OF YOU!"

"The Pyukumuku?" Claura spoke up before she turned her attention to her cousin. "So… Xavier, you were right all along…"

"…" Xavier didn't say anything and turned his attention to Magnus, who seemed to have recovered his consciousness.

"Arrr… Arr…" Magnus mumbled.

"Dad!" Bismarck quickly approached his father. "Dad! Are you alright?! Please answer me!"

"…Bismarck?" Magnus mumbled and slowly looked at his son. "Ah… You have grown so much…"

"Dad…" Bismarck said. A clear water started flowing out of his eyes. "Dad… I miss you so much…"

"Hey… And now you are such a crybaby…" Magnus spoke as he tried to stand up, but he couldn't because he didn't have enough power to do it. "I thought I taught you better than this…"

"…I am sorry…" Bismarck wiped his tear. "I am… just glad to see you again… After… After… What happened to mom and everyone else in our family…"

"Bismarck…" Magnus mumbled. "I am sorry…"

"You don't have to say sorry, dad…" Bismarck said. "After all, it was a sea monster that killed them… You didn't even do anything wrong…"

"Bismarck… It was me…" Magnus said. "It was me… Who killed your mother and everyone in your family…"

"WHAT?!" Bismarck was shocked after he heard his father's words.

"The 'sea monster' you spoke of… is actually me…" Magnus said. "It was me who killed everyone around the Riverbrine Archipelago… It was me who killed your mother and everyone… And it was me… Who killed everyone in the Seacross…"

"Dad…" Bismarck looked at his father. "It… It isn't true, right? Stop making a joke… This isn't a time for it…"

"Sadly… I spoke the truth…" Magnus said.

"But… Why?" Bismarck said with a teary face. "I don't understand!"

"Bismarck…" Xavier approached Bismarck. "The answer of the question you seek lies below your foot."

"What?!" Bismarck said before he started to realize everything. "THIS PYUKUMUKU! It is the true culprit, isn't it?!"

"Yes." Xavier explained. "Every victim of this 'sea monster' had the same marks on their body, the mark of claws and fangs. However, how many Pokemon that has both claws and fangs while is still able to swim? Most Pokemon that's the candidate for the 'sea monster' may have fangs, but most of them don't have claws. And the Pokemon that have both claws and fangs mostly couldn't swim… Moreover… The marks of fangs on the bodies of those victims were very deep, indicating that this 'sea monster' must have very strong fangs… And when combining everything together… The prime candidate to this 'sea monster' is none other than a Feraligatr…"

"T…Then…" Bismarck continued speaking. "What about this Pyukumuku?!"

"Remember the beach where your family was murdered?" Xavier continued speaking. "Other than everyone in your family, there were several Pyukumuku sleeping around there. However, the 'sea monster' didn't harm them, not even a bit… So…"

"The Pyumukuku must be behind the scene!" Bismarck spoke up. "Damn it… Just when I thought this creature is rather cute… It… It… IT!"

"Strange…" Claura spoke up. "I remember that Pyukumuku is a rather passive Pokemon. This doesn't make sense why it decided to kill everyone in sight…"

"…This Pyukumuku isn't the ordinary Pyukumuku…" Xavier said. "It seems like it was being altered…By some sort of… Genetic Experiment? Or by Forbidden Magic? I don't know… But when it got into the body of another Pokemon… It attached itself to the host and caused the host to lose their mind, becoming their living slave… In other words, it had become a parasite…"

"WHATEVER!" Bismarck spoke up. "That thing was responsible for everything for everything! I will never forgive it!"

"…And you say it after you crushed it to its death…" Xavier mumbled.

"Hey… So… That was the explanation of everything…" Magnus spoke up. "I think that thing must had gotten into my body while I was trying to reach the land after I was separated from Riftblade that night… Speaking of Riftblade… How is he doing right now?"

"He is doing fine…" Bismarck answered. "But it seems like he has a phobia of the waves…"

"Oh…" Magnus mumbled.

"Dad…" Bismarck said. "I am so glad… to see you again…"

"You already said that, didn't you?" Magnus said and tried to stand up again, however, his body suddenly fell down onto the floor once again.

"Dad!" Bismarck said and tried to help his father. "A…Are you alright?"

"...I really want to say that I am fine…" Magnus said. "But that damn parasite drained all of my power.. I am in such a pathetic state right now…"

"Dad! Don't say something like that!" Bismarck said.

"Anyway…" Magnus changed the topic of conversation. "Bismarck, you seem like you also have something on your mind, don't you?"

"Ah!" Bismarck had just realized the reason he started searching for his father. "Dad… A few days ago… I met four Pokemon… Who are the Hero/ine of Legend…"

"You… met them?" Magnus said.

"Yes…" Bismarck said. "They are the Hero of Grass type, Bug type, Electric type and Steel type…"

"I see…" Magnus said. "I guess that they are the children of Joshua, Ellisk and Kamui, right?"

"Yeah…" Bismarck said. "They said that their fathers were already dead. However, the daughter of Ellisk said that his father told them to find you just before he committed suicide…"

"… Joshua, Ellisk and Kamui are already dead, hm?" Magnus said. "And… It seems like I would join them soon…"

"DAD!" Bismarck said. "Do not say anything like that!"

"Hey… Now I am the one who gets scolded…" Magnus said. "In truth, I really want to live a longer life, but…"

"We could heal your wound!" Bismarck said. "And then we—"

"And then the 'sea monster' that killed the Pokemon of Riverbrine Archipelago will continue to live on…" Magnus interrupted his son's words. "Do you think everyone would be glad that a Pokemon who murdered their friends and family is still alive?"

"But it wasn't your fault!" Bismarck said.

"But the sin is mine…" Magnus said.

"No…" Bismarck said. A clear water started to flow out of his eyes again.

"Hey… I told you not to cry, my boy…" Magnus said.

"But… But…" Bismarck tried to stop his tears, but he couldn't.

"You and your friends have something more important to do than crying in front of your old man…" Magnus said.

"Dad…" Bismarck said.

"Listen up…" Magnus spoke. "Right now, the Hero/ine of Legend were guided to meet each other… This is the only sight of one thing, the impending chaos."

"The impending chaos?!" Bismarck said.

"Yes, just like the Fallen Crisis… When me and my other 13 friends were destined to meet each other to go on an adventure to stop the Fallen Crisis… And now… It's time for you and your friends."

"Dad…" Bismarck said.

"First, you and your friends need to find other Hero/ine of Legend..." Magnus said. "Go to Solar Village in the Theocracy of Venturnome… If I remember correctly, two old Hero/ine of Legend from the time of the Fallen Crisis, as well as their successors, are there…"

"Dad…" Bismarck said.

"Now stop grumbling and go!" Magnus said. "And take this too!"

Magnus picked something up and gave it to his son. It was a beautiful tomahawk. Its sharp blade was sparkling blue like the sparkling sea of Riverbrine.

"This…" Bismarck looked at the axe his father had just gave him.

"That's the Sapphire Axe." Magnus said. "It's the personal weapon of the Hero of Water type. Now, I pass this to you, Bismarck."

Suddenly, Magnus's body started glowing with an azure blue aura. The same went for Bismarck's body.

"Dad, what the—" Bismarck said as the azure blue aura that surrounded his father's body started moving toward him and joined with the azure blue aura that surrounded him, giving him an enormous power!

"I… feel… so… strong…" Bismarck said. "I feel like… I can do anything right now…"

"That's the feeling of being the Hero of Legend, my son." Magnus said after the azure blue aura that surrounded him disappeared from his body, and the azure blue aura that surrounded Bismarck's body was absorbed into Bismarck's body. "You are now one of the Hero of Legend. Bismarck, you are now the Hero of Water type."

"…Thank you, dad…" Bismarck said. "I promise to use my power for the sake of the world's safety…"

"Good…" Magnus said before he laid down on the floor again. "Now… You can go… It's time… For me to join my friends…"

"Dad…" Bismarck said.

"Farewell, my son…" Magnus said. "May the power of the sea guide you to your destination…"

After he finished speaking, Magnus stopped moving and breathing, thus ended the life of the former Hero of Water type here…

"Dad… DAD!" Bismarck said and started crying over his father's lifeless body.

"Bismarck…" Claura said.

"…" Xavier didn't say anything.

* * *

 **-Several Hours Later…**

After giving Magnus a proper burial under the sea of Riverbrine, Bismarck, Claura and Xavier left the Undersea Cavern with heavy hearts. They all swam silently back to Bismarck's ship at the range of reef and joined up with Jasper, Zenpai, Viola and Grimlock there before they all decided to head to the Seaside Town. While on the ship, Bismarck told his friends everything that happened in the Undersea Cavern… About his father… About the sea monster… About their next objective…

"So…" Viola spoke up. Right now, everyone was at the port of Seaside Town. The sun now started descending from the sky, making the sea of Riverbrine turn vermillion. "Our next destination is the Solar Village in the Theocracy of Venturnome."

"Right." Bismarck said. "Right now, we have the Hero/ine of Grass type, Bug type, Electric type, Steel type and Water type… We need to find the rest…"

"Your father said that there are two Hero/ine of Legend at the Solar Village of Venturnome, right?" Jasper said.

"Right." Bismarck said.

"…I guess that one of them is the 'Hero of Justice'." Zenpai spoke up. "He is a famous Pokemon because he was the leader of 14 Hero/ine of Legend that stopped the Fallen Crisis. If I remember correctly, he is the Hero of Fighting type."

"And the other one must be my mother." Grimlock said. "Although I don't remember much about her, I do remember that she is the Heroine of Normal type."

"The rest would be the Hero/ine of Fire type, Flying type, Rock type, Ground type, Ice type, Psychic type, Poison type, Ghost type, Dark type, Fairy type and Dragon type…" Viola said.

"…Hey…" Grimlock looked around before he asked the question that was asked several times during their adventure in the Queendom of Riverbrine. "Where're that Kingdra and Dragonite?"

"We are here."

Two voices came from behind everyone. Everyone then looked back and saw Claura and Xavier standing there. However, unlike before, both of them didn't show any sight of animosity toward them.

"I think we haven't introduced ourselves yet." Claura said. "I am Claura Pulsawhirl the Kingdra."

"And my name is Xavier Stormwing the Dragonite." Xavier said and yawned.

"Nice to meet both of you." Jasper, Zenpai, Viola and Grimlock said.

"By the way…" Bismarck seemed to remember something. "Jasper, Zenpai, Viola, Grimlock and I will head to Venturnome next. What about both of you? Wanna join us?"

"No, thanks." Claura said. "We have something else to do..."

"That's too bad…" Jasper said. "I was hoping that a cute girl—Oops! I mean both of you would join us again." Jasper quickly changed his words when Claura glared at him with an angry face.

"Although we may not always see ourselves eye to eye, I am glad to meet both of you." Viola said.

"Take care of yourself, wouldn't you?!" Grimlock said.

"Farewell…" Zenpai said.

"Will I be able to see both of you again?" Bismarck asked.

"Maybe yes… Maybe no…" Claura said.

"Yawn…" Instead of giving an answer, Xavier gave out a yawn instead.

"Bismarck, we should get going by now." Zenpai said. "I think we should leave right now, for that we would reach Venturnome sooner."

"Fine." Bismarck said. "Well, then… See ya, ye sea horse and ye sea'viar."

Claura nodded to Bismarck's farewell words while Xavier made an unpleasant face as Bismarck, Jasper, Zenpai, Viola and Grimlock got into Bismarck's ship, and the boat started moving away from the port of Seaside Town to the crimson Riverbrine Sea at dusk.

"Geez…" Xavier mumbled. "I really hate it when that guy calls me with that disgusting name…"

"What do you expect from someone who used to be a pirate?" Claura said.

"… What do you think about them, Claura?" Xavier suddenly became serious.

"…Despite being the one who holds the blood of legend in their veins, they… aren't as bad as I think." Claura said.

"…You think so?" Xavier looked at his cousin.

"…However…" Claura suddenly became serious. "I still couldn't trust them. They are our enemy, not our friends. And I am sure that one day, we would have to cross our blades with their's, just like what our grandparents and other Dragon Generals did 30 years ago."

"Whatever…" Xavier said. "But I am quite looking forward for the day of our battle with them… I really want to smash their bones with my Troposphere."

"…Enough talking about this nonsense." Claura changed the topic of conversation. "Xavier, now that our search in the Riverbrine Archipelago ends in vain, what should we do next?"

"Let's change our cloth back to our usual…" Xavier said. "I really miss my armor…"

"Okay." Claura said. "Let's find a nearby tavern to change our cloth."

* * *

 **-Twenty Minutes Later…**

Claura and Xavier came out of a tavern with their new (Actually, old) cloth they usually wore before they joined Bismarck in his adventure in the Riverbrine Archipelago.

Claura wore a set of light armor that consisted of a yellow breastplate that covered her chest, an azure blue cuirass that covered her body, and an azure blue helmet that shaped like her head, with two horns, that covered her head. The azure blue light armor she wore sparkled like the surface of the serene sea during the day. They were made from an unknown material that gave an excellent protection while also light. She also carried her personal weapon, which was an anchor named Citcra.

Xavier, on the other hand, wore a set of heavy armor that consisted of a cuirass that covered his body, a greave that covered his leg, a pair of gauntlets that covered his arms, a pair of boots that covered his feet, a pair of Wingguard that covered his wings, and a dragonhead-shaped helmet that covered his head. All of his armor was pure white, which were an unusual color for a set of heavy armor as they were made from an unknown material that, while a bit heavy, gave the best protection possible. Moreover, despite wearing a set of heavy armor, it didn't seem like its weight had any effect on Xavier's ability to fly, as he was still able to fly swiftly around while in a set of heavy armor and carried his personal weapon, which was a halberd named Troposphere, with him too.

"Ah… This is much better…" Claura said. "I prefer to wear my own armor instead of not wearing one…"

"Me too." Xavier said. "This armor would greatly improve my ability as a defensive fighter. Too bad we couldn't wear them while we were travelling in the sea as the salt water could easily rust our armor."

"Yours only, not mine." Claura said. "My armor doesn't get affected by the salt water. Only your armor would get rusty when it gets exposed to the salt water."

"I think I need to find a way to prevent my armor from getting rusty…" Xavier said and yawned.

"Anyway…" Claura said. "Where's our next destination?"

"We would travel across the Misveil Mountain Range and get into the Snow Part of this nation." Xavier said. "However, I think it would be a good idea to skip our search in the Snow Part of this nation because of… you know… And then head to Fireview Kingdom next…"

"That's going to be a long journey through the land of ice type Pokemon…" Claura said. "I think we should go to the shop and buy some supplies for our journey."

"And I think we should buy some more travelling gears…" Xavier said. "Such as a sleeping bag and a scarf for each of us."

"Why?" Claura asked.

"Travelling through the land of ice type Pokemon would be tough for dragons like us." Xavier said. "So we need to take an extra caution."

"Fine." Claura said. "Let's go."

* * *

Claura and Xavier headed to the Kecleon's General Store of Seaside Town to buy some supplies as well as sleeping bags and scarves. While Xavier headed to buy sleeping bags and scarves, Claura was on the shelves of food, looking for the food to be their supplies. Claura then picked several canned food because Claura was terrible at cooking, and Xavier's skill at cooking was just decent.

Meanwhile, as Claura chose which canned food she wanted, she heard the conversation of two female Pokemon who were at the berry shelves.

 _"…So, the Civil War at Snowlost City has finally come to the end…"_

 _"Yes. I am so surprised that we, ordinary civilians of Riverbrine, would be able to overthrow the reign of the queen and end her age of tyranny at last."_

 _"The rage of Pokemon of Riverbrine and Snowlost caused by the queen were enough for them to fight for their better life. At least I am glad that it's finally over…"_

 _"What about that tyrannical Queen? What happened to her?"_

 _"They found her corpse at the Graveyard of the Glacier on Mt. Snowlost. She is buried within a crystallized ice. Because of their rage, everyone really wants to take the queen's body out and destroy her body, but they couldn't break the ice, so the queen's body remained there…"_

 _"What about Princess Misvale? Is she… safe?"_

 _"She disappeared just before the rebel gained control over Snowlost Castle. No one could find her until now…"_

 _"Oh, my dear princess… Unlike the queen, she was always so graceful, polite and kind… I hope nothing bad happens to her…"_

 _"Me too… Some rebel even wants to kill the princess in order to prevent her from taking revenge for her mother… I hope the princess would be safe…"_

 _"Speaking of the princess and the queen, now that both of them are gone, who will become the next queen of Queendom of Riverbrine?"_

 _"I don't know… There's no one in the rebel army who would be decent enough to become the next queen of Riverbrine… So… I guess our nation would have to go on without a queen for a while…"_

 _"Oh! This really reminds me of the War of Snowlost Peninsula and the first queen of Snowlost! Both reigns of this nation ends up with only one queen per family! It seems like there's no family who could rules over the nation of water and ice for more than one age of one queen…"_

 _"Right… It sounds like there's a curse on our nation or something…"_

 _"True… This is just so sad… At least now's our queendom is at peace again… It's just like a fairy tale, isn't it?"_

 _"Right. In the end, everyone lived in happy ever after…"_

"…" Claura said nothing as the conversation ended here. Then she headed to the cashier counter to pay for the canned food she bought before she left the shop to join with Xavier, who's now waiting in front of the shop.

"Claura?" Xavier said when he noticed that Claura seemed to have something on her mind. "Something troubling you?"

"…I just heard two Pokemon talking about the civil war of this nation…" Claura said. "It seems like this nation was at war while we were at the expedition in the Riverbrine Archipelago."

"Oh, I heard about that too." Xavier said. "About the rebels who overthrew the queen, right?"

"…It reminds me of… The Kohaku Rebellion…" Claura said.

"…" Xavier said nothing.

"An army of rebels who overthrow the queen, and the princess disappeared from the nation… They are just the same… While the Kohaku Rebellion ends in the victory of the queen, not the rebel army, our queen did suffer so much…"

"…Claura…" Xavier mumbled.

"…Ah!" Claura suddenly spoke up. "What has gotten into me? That's just not like me."

"I think so…" Xavier said. "Let's take a look at the canned food you brought."

Xavier then took a look at the canned food that his cousin bought from the store, before he spoke up again.

"Pass." Xavier said. "I am surprised that you didn't go back to the sea and take cans of salt water with you."

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Claura glared at Xavier.

"I just remember that you like salty and 'watery' food…" Xavier said. "But for me, I am fine with the canned food you bought."

"And what about you?" Claura said. "Did you buy a sleeping bag and a scarf for me?"

"Here you are." Xavier said and gave his cousin a blue whirlpool-patterned sleeping bag to her while he kept a purple tornado-patterned sleeping bag with him.

"Thanks." Claura said and put away her sleeping bag. "And the scarf?"

Xavier handed over a blue scarf to his cousin. "That's Whirl Scarf. They said that it has something to do with the rain, and I think that you would like it."

"Whatever. I am not picky with these things." Claura said and put away her scarf. "What about your scarf, Xavier?"

Xavier then showed Claura a purple scarf. "This is the Dragon Sash, which can also be used as a scarf too. Like your scarf, they said this scarf has something to with the weather too, and I think that it would suit me."

"Whatever." Claura said as Xavier put away his scarf.

"And now that we have finished our preparations…" Xavier said. "What choice would you prefer? Between staying for a night in this town, or get going right now?"

"I think we should leave now." Claura said. "I don't want to stay here too long. And I want to find 'them' as soon as I can."

"Me too." Xavier said. "Let's go, Claura."

After they finished speaking, a female Kingdra and a male Dragonite started walking together to the north of Seaside Town. They then headed until they reached the northern exit of the town, which will lead them to the Misveil Mountain Range, a range of mountain that divided the Queendom of Riverbrine into the part of ice and water. While the sun had already departed from the sky, and the night had already come, two dragons still continued their journey… Their Destination is… Fireview Kingdom…

* * *

What are the things they are trying to find?

Will they be able to find them?

Soon…

They will know the answer…

 **-End of Tail 4: Stagnation-**

 **To Be Continued…**

* * *

 **Dragon of Vale: Finally… The fourth tail of A Dragon's Tail finally come to the end… This tail got the name of 'Stagnation'… Do you know the reason why this tail was named like this?**

 **Claura and Xavier said goodbye to Bismarck, Jasper, Zenpai, Viola and Grimlock. While these five Pokemon head to Theocracy of Venturnome, Claura and Xavier decided to head to Fireview Kingdom, which is also the destination of Rachael, Richard, Zetarus and Diego! Will both groups meet with each other? Who knows…?**

 **To be honest, this tail is my personal least favorite tail because it's hard for me to plan the story of this tail. Also, while Claura is the main protagonist of this tail, she didn't get that much role as this tail focused on the story of the Hero/ine of Legend. However, this tail turns out to be much better than I thought! I quite like how it turned out, especially for the snow part.**

 **The next chapter will be the interlude of this tail, and it will be followed by the fifth tail of A Dragon's Tail. And… Some major characters from a previous tail who only appear in only one tail will finally appear again…**

 **A special thanks to Ridin Valon, as well as everybody else, for helping me with the error correction.**


	40. Tail 4-Interlude: A Cursed Realm

**A Dragon's Tail**

 **Tail 4: Claura's Tail - Stagnation**

 **Tail 4-Interlude: A Cursed Realm**

 **"Father! Mother! Honey! Rachael! Help me!"**

 **A Cherubi cried in vain as I picked her up and shoved her into my throat, swallowing her in the instant.**

 **"Disgusting…" I mumbled as the voice of that annoying Cherubi had become quiet. "Those who bathed in the sacred light are all so disgusting… Well, at least now she has joined up with her family in hell right now…"**

 **After finishing the meal, I stood up and picked my Darkness Trident before leaving the dining room. This led me to the dark hallway of my lovely castle once again. Then I headed downstairs to the lowest floor of my castle, which consisted of only one room…**

 **".." I said nothing as I entered this room. This room was named 'The Forbidden Chamber' as everyone other than me was forbidden from entering. Well… Actually, no one would even dare to get near this room because this is the room where I sealed the fallen soul of the Pokemon that I have killed, making this room haunted by the tormented spirit who could neither live in the world of mortal nor depart to the world of afterlife… Hm… Such a lovely place…**

 **As I opened the door into the Forbidden Chamber, I could hear the cries of the haunted soul that were sealed here. The scream of their torment soothed my very cursed soul…**

 **I slowly walked up to the center of the room, which lied an altar. Then I placed my Darkness Trident here before started enchanting it using the forbidden spell of the past.**

 **"I am the demon from the past, the embodiment of the darkest mind, and the bringer of ancient twilight… The fallen souls bound by the cursed darkness! In the name of the ancient demon, I subject you to the eternal doom!"**

 **I said as the sound of haunted souls became louder, and my Darkness Trident was enveloped by the dark mist formed from the haunted souls in this room. The dark mist soon was absorbed by my cursed trident, giving it a more sinister-looking appearance, and its tip became much sharper and much deadlier.**

 **"Lovely…" I said as I picked my weapon from the altar. "A cursed trident empowered by the haunted souls I have killed, now trapped within this weapon for eternity… Moreover, I have placed a cursed spell that would caused anyone who was killed by me to get their soul sealed within this weapon forever, making it stronger for each kill I have… From now on, it's time for you and me to end the era of light and drag the world into the era of darkness, my lovely Dusk Trident."**

 **I looked at my weapon, now named Dusk Trident, again before leaving the Forbidden Chamber, which was now calm and quiet because the haunted souls in this room was already sealed within my weapon.**

 **As I got out of the Forbidden Chamber, one of my own soldiers of darkness approached me with a report. "Master, we have found the one you requested."**

 **"Already?" I said before a sinister smile appeared on my face.**

 **"Yes." The soldier of darkness said. "We already have brought him to the Experiment Chamber, as you commanded."**

 **"Excellent." I said. "What about his injury?"**

 **"His injury is harsh. It seems like he doesn't even able to hold onto his consciousness right now." The soldier of darkness continued his report. "We doubt he would live much longer."**

 **"That doesn't matter." I said. "Keep him alive, but do not let him enjoy the pleasure of still being alive. I will be there soon."**

 **"Yes, master." The soldier of darkness said before he left me.**

 **"At last…" I said. "Soon, the world shall know the feeling of being cursed and damned… Just like how my underlings and I experienced with our own life…"**

 **I continued walking from the Forbidden Chamber to an old library of this castle. Then I spent the next few hours gathering the documents I need for my plan.**

 **"This should do…" I said after I finally got everything I need.**

 **I used my magic to pick those documents up and left the library to a dark hall in front of the library. The only source of light for this dark hall was several torches on the wall and several glass windows…**

 **"…" I walked slowly along the dark hall, passing each torch one by one… Passing each window one my one…**

 **"…?"**

 **I looked at one window on the wall. I thought that… I saw something there…**

 **"?" I approached the window, and then I realized that my mind didn't play tricks on me, as I truly saw something in the windows…**

 **It was…**

* * *

 _"Arr… Arr…"_

 _"Oh! You finally woke up!"_

 _"Where… Where am I?"_

 _"You are in the Solar Village Dojo. Eva brought you here several hours ago. She said that you are a priest of Symmetria on a pilgrimage, right?"_

 _"Right… But…What…happened to me? Why am I here?"_

 _"Eva told me that you fell unconscious during your prayer in front of goddess Symmetria's statue, so she and everyone at the church decided to bring you here…"_

 _"Oh… I… I am so grateful for your help… Please… Accept my words of gratitude…"_

 _"It's nothing! Everyone would do the same thing if they found an unconscious Pokemon, right?"_

 _"Still… You just saved my life… I… I am so grateful…"_

 _"Hey, it's not a big deal! By the way, I am_ _ **Ridley Couraura the Lucario.**_ _I am the son of Solar Village Dojo Master."_

 _"Solar Village Dojo Master… So, you are the son of the Hero of Justice, right?"_

 _"You know my father?!"_

 _"Yes. Everyone knows the tale of your father's good deed. He was one of 14 Hero/ine of Legend who saved Symmetria from the Fallen Crisis, and now he still holds the title of the Hero of Fighting type, am I correct?"_

 _"I guess I shouldn't have asked…"_

 _"And… Where is he right now?"_

 _"He was meditating in his room, like usual… Anyway, what made you fall unconscious?"_

 _"…"_

 _"I guess I shouldn't ask you for now… Anyway, I must be off for now… I need to find the missing villagers of our village."_

 _"Missing villagers?"_

 _"Yes, she disappeared several days ago, and no one could find her."_

 _"…Is she… a Ribombee?"_

 _"Hm?! How did you-?!"_

 _"…I saw it… I saw her getting torn apart by someone… in the darkness…"_

 _"WHAT?!"_

 _"I saw it… While I was praying in front of the statue of goddess Yggdrasil."_

 _"Are you really sure?!"_

 _"Yes. As a priest who served Goddess Yggdrasil, I would never tell a lie."_

 _"Well… I find this hard to believe… But I know that you didn't speak a lie… Damn… What should I do?"_

 _"I am…so sorry for that Ribombee.."_

 _"…Don't worry about it… It wasn't your fault… But… How could I tell everyone about this? Especially for Eva… She will be so sad when she learns what happened to her friend…"_

 _"Eva? Do you mean the little Eevee priestess? Where is she right now? I must thank her for coming to my aid."_

 _"Eva? It seems like her friend has come to visit her today, so—"_

 _"Ridley!"_

 _"Oh, Eva! What a surprise to see you coming here… And… Your friend too! Er… What is your name again?"_

 _"WHAT?! How could you forget the name of someone with such a high standard like me?"_

 _"Ah, that's right… You are Katarina, right? I am sorry for not able to remember your name…"_

 _"Whatever!"_

 _"Ah! Priest of Yggdrasil! You finally awake!"_

 _"Dame Eva, I must thank you for helping me when I fell unconscious… No words of gratitude of mine shall ever repay you for the thing you have done for me…"_

 _"T…T…There's no need… t…to thank me…"_

 _"Oh, you are the priest of Yggdrasil? My name is_ _ **Katarina Pixillia the Florges**_ _! I am the daughter of the noble of Theocracy of Venturnome! My father served as a magistrate of Venturnome under Pontifex Hawkins and Archsage Iris!"_

 _"And I am the priest who served under Goddess Yggdrasil. I am now on a pilgrimage."_

 _"Speaking of Pontifex Hawkins… Katarina, I haven't heard of him lately since when he left Venturnome to Dustorm Empire's Prince Terrus' Succession Ceremony. Do you know anything about this?"_

 _"Well… It seems like the Pontifex is now… missing."_

 _"WHAT?!" Pontifex Hawkins disappeared?!"_

 _"Yes… After staying at Dustorm City of Dustorm Empire for some time, Pontifex Hawkins was meant to come back to Venturnome a week ago, but he didn't… According to my father, the last contact we got from the Pontifex's guard mentioned that they were crossing Dustorm Desert in order to come back to Venturnome… But after that… We didn't receive any more contact from them… And none of them ever came back to Venturnome…"_

 _"The Pontifex is missing… I can't believe this…"_

 _"And… It seems like Archsage Iris is on the investigation to find the Pontifex's whereabouts."_

 _"I… hope that both Pontifex Hawkins and Archsage Iris are safe… I will pray harder for their safety..."_

 _"…Speaking of which… Katarina, I hear that Pontifex Hawkins must be attending to Fireview Kingdom's Prince Apollo's Coronation Ceremony this month, right? But since both Pontifex Hawkins and Archsage Iris are now not able to go…"_

 _"Oh, it seems like the prince will go in the place of his parents. Wait a minute… Ridley, how did you know about Prince Apollo's Coronation Ceremony and Prince Terrus' Succession Ceremony?"_

 _"My brother told me. You know… While my father is the Hero of Justice of Solar Village, and I live with him, my mother is the Chancellor of Shadowlost Territory, and my elder brother is living with her. Because of this, my brother went to Prince Terrus' Succession Ceremony a few months ago in the place of my mother and the lord of Shadowlost. And then he came here to visit me and my father a few weeks ago, before he departed for Prince Apollo's Coronation Ceremony at Fireview Kingdom, which will be soon."_

 _"Oh! I have never known that you are the son of the chancellor of Shadowlost Territory! This also made you a noble, just like me! Teehee! We have so many things in common!"_

 _"S…Stop that, Katarina! You're embarrassing me!"_

 _"…I think I should get going by now…"_

 _"What? But you have just recovered…"_

 _"I am fine now, thanks to everyone's help… Hm? Where's my Light Scepter?"_

 _"O…Oh! H…Here you are… M…Mother and I took it to the temple while you were unconscious to bless it with everyone's prayers."_

 _"I couldn't thank you enough for this. Ah… This upgraded scepter is lighter and… makes me feel so heartwarming… As if it radiates a soothing aura and could calm even the maddest soul…"_

 _"M…My mother t…told me that this newly-upgraded scepter gains a new ability to heal anyone from their pain. And its ability of healing will grow stronger each time you heal others…"_

 _"As a priest, this would be the most useful thing for me when I need to help poor souls during my pilgrimage… Alright, now, I shall call my weapon the 'Dawn Scepter'."_

" _I…I am glad t…that y… you like it…"_

 _I can't thank you and your mother enough for this, dame Eva… No word of gratitude would ever speak my mind."_

 _"I…It's just…nothing… Y…You don't… h…have to thank me…"_

 _"Priestess Eva!"_

 _"Oh, you are a priest from our church! What brings you here?"_

 _"It's nothing serious. It's just that Archbishop Zira wants you to go back to our church as soon as possible."_

 _"What's wrong with my mother? She never summons me so suddenly like this…"_

 _"I have no idea… What I know is that, just before she told me to find you, she received a letter from the Postman Pelipper. It seems like it was a letter sent from Queendom of Riverbrine…"_

 _"A letter… from Riverbrine?"_

 _"Yes. Now I must be off… I hope that you would come back as soon as you can."_

 _"I understand. Thank you for relaying this message to me…"_

 _"Well.. What would you do, Eva?"_

 _"Ridley, I think I must be going now…"_

 _"I will go with you, Eva."_

 _"Thank you, Katarina."_

 _"Then, I will—"_

 _"I…I think… y…you should rest a bit more here…"_

 _"But—"_

 _"Eva is right. I think you should rest here some more… Don't worry about us. I will tell my friends and everyone in this dojo not to disturb your rest…"_

 _"I…I… I see… Thank you so much for your hospitality…"_

 _"Then, s….see you…"_

 _"Yes. Good bye!"_

 _"I will come back soon! Meanwhile, please take a good rest!"_

 _"Thank you… Everyone…"_

* * *

 **"…What?!"**

 **I opened my eyes and found that I am in a dark hall in my own castle. It seemed like I just…**

 **"This thing again…" I mumbled. "I stumbled onto this thing again… What is it? And why would I have to see it?!"**

 **I mumbled before I realized something… It was the conversation I heard during that thing…**

 **"…So, they know…" I said and revealed a sinister smile. "That's wonderful… They know what happened… They know what I have done… And they seem to drown in despair and nightmare… Good… This is just so good… But soon… You shall suffer more…"**

 **I continued walking along the dark hall until I reached my destination, my own laboratory. I wasted no time and opened the door.**

 **"Welcome, master." The soldier of darkness, who was stationed in this room, greeted me as I walked into the room. "What is your order, master?"**

 **"Relax…" I said as I placed the documents I got from the library on the desk. "I come here for my usual hobby… Anyway, where's 'him'?"**

 **"Right this way, master." The soldier of darkness said and led me to one of the experiment tables in this room. There was a Pokemon lying there. He was now unconscious.**

 **"Marvelous." I said. "Such a lovely specimen… Perfect for my experiment…"**

 **"What's your next order, master?"**

 **"Nothing. You can go now. And don't forget to treat everyone who was damned and exiled by those who are bathed in the sacred light. Now you're dismissed."**

 **"Yes, master." The soldier of darkness said before he left the room.**

 **I walked up to the desk that I placed the documents from the library earlier, and then I started my own work.**

 **"How should I do it? Hm… Maybe an instant one? Or a painful one? Or anything else…? This is so exciting… Soon… This world would be damned and cursed, and the light shall be vanquished from the realm for eternity! RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!"**

 **To Be Continued…**

* * *

 **Dragon of Vale: This chapter… Well… I can sense an impending crisis from this chapter…**

 **And here's the end of the fourth tail. Finally… And the next chapter will be the start of the fifth tail! However, I warn you that the fifth tail will have a story as dark as the second tail… Maybe even darker…**

 **A special thanks to Ridin Valon, as well as everybody else, for helping me with the error correction.**


	41. Tail 5-1: A Fuel of Vengeance

**A Dragon's Tail**

 **Tail 5: Diego's Tail - Reprisal**

 **Tail 5-1: A Fuel of Vengeance**

"…For a flame to keep burning, it needs something to be their fuel."

A Charizard in crimson armor who sat next to the campfire spoke quietly as he stared blankly into the burning flame above the woods that served as its fuel.

"I am a burning flame. A burning flame that exists only for one purpose… To destroy everything in my path… And in order to continue living in this world, I need something as my fuel, and that fuel is no more than vengeance."

The Charizard started removing his armor one by one; starting from a pair of gauntlets, a pair of boots, a set of greaves, and a cuirass, and ending with a dragonhead-shaped helmet.

"…" The Charizard started cleaning his armor using a fabric, and used the flame he breathed from his throat to polish it and prevent it from being rusty.

"Hey… You have got such a nice body, Diego Pyrotorch the Charizard…"

A voice came from one of the Pokemon who were sleeping beside this campfire. This Pokemon was a Garchomp.

"Zetarus?" The Charizard named Diego sighed and looked at the Garchomp, who seemed to have just woken up. "Wake up already?"

"No, I am still sleeping." The Garchomp named Zetarus said with a crafty voice as he sat down next to Diego.

"You fxxxxxg axxxxxe…" Diego mumbled and glared at Zetarus.

"Come on! I was just kidding!" Zetarus said. "But what I said earlier wasn't a lie…"

"…That I have a nice body?" Diego said.

"Right." Zetarus said and approached the Charizard. "Hm… Such great muscles you have here… If I knew this earlier back when I helped you change into your armor suit…"

"H…H…HEY!" Diego said and tried to get away as the Garchomp touched his arm. "F…Fxxk off, you stupid fxxxxxg bastard!"

"Hm?" Zetarus seemed to notice something as the Charizard tried to get away from him. "Hey, Diego, what's that white mark on your back?"

Zetarus pointed his paw at a white mark on Diego's back. This white mark was quite faint, making it very hard to be seen, especially during the night.

"…So, you saw it…" Diego mumbled. "It's a mark… No, it's a brand of someone who's a gladiator, whether they were slaves who were thrown into the pit, criminals who were sentenced in the combat, or, though very rare, someone who enters the battle on their own will."

"Brand?" Zetarus said. "Did you mean that you were…"

"Yes." Diego said. "After my… caretaker and I were thrown into the pit of the arena, they branded us with a hot iron to give us this mark. Didn't you have one too, Zetarus?"

"Nope." Zetarus said. "Every prisoner at the Desert Prison got one too, but not for me… That's another proof that I didn't commit any crime, and yet they still made my life a living hell.."

"Oh, that's right." Diego said. "I forgot that you are actually the prince of Dustorm Empire…"

"…It would be better if you keep it that way." Zetarus said and touched his right eye, which was now covered in the black eyepatch since when he had arrived at Civilight. "I am the prince in name only."

"Indeed." Diego said.

"…Hey, Diego." Zetarus seemed to remember something. "I have never asked this before, but how did you escape from the arena?"

"…It started after my father died in that pit of hell." Diego continued his story. "Without my father, I was forced to survive alone. I was just a Charmeleon at that time… Without anyone to rely on, I have to become stronger in order to survive… Which I thought that it was useless as back then, I didn't have any more will to live. I just really wanted to get killed one day so I could escape from the endless cycle of hell…"

"Eh…" Zeturus mumbled as he tried to keep up with the Charizard's story.

"Well, let me ask you first…" Instead of continuing his story, Diego asked a question to the Garchomp. "You told me that you stayed at Desert Prison since the day you were born, right? So… How could you keep living in that place for 21 years? Didn't you have any thought of committing suicide?"

"I thought of that a lot, Diego." Zetarus answered. "However, every time I thought of committing suicide, something in my heart told me that I couldn't die yet. I didn't know what it was until the day I was about to be executed. That moment… I finally realized the reason why I couldn't die yet… It was because I need to kill Emperor Garland… To kill my father first… It's as if I was born for this thing, and this thing only…"

"Well… I've never known this…" Diego said. "Killing your father is the fuel that keeps your flame of life from being extinguished… And yet you don't have any clue why did you have to accomplish this…"

"Hey!" Zetarus seemed to be confused by Diego's words. "Just when did you get so… smart? I don't understand anything you just said, not even a bit!"

"…Back to my story…" Diego continued his story. "Unlike you, I don't have any will to live on… Until one day… When 'she' appeared."

"She?" Zetarus looked at the Charizard's face.

"She was a female Quilava…" Diego said. "I knew nothing of her origin, but that day… She, like me, was branded and thrown into the pit of the arena, forcing her to become a gladiator, just like everyone there…"

"…" Zetarus said nothing as he tried to keep up with the Charizard's story.

"…You know… In the arena, you never know who's your friend and who's your enemy…" Diego said. "Someone whom you befriend today may end up as your enemy the next day… So that's why everyone there prefers to keep distant from everyone else… This included me too…"

"I…see…" Zetarus mumbled.

"However…" Diego closed his eyes. "One day, I came back from a battle with heavy injuries. Normally, if anyone was injured, they must tend their wounds by their own. And if the wounds aren't healed by the time of our next battle… You will most likely die."

"…" Zetarus said nothing.

"That day, I came back to the resting place for gladiators to tend my wounds. However, I don't have any potion… You know, in that place, things like healing potion and medicine are very limited…"

"And..." Zetarus said.

"So, I had no choice but to wrap my wounds with bandages." Diego said. "However, she came…"

"She?" Zetarus said. "Did you mean that… Quilava?"

"Yes." Diego said. "She came and shared her healing potion with me. I was very surprised when someone shared their kindness with me."

"I see…" Zetarus said.

"At first, I just turned my cold shoulder toward her." Diego said. "But she still kept helping me. Sometimes, she even tended my wounds for me! So, one day, I decided to ask her why did she keep helping me."

"And what was…her answer?" Zetarus asked.

"She told me that I had something in my eyes that caught her attention…" Diego said. "She told me that I am different from anyone here. She said that I had gentle and innocent eyes, unlike other gladiators who had eyes that resembled beasts."

"Gentle and innocent, eh?" Zetarus looked at Diego's eyes with a crafty face. "Really?"

"S…Shut up!" Diego said. His face was as red as a Tamato Berry. "A…And don't look at me like that!"

"Okay!" Zetarus said with a crafty voice.

"A…Anyway!" Diego continued his story. "She also said that she felt that I am sad and lonely inside. That's why she wanted to become my friend."

Zetarus said nothing, but nodded to his friend's story.

"After that day, we gradually became closer to each other. She tended my wounds after a battle, and I repaid her by protecting her from other gladiators who tried to…You know…her."

"I see…" Zetarus said.

"… Come to think of it, it was quite strange…" Diego said. "Before I met her, I didn't have any will to live in that world. But after I met her, I felt that… For the first time in many years, I had a will to live there. I started to feel better after my heart grew cold from any kindness, and… I started to think that… I was… in love."

"WHAT?!" Zetarus said in a surprised voice. "A…Are you serious?!"

"Hey! What's that reaction?!" Diego said. Again, his face turned red. "I… I don't know if that's love or not… But at least, she made my life meaningful once again…"

"…" Zetarus said nothing and crossed his arms.

"So…" Diego was about to continue his story, but was interrupted by the Garchomp.

"Hey, Diego…" Zetarus spoke up. "Aren't you feeling tired of telling me such a long story?"

"Come to think of it, I think I am." Diego said. "Are you suggesting that we should take a break and do something else?"

"Yes." Zetarus said. "I will let you handle this as you see fit."

"Okay." Diego said. "You two, you have three seconds to show up or—"

"EH?!"

A cute voice of female Pokemon came from behind Zetarus and Diego. It came from the spot where two other Pokemon in this cave were sleeping. However, right now, they weren't sleeping, they were…

"…And once again…" Richard spoke up and showed up with his younger sister, Rachael. "You two notice that we eavesdrop your conversation."

"I don't need any word like that." Zetarus said. "I need you to tell us how long since you started listening to our words."

"… Since when Diego told you about his brand." Richard answered. "And I still couldn't believe that you are actually the prince of Dustorm Empire, and you plan to assassinate the emperor of Dustorm Empire, who's your own father, Zetarus."

"Hm…" Zetarus seemed to be relived after hearing the answer from the Latios. "Believe it or not, I don't care. But now… Diego, what should we do with these two this time?"

"…" Diego said nothing before he turned his attention to the Latios and Latias. "If both of you want to listen to my story, then suit yourself."

"Hm?! We can?!" Rachael said. "A…Are you sure it's fine for us to listen to your story?!"

"You two already know so many things about me… Maybe too much, but whatever." Diego said.

"Then…" Rachael and Richard decided to sit down next to the campfire in order to join the conversation.

"Let me continue my story…" Diego said. "Several days had passed… Several weeks had passed… And several months had passed… I finally became the strongest gladiator in the arena. Everyone there feared even my shadow, and none of them even dared to piss me off."

"Um…" Rachael spoke up. "Why did… you have to become so cruel, Diego?"

"Because it's kill or be killed." Diego answered. "If I don't kill someone, I will get killed by others. It's simple."

"Oh…" Rachael almost fainted after hearing the answer from the Charizard.

"However…" Diego was about to continue the story, but was interrupted by the Latios.

"Look." Richard pointed his paw to the east. "It's already daybreak of the new day."

"Hm? Morning already?" Zetarus said.

"I guess that we were lost in my story…" Diego said. "Well then, I will continue this later. For now, let's be prepared for our journey. Richard, you told me that we will reach Fireview Kingdom today, right?"

"What?!" Zetarus looked at Diego, and then looked at Richard. "R…Really?!"

"Most likely." Richard answered. "The weather and the road seem to be clear, so we will reach it soon."

"YES!" Zetarus suddenly spoke out. "Finally! It's time to say goodbye to this terrible 'Zno' thing!"

"Oh, fxxk…" Diego mumbled.

* * *

 **-A Few Hours Later…**

After having breakfast and continued walking for some time, Diego, Zetarus, Rachael and Richard reached a large cave at the border to Queendom of Riverbrine and Fireview Kingdom. This cave seemed to be an old mine.

"Here we are." Richard said.

"This cave?" Rachael looked at the cave. "Why bring us here, Onii-chan? Why aren't you leading us to Riverbrine-Fireview Checkpoint?"

"…And what would happen if we go to the Riverbrine-Fireview Checkpoint?" Richard said and looked at Diego and Zetarus, which made Rachael finally understand.

"Oh, I see…" Rachael said.

"So, we will have to use this path instead." Richard said. "This is the entrance of the Underground Mine, a mine that operated under the land of Fireview Kingdom."

"A mine?" Rachael repeated the word.

"Yes." Richard nodded. "This mine has many entrances around the Fireview Kingdom, including the entrances that are located out of Fireview Kingdom…"

"Just like this one?" Rachael asked.

"Correct." Richard said. "There is an entrance that led to Queendom of Riverbrine to the west of Fireview, and several entrances that led to Dustorm Empire to the south of Fireview. However, only the entrances to Dustorm are still open. The entrance to Riverbrine was closed since the time of Bloodmoon War 17 years ago."

"Bloodmoon War?" Rachael said as she remembered hearing about this from somewhere. "Did you mean one of five great wars that occurred on the continent of Symmetria, other than the War of Snowlost Peninsula, War of Jasmine, Civilusion War and War over the Windsky Plateau?"

"Yes." Richard answered.

"Why?" Rachael asked. "Why did they have to close this entrance? Is there something happening during the Bloodmoon War?"

Richard was about to answer his sister's question, but was interrupted by the voice of the Garchomp.

"Hey, spare those words for later, wouldn't ya?" Zetarus said.

"…Fine." Richard said. "Anyway, because this entrance was closed, it's safe for us to use this entrance to get into Fireview Kingdom without being noticed."

"Okay." Diego said. "Let's go, everyone."

Everyone nodded, and then four Pokemon walked together into the Underground Mine.

* * *

The Underground Mine was, as expected from a mine, dark. Moreover, because this part of the mine was abandoned since 17 years ago, the path became very rough for everyone to proceed. But Richard summoned a ball of light from his Chronicle of Daybreak to light up the area, the journey into the mine became a lot easier and safer.

"EAHAEEA!" Rachael cried as something suddenly attacked her.

"Dragon Breath!" Richard exhaled a mighty gust from his mouth to attack the wild Pokemon that attacked his younger sister, making it quickly ran away from the group.

"Whew!" Rachael said. "Thank you, Onii-chan!"

"Don't sweat it." Richard said and was about to head deeper into the mine when a Garchomp called him out.

"Richard, do you know what this thing is?" Zetarus pointed his claw at something next to him. It seemed like an empty big wooden box without its lid, but it had two wheels, and it seemed like this 'box' was placed at the end of a railroad that led further into the mine.

"It's just a minecart." Richard answered.

"My card?" Zetarus tried to repeat the word that the Latios told him. "I don't remember having one of these 'card' things… And this is just a big 'card'…"

"Good grief…" Richard facepalmed himself.

"Let's just say that it's like a small train used to move around here in the mine." Diego gave Zetarus a brief explanation about the minecart.

"Okay…" Zetarus said, despite he still didn't understand very much about the 'My card''. And then. "Wait a minute, did you say that we can use this 'my card' to move around the mine, just like a train?"

"Zetarus…" Diego seemed to know what the Garchomp's thinking. "Don't tell me…"

"Come on!" Zetarus said. "It's much better than walking randomly in the dark!"

"Hm… You are right about this…" Diego said and approached the minecart. "This cart is big enough for all of us, and we wouldn't get lost if we always stay on the railroad too,"

"A…A…Are you serious?!" Richard said after he realized what were the Garchomp and Charizard thinking. He seemed to be panicking after he realized their idea. "T… That's…"

"Yay! Yay!" Unlike her brother, Rachael didn't seem to be panicking after she realized what's going on. "Yay! Yay! Minecart Riding! Yay! Yay!"

"Diego, how does this thing work?" Zetarus said and looked around the 'my card'.

"Let me take a look…" Diego said and approached the minecart. "Ugh! This old thing won't budge! Hey! Richard!" Diego turned his attention to the Latios. "Have any idea getting this thing moving?"

"…I don't think it would be a good idea for us to use it…" Richard said and looked at the railroad, which led into the deeper part of the mine.

"Onii-chan, please…" Rachael said and looked at Richard with her cute, innocent pairs of eyes. Her action, again, made it impossible for the Latios to refuse her request.

"Sigh… Fine…" Richard said and approached the minecart before he picked something out. It seemed like a bottle that contained a strange-colored liquid.

"What's that thing?" Zetarus asked.

"Rust Remover." Richard answered and poured it onto the wheels of the minecart, making the rust dissolve after being exposed to the liquid.

"Great!" Diego said and started working on the minecart. "Now we would be able to use this thing! Zetarus, help me."

"Yeah!" Zetarus said and approached the 'my card'. "That thing you poured on 'my card'….er… What was it called again? Lus—"

"Never mind." Richard said.

"But, Onii-chan…" Rachael said and looked at the bottle of rust remover. "Why do you have something like this with you?"

Richard seemed to be distracted for a bit as he answered the Latias. "…Those idiots from Civilight often need this, but they ALWAYS forgot to have it with themselves. That's why I always have one with me in the case they need one."

"Ewww… Onii-chan!" Rachael seemed to appreciate the answer from her brother. "You are so caring! This is why I love you so much, Onii-chan!"

"S…Shut up…" Richard said and hid his face from everyone.

"Hey, you two!" Diego called the Latios and Latias. Right now, both him and Zetarus had already gotten into the minecart already. "Come on, hop aboard!"

"Yay! Yay!" Rachael said and was about to get into the minecart when she saw that her brother didn't do the same thing.

"Onii-chan?" Rachael turned her attention to the Latios and realized that he was still staying at the point he was talking to her. "What's wrong, come on!"

"A…Are you sure that… it will be safe?" Richard asked with a shaking voice.

"Of course!" Rachael said and approached her brother. "Now come on or you will be left behind!"

"W…Wait!" Richard said as Rachael dragged him to the minecart and pushed him into it before she got into it too.

"Finally…" Diego said after everyone had gotten into the minecart already. "Zetarus, could you pull off the switch over there? I think it will give us a smooth ride."

"This one?" Zetarus said and pointed his claw at a switch next to him. "Okay."

"Wait, that's—" Diego was about to warn the Garchomp that it was a wrong switch, but it was too late.

"Gotcha!" Zetarus said and pulled off the switch next to him.

After that, the minecart that wasn't being used for several years suddenly moved along the railroad at a very fast speed into the deeper part of the Underground Mine, leaving nothing behind except the voice of someone who boarded it.

"YOU IDIOT!"

* * *

 **-Several minutes later…**

"BANG!"

The minecart stopped moving as it reached the end of the line. However, because it was running at a very fast pace, the sudden stop made four Pokemon who were on the minecart being thrown out from the minecart onto the ground.

"UGH!" The Charizard, Garchomp, Latios and Latias groaned in pain as they were suddenly thrown out of the minecart.

"Awww… My head…" Rachael said as she moved up and helped her brother, who didn't seem very well after a ride.

"Fxxk you, Zetarus…" Diego said and slowly stood up.

"Come on!" Unlike others, Zetarus didn't seem to be upset after a minecart ride. "That was fun! Who want another round?"

"Fxxk off." Diego said.

"Onii-chan…" Rachael said and looked at her brother. "Are you alright?"

"I…I… am fine…" Richard said despite he didn't seem to be fine, not even a bit.

"Here, take this." Rachael said and gave her brother the refreshing potion. "It will make you feel better."

"T…Thank you…" Richard said and took a refreshing potion from his sister before he started drinking it, which made him feel a lot better.

"Thanks, Rachael." Richard said and handed over an empty bottle back to the Latias before he turned his attention to Zetarus. "What were you thinking, Zetarus?! That wasn't fun at all!"

"Come on!" Zetarus said. "Don't be such a whim!"

"Oh, great…" Richard said and looked around. "And the minecart was moving so fast and randomly around the mine. We didn't even know which direction it was heading and where are we right now!"

"Geez… Don't say something like that…" Zetarus said. "If we end up at a wrong place, we could just take another ride…"

"…No, thanks." Richard answered with a sarcastic voice before he looked around, and then he looked at the exit of the mine, which was not too far from them. "However, most tools around here seems to be recently used… Well, at least we don't end up at some abandoned entrance… I guess…"

"There's only one way to find out." Diego said and was about to walk up to the exit of the mine when Rachael spoke up.

"But… This is quite strange…" Rachael said and looked around. "If this isn't an abandoned entrance, why there's no one around here? I think it's still the hour of work…"

"You have a point, Rachael." Richard said. "However, I don't have any clue about this…"

"Eww… Just shut up and go…" Zetarus said and, along with Diego, walked up to the exit of the Underground Mine. Rachael and Richard then decided to follow both Garchomp and Charizard too.

* * *

 **-Outside the Underground Mine…**

"Woah!"

Rachael said as she and everyone stepped out of the Underground Mine. What laid beyond their eyes were several grand mountains as far as their eyes could see. However, the most standout one was a big volcano in front of them.

"That's such a big volcano!" Rachael said.

"…That's Fireview Volcano…" Diego said with a cold voice and his arm crossed. "It's the biggest mountain in the Fireview Kingdom."

"And… Look!" Rachael pointed her paw at something a bit far from them. It seemed like…a settlement.

"A town?" Zetarus said.

"Well… At least we didn't end up at an abandoned entrance…" Richard sighed.

"…That's not just a town…" Diego spoke up, surprising everyone.

"What?" Everyone turned their attention to the town in front of them… It was a big old-fashioned town… Actually, it wasn't a town. It was a city… And this city was bigger than Leafburg City of Principality of Leafburg. And it also had an old castle in the middle of the city…

"Wait…" Richard seemed to realize something, and then he turned his attention to Diego. "Diego, isn't this…"

"Yes." Diego said. "This is none other than Fireview City, the capital of Fireview Kingdom."

 **To Be Continued…**

* * *

 **Dragon of Vale: And… We are here, in the first chapter of the fifth tail. Its name is Reprisal… Did you see something bad coming from it?**

 **And… Finally, Rachael, Richard, Zetarus and Diego have finally arrived at the Fireview Kingdom, a kingdom of vast mountains and fiery volcanoes. Also… Diego finally got his own 'tail'! (No pun intended.)**

 **As Diego is (Finally…) the main protagonist of the fifth tail… The story of this tail would be similar to that of the second tail (Zetarus' tail)… Just wait a see…**

 **A special thanks to Ridin Valon, as well as everybody else, for helping me with the error correction.**


	42. Tail 5-2: Fireview Kingdom

**A Dragon's Tail**

 **Tail 5: Diego's Tail - Reprisal**

 **Tail 5-2: Fireview Kingdom**

Fireview Kingdom was one of seven nations on the continent of Symmetria and a home of Fire and Rock type Pokemon. Being located north of Dustorm Empire and west of Queendom of Riverbrine, this nation had the landscape of mountains and volcanoes, which half of them were still active. North of this nation was a sea that divided Fireview Kingdom from Shadowlost Territory, and west of this nation was a vast ocean that surrounded the continent of Symmetria. The east side of Fireview Kingdom was where the dormant volcanoes and mountain laid, making it a good home for rock type Pokemon. The west side of this nation, on the other nation, was where the active volcanoes laid, making it an ideal place for fire type Pokemon.

Fireview Kingdom had its appearance suggested that it was the oldest nation on the continent of Symmetria. (In the truth, all nations except the Shadowlost Territory were formed at the same time, which was after the Fallen Crisis.) At first glance, everyone would see that this kingdom was almost without any advanced technology, which was opposite of the Republic of Civilight. Everything in this kingdom seemed like as if it was as old as time itself. In its capital, the Fireview City, every house in this city was built in the old-fashioned way, even the castle itself was made of a Laterite. However, its appearance wasn't the only old-fashioned thing. There's yet one more old-fashioned thing…

Its cultures and traditions…

Fireview Kingdom was also known to have the strictest cultures and traditions among seven nations of Symmetria. Everyone who visited this place for the first time, even if they came from Theocracy of Venturnome, would find it very hard to adapt to the new culture of this nation of flame and stone. Unlike most citizens of Symmetria, the Pokemon of this nation worshipped the 'God of Volcano' instead of the Goddess Yggdrasil and the God Arceus. They even had someone who served as the 'Volcano Guardian' who communicated with the God of Volcano on the Fireview Volcano, the biggest volcano in the Fireview Kingdom. The Volcano Guardian was respected by everyone in the Fireview Kingdom, including the king and everyone in the Fireview Royal Family…

* * *

- **At the Outskirt of Fireview City…**

"…So, what will both of you do next?"

Diego asked a question to Rachael and Richard. Right now, Diego, Rachael, Richard and Zetarus were at the outskirt of Fireview City.

"… I think this is reaching the end of our agreement." Richard spoke up. "We agreed to travel together for a time being until we reached Fireview Kingdom. And now…"

"…You two have a goal, and Zetarus and I have another…" Diego said. "…And our goal is a dangerous one…"

"Dangerous?" Rachael spoke up. "What are both of you trying to do here?"

"…I want to kill everyone who possessed the blood of Fireview Royal Family, especially Prince Apollo and Regent Orion." Diego answered.

"What?!" Rachael seemed to be shocked when she heard the word 'kill'. "W…Why?"

"Come to think of it…" Zetarus joined the conversation. "You also have never told me the reason why you want to kill them…"

"…Fine." Diego said. "However, it's a quite long story…"

"Then, how about this…" Richard spoke up. "Let's stick together for another night, okay?"

"Fine with me." Zetarus said and turned his attention to Diego. "What about you, Diego?"

"Whatever." Diego said and looked at the other way. "But for now, I must be off."

"Where are you going, Diego?" Richard asked.

"I am a wanted criminal of Fireview Kingdom, and here I am, standing near the capital of the nation who branded my crime. That's why I must avoid going into the city for now."

"Heh… What a mess… But I guess it couldn't be helped…" Zetarus said and scratched his head and turned his attention to Rachael and Richard. "So, let's leave that Charizard here and go."

"…What about you, Zetarus?" Richard said. "Aren't you a wanted criminal too? Also, when we were at the Frostdrop Village, you also entered the village too…"

"It's because, despite I am a wanted criminal, and everyone knows that there was a prisoner who escaped from Desert Prison a few months ago, they do not know my face." Zetarus said. "Only the royal family of Dustorm Empire, Diego, and you two know who I am."

"How come?!" Rachael said.

"Whatever…" Zetarus said and headed into the Fireview City. "I will go now. Catch you later!"

"Aww…" Rachael looked at Zetarus, who was now walking up to the downtown of Fireview City, and then she realized that, like Zetarus, Diego wasn't here.

"Onii-chan…" Rachael looked around. "Where's Diego?"

"He left not too long ago, to that way." Richard answered and pointed his paw at a path that led to outside the city. "Anyway, let's go, Rachael. I heard that Fireview Kingdom has many beautiful traditional costumes…"

"Wow! Really?!" Rachael said. "Let's go! I want to buy them!"

"Okay." Richard said before both Latios and Latias followed Zetarus into the downtown of Fireview City, the capital of flame and stone.

* * *

 **-A Few Minutes Later…**

"Let's see…" Zetarus said as he looked around the Grocery Shop. It was because the group's supply, as well as the amount of his bullets, was quite low right now, so he decided to grab some of them for more.

"Hm?" Zetarus said and picked a can of something up. It seemed like it contained some kind of food inside, but Zetarus didn't know what it is because he couldn't read.

"Fxxk…" Zetarus cursed himself and put the can back onto the shelf. He was about to continue looking for the food when he heard a conversation from the entrance of the store. While it sounded like a normal conversation between the owner of the store and a customer, the content of their conversation wasn't.

 _"Greeting. How may I help you today?"_

 _"Hm? You still work today? I think the king made this entire week a vacation week to celebrate Prince Apollo's Coronation Ceremony next week? Even the workers in the Underground Mine received a vacation too! No one is working this week!"_

 _"Oh, but this week is actually a golden week for me! You know, so many Pokemon from other nations will come here to join Prince Apollo's Succession Ceremony. I can't miss this chance to make a lot of gold!"_

 _"Oh, you are right! I even heard that some of the royal families will come here too!"_

 _"Yes. I heard that the royal family of Dustorm Empire has already arrived here too!"_

 _"Royal family of Dustorm Empire?! Then… Don't tell me that the Emperor himself…"_

 _"No, the emperor of Dustorm didn't come. Instead, he sent his children here as a representative of Dustorm Empire."_

 _"Oh! I really want to meet them!"_

The conversation continued for a while about the normal stuff such as about today's weather, but Zetarus didn't listen to the conversation anymore because he already left the store… With a heavy heart.

 _'…All of 'them' are here…'_ Zetarus thought as he quietly left the store. _'I must make sure to avoid them at all cost, especially Freya…'_

* * *

 **-Several Hours Later… At the Outskirt of Fireview City…**

"Zetarus!"

A voice called the Garchomp from somewhere. Zetarus turned his attention to the owner of the voice and saw Rachael and Richard moving up to them. Right now, all of them were standing at the outskirt of Fireview City, and the sun was starting to descend from the sky.

"Oh, finish already?" Zetarus said as the siblings moving up to them.

"Yes!" Rachael said. "Tonight, I am going to make us big meal!"

"Great." Zetarus said.

"By the way, where's Diego?" Richard asked.

"Oh, I met him a few moments ago." Zetarus said. "He told me that he would go to Graveyard of Warriors."

"G….G…Graveyard?!" Rachael said.

"Well… He told me to wait for both of you here… And since both of you are here, let's go and rejoin him."

"W…W…Wait!" Rachael spoke up, but Zetarus pretended not to hear her voice and started walking toward the graveyard, making the Latios and Latias had to follow him.

* * *

 **-A Few Minutes Later...**

Zetarus, Richard and Rachael walked into the Graveyard of Warriors, a big graveyard located at the outskirt of the Fireview City. This graveyard was homed to many tombs of fallen warriors, giving it an eerie atmosphere.

"I…I don't like this…" Rachael said as she looked around the graveyard.

"…" Richard didn't say anything. He just moved forward silently.

"Um, Zetarus… Is it a good idea… Zetarus?" Rachael turned her attention to the Garchomp who was walking in front of them, only to find that the Garchomp was nowhere to be found.

"Z…Zetarus?!" Rachael was shocked when she realized that Zetarus wasn't in front of her. "Z…Zetarus?! Where are you?!"

Rachael's voice echoed into the air, but there's yet no answer back to her.

"O…Onii-chan…" Rachael approached her brother. "D…Did you see Zetarus?"

"…" Richard didn't say anything. He just stayed still without moving any part of his body. In fact, it seemed like he was…paralyzed with fear.

And then…

"BOOOOO!"

"EAEAEAEE!" Rachael cried as she suddenly heard a loud noise from behind her. She then looked behind her and saw Zetarus there.

"Z…Zetarus?!" Rachael said.

"Gotcha!" Zetarus spoke with a crafty voice. "You should see how you act toward my voice."

"Hm! So it was you!" Rachael said after she realized that it was Zetarus who pulled a prank on her. "WAH! You big meanie!"

"Hey, calm down…" Zetarus said as Rachael pouted at him. "I saw you and Richard acted like a dead wood, so I just tried to ease up you a bit."

"Hm! You big meanie!" Rachael said. "No dinner for you tonight!"

"WHAT?!" Zetarus said. "Come on! I was just kidding!"

"Whatever!" Rachael said. She still pouted at the Garchomp.

"Geeez… Fine, I am sorry, Rachael." Zetarus said. "Tomorrow, I will buy something for you to eat, okay?"

"Hm! I won't fall into that trick easily!" Rachael said, but she seemed to be delighted when she heard that Zetarus will buy her a pastry. "…It has to be sweet and tasty, okay?"

"Yes, yes… I promise…" Zetarus said.

"Hm! Fine!" Rachael said. "Onii-chan, let's go… Onii-chan?"

Rachael and Zetarus turned their attention to the Latios, only to find that Richard's body was fully paralyzed with fear since when Zetarus pulled a prank at them!

"Onii-chan!" Rachael said and started using the move Aromatherapy to heal Richard's body, making him able to move again.

"T…Thanks, Rachael…" Richard spoke with a shaking voice before he turned his attention to Zetarus and spoke with a serious voice. "Do not do anything like that again, you psychopathic!"

"Well… It seems like my prank work better with you than your sister, Richard." Zetarus spoke with a crafty voice.

"S…S…Shut up!" Richard said. "N…Now, where's Diego?!"

"He's right there."

Zetarus pointed his claw at a tomb not too far from them. In front of it was Diego who was kneeling in front of the tomb.

"…" Diego didn't move or say anything. It seemed like he was praying in front of the tomb.

Zetarus, Rachael and Richard slowly walked up to the Charizard. As they got close to the tomb, they could see the letters written on the tomb.

 _Blazus Flamestrike the Blaziken_

 _Birth: xx/xx/xx_

 _Death: xx/xx/xx_

"Blazus Flamestrike the Blaziken?" Rachael read the letters on the tomb before turning her attention to Diego. "Diego, who is he?"

"…He was my caretaker… who died in the arena." Diego answered before he stood up. "This place is the Graveyard of Warrior, a place where the fallen warriors, be the gladiators from the arena or the soldiers who perished in the war, repose for eternity."

"Da fuq?!" Zetarus spoke up. "What have gotten into you, Diego? Why did you start using those words? I don't understand what you said, not even a bit!"

"…This is the place where they bury the bodies of dead gladiators and soldiers." Diego said. "…And my caretaker was among them…"

"…" Everyone said nothing and looked at the tomb of Blazus, who was Diego's caretaker.

"…He did nothing wrong, yet he was branded as a traitor and was sent into the pit of hell until the last moment of his breath…" Diego said. "I can't forgive the one who did this. That guy… He will pay for this… For what he did to my caretaker… and to her…"

"Her?" Everyone turned their attention to Diego.

Diego said nothing and started walking toward another tomb not too far from Blazus' tomb. The Charizard then kneeled down and started praying again. Richard, Rachael and Zetarus slowly followed the Charizard, and then they saw the letters on the second tomb.

 _\- the Quilava_

 _Birth: xx/xx/xx_

 _Death: xx/xx/xx_

Although the name of the dead warrior of this tomb had faded away, making it impossible to read, the word 'Quilava' stirred the memory of Rachael and Richard up.

"Quilava…" Rachael spoke up and looked at Diego. "Diego… Don't tell me that…"

"…Your presumption is right, Rachael." Diego said. "The gladiator who reposed beneath this tomb is her… The Quilava… from the arena."

"What?!" Rachael said. "She's already dead?!"

"Right." Diego said and closed his eyes. "She was slashed and pierced to death… by the one whom she befriended and cared for during her time as a gladiator."

"W…What?!" Everyone was shocked after they heard Diego's words. "D…Don't tell me that…"

"…It was me…" Diego said. "It was I who killed her."

* * *

 _Several days… Several weeks… Several months had passed since I met her… She always took care of me… And I have always protected her… In order to protect her, I had to become stronger… So I trained harder... Until I finally became the strongest gladiator in the arena… Everyone feared me as an incarnation of a demon in the form of Charizard. However, I did not need any money or fame. All I need was freedom… For me and her… So we would be able to leave that pit of hell… And started a new life together…_

 _But my dream was crushed... In that day…_

 _That day… The thing I feared most had finally come…_

 _It was that moment… When I stepped into the arena… And saw a Pokemon who stood on the opposite side of the battlefield…_

 _It was a Quilava…_

 _It was her…_

 _That moment was short, but I felt like it was forever… She and I… We stood on the opposite side of each other… Ready for a battle… To the death…_

 _Only one of us will survive…_

* * *

"Diego…" Rachael said while Diego was telling his story.

"…So…" Richard spoke up. "…What happened?"

"…We battled." Diego answered. "However, she didn't seem to be sad, not even a bit. Instead, it seemed like she was… happy."

"Happy?!" Rachael said. "She was happy to fight you?!"

"…During the battle, she whispered to me that she longed to duel with the strongest gladiator in the arena…" Diego said. "…And she wouldn't go easy on me."

"…Why?" Rachael said. It seemed like she was about to cry. "Why… Why did she say something like that?!"

"…And she wasn't kidding." Diego said. "She battled fiercely against me. At that moment, I didn't even know what to do… I didn't want to kill her… But…I also didn't want to die…"

"…" Everyone looked at Diego.

"However, a fierce battle she gave me finally awoke the feral beast within my body…" Diego said. "Within the moment of battle, the bloodlust in my body had been awake… And the next thing I know was… I was standing in front of her… I was no more a Charmeleon… I had evolved into a Charizard during that battle… And… My paws were holding my weapon… that pierced through her chest."

"Oh! No!" Rachael said. She couldn't hold back her tear anymore.

"The battle had already ended, with me as a victor." Diego said. "I couldn't even forget that moment… The cheer of the crown for my victory… The blood that spilled from her body… The announcement of my victory… However, there's something that I couldn't forget, and never will."

"What?" Everyone looked at Zetarus again.

"It's his smile." Diego said. "Among the nobles that came to watch the battle… There was him… His attention was focused at me… He had a sinister smile on his face… I couldn't forget that smile… Because I knew that he, unlike others, enjoyed my suffering."

"He?" Rachael asked. "Who was that guy?"

"…After the battle, I walked back to my barrack." Instead of answering the Latias' question, Diego continued telling his story. "And then… I found a note… with her handwriting."

"A note?" Zetarus spoke up. "But, Diego, I thought that you, just like me, couldn't read, right?"

"Yes, I couldn't read it." Diego said. "However, while I couldn't read it, the words written on that note suddenly echoed in my mind, as if someone was reading it for me."

"What?!" Everyone looked at Diego.

"I knew it sounds strange, but I was sure that the words that suddenly echoed in my mind were the words written on that note." Diego said.

"…And what did that note say?" Richard said.

"…It said that she was very happy in our time together…" Diego said. "However, she feared that our moment may end soon when she died in a battle. She knew that she wasn't strong enough to survive much longer… However, she wished that the last battle she had would be a battle against me… So that… At least… She would die in my grasp…"

"Oh!" Rachael started crying again. "It's… It's so sad…"

"…So, that may be the reason why she seemed… happy when she fought you, Diego." Richard said. "She was happy because… her wish came true."

"…And… After that day… My life returned into my normal schedule… However, without her…" Diego said. "I felt that my life had become so… empty…"

"Empty?" Everyone said.

"Yes. I felt like I have nothing left in the world, like a flame without any fuel." Diego said.

"…So…" Zetarus said. "…What happened after... that?"

Diego was about to continue his story, however, all four Pokemon heard a voice come from the entrance of the graveyard.

 _"Here we are, at the Graveyard of Warriors."_

While the words within that voice seemed normal, the voice itself made Zetarus suddenly become anxious.

"C…Crap…" Zetarus spoke up. "Everyone, we must hide!"

"Why?" Rachael asked.

"Don't ask now! Just do it!" Zetarus said restlessly.

Four Pokemon quickly hopped into a bush not too far from them. At this point, no one would be able to see them, but all of them can still see and hear anyone.

"Zetarus, what's the meaning of this?" Richard asked.

"…They come…" Zetarus mumbled. "I have never thought that I will run into ALL of them so soon…"

"They?" Rachael and Richard said and turned their attention to the entrance of the graveyard. At that place, they saw five Pokemon there. They were a Dragalge, an Alolan Marowak, a Flygon, an Aerodactyl and…a Garchomp.

"Zetarus, who're they?" Rachael asked.

"…The Dustorm Royal Family." Zetarus answered.

* * *

 **-Meanwhile…**

"So, this is the place where they buried the gladiators and soldiers who died in the battle…" Soryl the Aerodactyl said as he flew into the graveyard, along with other four Pokemon. "Eh… This place seemed…creepy."

"But for me… I feel so… calm…" Natasha the Dragalge said. "A place where the brave warriors reposed for eternity… It feels so… serene…"

"...Largo, where's our uncle's tomb again?" Terrus the Garchomp asked.

"Not too far." Largo the Alolan Marowak said. "Follow me."

Largo then led other four Pokemon to a tomb not too far from the entrance of the graveyard. The letters on the tomb could be read as;

 _Skelethal Boneskull the Marowak_

 _Birth: xx/xx/xx_

 _Death: xx/xx/xx_

"Here we are, the tomb of our uncle, Terrus." Largo said.

"So, this is the place where they buried the elder brother of Empress Lylalia Boneskull the Marowak?" Soryl said and looked around. "Eh… I think the elder brother of Dustorm's Empress deserved a better place to rest than this…"

"But I think this place really suit him…" Terrus spoke up. "He fought valiantly in the Bloodmoon War, so he deserved to rest here, in the Graveyard of Warriors, a place reserved for only the bravest warriors."

Terrus, Natasha, Soryl, Largo, and the last Pokemon, who was Freya the Flygon, kneeled down in front of the tomb and started praying for a few minutes. And then both of them stood up.

"Well… That's the end of our grave visiting." Largo said.

"So, what should we do next?" Soryl asked.

"We should return to the Palace of Flame." Terrus spoke up. "King Leonardo said that he will hold a banquet as a welcoming ceremony for us."

"…By the way…" Soryl said and looked around. "Where's that Zoroark? You know, the Prince of Shadowlost…"

"Fenrir Jr.?" Natasha said. "He didn't tell me where he went, but he told me that he would be back by the time of the banquet."

"Hm… That's just like him…" Largo said. "Too bad, I really want him to come with us… You know, it's rare that all of us could hang out together…"

"Yes." Terrus said. "Being like this… once in a while… is not so bad…"

"…" Unlike other four Pokemon, Freya didn't say anything during their conversation. It seemed like she was thinking of something.

"Freya?" Terrus noticed his sister and spoke up. "Did you have something on your mind?"

"W…Well…" Freya reluctantly spoke up. "I was just thinking of… What if… Zetarus is with us too…"

A moment of silence followed the Flygon's words. Everyone seemed to be troubled by Freya's words.

"…I wonder too…" Terrus said and looked at the crimson sky above him. "What if fate didn't play a trick on him… What if he is still with us…instead of becoming an outlaw… I am sure that we would be a big and happy family."

"With HIM?! No!" Largo spoke up. "He is an outlaw! He is not my brother, and he will never be one!"

"…I don't know…" Natasha said and looked away from anyone. "I don't know if he's my brother… or not."

"What, why?!" Freya said. "Zetarus is a member of Quakersand Family, and he is OUR brother! Largo, Natasha, why did both of you have to say something like that?!"

"…" Natasha and Largo didn't answer Freya's question. All they did was just closed their eyes and shook their head.

"Why…?" Freya mumbled.

* * *

 **-Meanwhile... In a bush not too far from them…**

"Hey, Zetarus, they mentioned your name!" Rachael said.

"…" Zetarus said nothing.

"…And last night, I heard that you are actually the prince of Dustorm Empire…" Richard said. "So… Those guys over there…"

"…They are the princes and princesses of Dustorm Empire." Zetarus said.

"So, they must be—" Richard continued speaking, but his words were interrupted by Zetarus' voice.

"No, I am not their brother." Zetarus said. "And I am the prince of Dustorm in the name only."

"What?" Rachael said. She then was about to ask more she heard a noise from Diego.

"Grrr…." Diego suddenly growled angrily. His attention was on something near the entrance of the graveyard. "They… They come…"

"They?" Rachael, Richard and Zetarus turned their attention to the entrance of the graveyard and saw two Pokemon walking into the Graveyard of Warriors. They were both Pyroar, one male and one female, in royal garbs.

"They…" Diego mumbled. "Blood must spill… I must have my revenge…"

"What's wrong, Diego?!" Rachael said as she saw Diego's strange action. "What have gotten into you?!"

"And those guys…" Richard looked at both Pyroar, who were walking up to join with the group of Dustorm Royals. "Are they…"

"Yes, I remember them…" Zetarus spoke up. "They are Prince Apollo and Princess Artemis of Fireview Kingdom, and they were the one that Diego wishes to kill."

 **To Be Continued…**

* * *

 **Dragon of Vale: And here… The introduction of the nation of flame and stone, Fireview Kingdom. We have a little look around the city, and… We have run into some of our old friends, haven't we?**


	43. Tail 5-3: Proof

**A Dragon's Tail**

 **Tail 5: Diego's Tail - Reprisal**

 **Tail 5-3: Proof**

"Oh! Hey, Apollo! Over here!" Largo shouted and waved his paw as he saw the twin siblings of Fireview Kingdom walking into the Graveyard of Warriors.

"Largo, mind your manner." Terrus scolded. "Don't forget that you are speaking to the crown prince of Fireview Kingdom."

"No, that's fine, Prince Terrus." Prince Apollo said as he, along with his twin sister, Princess Artemis, walked up to join with Terrus, Natasha, Largo, Freya and Soryl. "Largo and I once studied under the same teacher, and we are not in the palace, so you can drop the formality off when speak to me."

"Then, I want you to call me 'Terrus' too, Apollo." Terrus said.

"As you will, Terrus." Apollo said.

"Well…" Natasha spoke up. "What are both of you doing here? Did you come here for a grave visiting, like us too?"

"No. It's just that we were passing by when we saw all of you here, so we decided to greet you." Princess Artemist answered.

"We have just come back from Fireview Volcano when we were passing by here." Prince Apollo answered.

"Fireview Volcano?" Largo said. It seemed like he had just realized something. "So, did both of you have just gone up to the Fireview Volcano to visit them, right?"

"Right." Prince Apollo said. "I also went there to give my invitation to our friends too."

"Why didn't you invite me to go with you?" Largo asked with a disappointing voice. "It has been several years since the last time I met our master, as well as Dinus and Chronos."

"I am sorry, but it's just that you have just arrived here today, so I think I should let you rest first." Prince Apollo answered.

"Well… I guess that I will go to visit them some other time." Largo said. "How's our master doing right now?"

"Despite his age, he's still as strong as ever." Prince Artemis answered. "Don't forget that he is one of 14 Hero/ine of Legend who saved our land from the Fallen Crisis 30 years ago, as well as the current Hero of Fire type!"

"And… How about Dinus and Chronos?" Largo continued his question.

"Dinus is a bit calmer than the last time we met." Prince Apollo answered. "And for Chronos… Well… Let's just say that the first thing he did when he saw me was challenging me in a one-on-one combat."

"Well… That's just like Chronos." Largo said. "Talking about this really brings back memories…"

"…Largo." Terrus called the name of his younger brother. "Will you leave all of us out of your conversation for the rest of the day?"

"Oh, I am sorry, brother." Largo said.

"Well then, Terrus, Natasha, Largo and Freya…" Prince Apollo spoke up again. "What would all of you like to do tomorrow? Do you want to go and visit our kingdom's finest hot spring?"

"…That would be the most appreciate…" Terrus said. "However, I didn't do any of my daily training today, so I will have to double my training schedule tomorrow… I afraid that I will not be able to accept your offer…"

"That's too bad…" Prince Apollo said before turning his attention to other three royal siblings. "What about all of you?"

"…I think it would be best if… all of us go together." Freya said.

"That's right." Natasha said. "We four Dustorm Royal Children don't have much time together, so I think we should use this opportunity…"

"But I—" Terrus was about to say something, but Largo spoke up first.

"Hey, Terrus, why don't you let all of us training with you? It has been a while since the last time all of us trained together!"

"Right…" Natasha said.

"Hm… Well… Fine." Terrus said before he turned his attention to his youngest sister. "What about you, Freya? I know that you don't like battle…"

"I…I will train with all of you too…" Freya spoke up. "At least… If any of you gets hurt, I can heal your wound with my power…"

"Okay, then…" Princess Artemis spoke up. "Why don't all of you, all royal children of Dustorm Empire, come and train with me tomorrow?"

"Are you sure about this, Artemis?" Terrus asked.

"Yes, of course." Princess Artemist said. "It would be nice if I have a chance to train with all royal children of Dustorm Empire, especially you, Terrus."

"…Very well." Terrus said. "All of us, the royal children of Dustorm Empire, accepted our invitation."

"Thank you, Terrus." Princess Artemis said.

"…What about me?" Soryl spoke up after he didn't say anything for a long time.

"Oh, you are Terrus' bodyguard, right?" Princess Artemis spoke up. "Then—"

"Eh… Don't worry about me…" Soryl said. "I am still tired, so I think I will rest a bit more tomorrow."

"As you wish." Prince Apollo said before he looked at the sky. "Oh, it's getting late! We should go back to the Palace of Flame by now."

"Agree." Terrus said. "I don't want to miss King Leonardo's banquet. It would be a great dishonor for him."

"And I can't wait to try Fireview's traditional dishes again!" Largo said.

"Largo…" Terrus was about to scold his younger brother again, but was stopped, again, by the prince of Fireview.

"Don't worry about this, Largo." Prince Apollo spoke up. "Even if you miss tonight's banquet, you will still have other changes when other royals from other four nations arrived here."

"Speak of the royals of other nations…" Natasha seemed to remember something. "I am sure that Daimyo Augustine of Leafburg and President Voltson will also come here… But… What about Venturnome and Riverbrine? I heard that there was a civil war in the Queendom of Riverbrine, and Queen Nyxier was found dead while Princess Misvale went missing… And for Venturnome… Pontifex Hawkins is still missing in the desert of Dustorm…"

"…The message from Queendom of Riverbrine had arrived the palace today…" Prince Apollo spoke up. "The message said that, because of the civil war, the Queendom of Riverbrine will not be able to come here to join my Coronation Ceremony…"

"That's too bad…" Natasha said.

"Well, at least we won't have to meet Que—Ouch!" Largo spoke, but his words were cut off by Terrus' elbow to his back.

"For the Theocracy of Venturnome…" Prince Apollo continued speaking. "Because Pontifex Hawkins is still missing, and Archsage Iris is absent as she is trying to find the pontifex, the representative of Theocracy of Venturnome would be the prince instead."

"WHAT?!" Largo suddenly spoke up after hearing Apollo's words. "Y…You didn't mean… that flamboyant prince, did you?"

"…Yes." Prince Apollo said. "There's only one prince of Venturnome anyway."

"I…I think I am going to faint…" Largo said.

"Come on, Largo." Natasha spoke up. "He is not really a bad guy."

"Well, I knew that…" Largo said. "But it's just his cloth, his manner of speech, his face, and anything else about him…"

"…Everyone, shouldn't we get going back to Palace of Flame?" Terrus spoke up.

"Oh, that's right." Largo said. "Let's go, everyone."

After finished speaking, everyone started walking toward the exit of the graveyard. However…

"…?" Freya suddenly stopped walking. She then turned her attention to a bush not too far from her…

"Freya?" Natasha spoke up. "What's wrong? Did you forget something?"

"I… feel…" Freya spoke up. "…It's nothing, sis. Let's go."

After she finished speaking, Freya continued flying up to join with the rest of the party as they left the Graveyard of Warriors together…

* * *

 **-A Few Minutes Later…**

"…Are they gone yet?" Zetarus asked as he, along with Richard, Rachael and Diego, slowly got out of the bush.

"I think so." Richard said.

"Phew…" Zetarus said as he wiped his sweat from his forehead. "We were almost done… Freya almost noticed me…"

"Um… Zetarus…" Rachael spoke up. "They are… your brothers and sisters, right? Then… Why—"

"Leave the question for later, okay?" Zetarus said before he turned his attention to Diego. "Diego, did you find any place… Diego?"

 _"The blood must spill… The reprisal must be execute… They must pay their price with their blood… There's no forgiving… No atonement…"_ Diego mumbled.

"Diego, hey…" Zetarus said before he started licking his lip. "I think it's time for this little draggy's 'punishment'."

 _"My thirst of vengeance must be quenched my— YOUCH!"_

Diego suddenly screamed out in pain as he felt a sharp pain running through everywhere in his body. The source of his sharp pain came from his tail, which was now being injected with sharp fangs of a Garchomp.

"YOUCH!" Diego roared before he turned his attention to the Garchomp who was now biting his tail. "YOU FXXXXXG BASTARD! I TOLD YOU NOT TO FXXXXXG DO THIS!"

"Nomnom…" Zetarus pretended to look at Diego with an innocent face, which made Diego uncomfortable.

"P…Please…" Diego started speaking with an uncomfortable voice. "N…Not the tail… Please… L… Let me go…"

"..." Zetarus didn't say anything. All he did was just staring at Diego's face, which was now as red as Tamato Berry.

"I say YOU MXXXXXXXXXXR LET ME GO!" Diego roared out again before exhaling a hot flame from his mouth at the Mach Pokemon, making Zetarus has to let go of Diego's tail immediately.

"Aww…" Zetarus said as he let go of Diego's tail. "Why did you have to ruin the fun, little draggy?"

"HM!" Diego crossed his arms and turned his face away from Zetarus, unaware that his face was still red. "Get your fxxxxxg fangs away from me, you bastard!"

"Hm? You don't like being bitten?" Zetarus spoke with a crafty voice and started approaching Diego again. "Then, how about you being f—"

"Um… Guys?" Richard's voice interrupted Diego and Zetarus' conversation. Both of them then turned their attention to the Latios and saw that Richard was covering Rachael's ears and eyes.

"Onii-chan! I can't see or hear anything!" Rachael said innocently, unaware of what had just happened.

"Hm!" Diego said. "Whatever! I am getting out of here! Follow me unless you want to sleep here!"

Zetarus nodded and started following the Charizard, and then Richard released his sister from his grasp.

"Onii-chan, what happened?" Rachael said and looked at Zetarus and Diego. "Why did Diego's face is so red? And why did Zetarus' face is so… I don't know…"

"…It's nothing, Rachael." Richard said. "Come on, let's go."

"Okay!" Rachael said before she and Richard followed Zetarus and Diego to the exit of the graveyard.

* * *

 **-A Few Hours Later…**

At a small cave near the Fireview City, a small group of four Pokemon was camping here. The group consisted of a Latios, a Latias, a Garchomp and a Charizard. Right no, dinner was already over, so everyone was sitting around the camp fire and exchanged their story with each others.

"…So, that's what happened before you and Diego came to Civilight…" Richard spoke up after Zetarus finished his story. "And… Your relation with those four princes and princesses…"

"…I am a prince of Dustorm in the name only…" Zetarus said. "And I am not their brother, no matter what happen."

"…Zetarus…" Rachael said. "Why don't you just get back and live with them?"

"You know that I couldn't do that." Zetarus said. "Despite without any reason, I chose to kill the emperor of Dustorm Empire, my own father. They all will not forgive me for their decision."

"Aren't you…lonely?" Rachael asked.

"…" Zetarus didn't answer the Latias' question.

"…Zetarus…" Richard spoke up. "…I am sorry."

"Sorry for what?" Zetarus asked. "Don't tell me that you feel… pity for me? Ha! Don't be so stupid!"

"Of course I am not! Don't forget that I am not an idiot." Richard spoke up. "I am just sorry for calling you a psychopathic criminal."

"…Dafuq?" Zetarus said. "I don't even understand those words."

"Psychopathic criminal means a criminal who suffered under a mental disorder, which made them unable to grasp the feeling of remorse and empathy."

"…" Zetarus didn't say anything after hearing the explanation from the Latios, which he didn't understand any of them, not even a bit.

"...I mean a criminal who didn't care for anyone." Richard interpreted his words again. "But now, I see it… Despite your action, you really care for your siblings, right?"

"Aww… Shapup!" Zetarus said.

"However…" Richard continued speaking. "I still don't understand. Zetarus, you are able to 'care' for others, and yet you chose to hide it and acted like you don't care for anyone at all. I don't understand why…"

"…Me either." Zetarus said. "But… While I was living in the Desert Prison, every day… They always told me that I am a heartless monster… That I have no single soul… For 21 years… Those words had dug into my mind, too far for me to remove them without any effort…"

"Zetarus…" Rachael said.

"…Enough of this." Zetarus said. "Geez… Again, why did I decide to tell you my story? You don't even deserve to know this!"

"…Maybe…" Rachael said. "Zetarus… Did you happen to start… trusting us?"

"Trust?" Zetarus looked at Rachael. "I don't understand this word."

"Trust is…a feeling…" Rachael tried to explain. "A feeling that you think that someone is… important to you… That you will believe in them… And want to help them… And ready to share your joy and pain with them."

"…" Zetarus said nothing.

"Well, Zetarus…" Rachael continued her question. "Zetarus, did you…"

"…In my life, 21 years after the day I was born…" Zetarus started speaking. "There're only four Pokemon whom I could 'Trust'."

"Four?" Rachael asked.

"The first one is you, Diego." Zetarus said and turned his attention to Diego, who was cleaning his Bronze Naginata.

"Me?" Diego spoke up after being silent for some time.

"Yes, this is also why I chose to travel with you." Zetarus said.

"…" Diego didn't say anything.

"…The second one is… Freya." Zetarus said.

"Freya? Wait…" Richard seemed to remember something. "Is she one of the Dustorm royal children?"

"Yes, she is." Zetarus said. "Since when I met her, I felt like I could share my joy and pain with her, which I don't know why until now… It was because I trust her… And… She… She also trusted me… even if I am the worst brother ever to her."

"…" Everyone said nothing.

"And the last two are both of you, Rachael and Richard." Zetarus said. "Let me say something… The first time I met you two in Civilight, I just thought that both of you were just annoying brats. And when we started travelling together, I just thought that both of you were just burden to Diego and me. However… Now… I see that, not only you are not burden to us, but you are also a great Pokemon who even… care someone like me."

"Zetarus…" Rachael said.

"…Well, then, let me say something too." Richard spoke up. "The first time we met in Civilight, I don't trust any of you, not even a bit. I thought that both of you were just heartless criminals desired only to do something bad, and the only reasons I decided to travel with you were because, not only I need to find the things I want, but also that I want to know more of your story. And now… I know… Both of you aren't really bad guys… It's just a twist of fate that turned both of you like this."

"Heh… So you two decided to 'trust' Diego and me?" Zetarus said.

"…Yes." Richard and Rachael answered.

"…Well then, let me speak too." Diego put down his Bronze Naginata and spoke up. "The first time I met either of you, be Zetarus or Rachael and Richard, I just thought that you were just losers who wanted to stick with someone stronger like me, and I decided to travel with all of you just because I need your help in my own mission. But now… After the time we spent together… We were mad at each others… But we also shared our joy with each others… And now… I… I think that I… 'trust' you, all of you."

"So, that does make all of us friends, right?" Rachael spoke up happily.

"… Very well…" Diego spoke up. "First, let me finish my story."

Diego then cleared his throat before he started telling the last part of his story.

* * *

 _After she died, my life had become empty…_

 _It's as if… I have nothing left in my life…_

 _After that day, I fought recklessly, as if I wanted to throw my life away…_

 _However, there's one thing that prevented me from getting killed._

 _It was his smile…_

 _A smile of a noble who rejoice over my lost of her…_

 _A smile that I couldn't erase from my head…_

 _I didn't know who that guy was… Until one day…_

 _His name was Regent_ _ **Orion Flararcane the Arcanine**_ _…_

* * *

"Regent Orion?" Richard spoke up. He was sure that he heard Diego mentioned this name before.

"Yes." Diego said. "While Fireview Kingdom is now ruled by King Leonardo Inferoar the Pyroar, he is the king in the name only. Because he was too old, he leaves the task of ruling the nation to this guy."

"And why did he have to leave his task to him?" Zetarus asked.

"…Because King Leonardo only has one successor, which is Princess **Olivia Inferoar the Pyroar**." Diego said. "However, the royal rule of Fireview Kingdom states that 'Only the male Pokemon would able to become to king of Fireview', so, Princess Olivia is never named as the successor of Fireview's throne."

"But…" Rachael continued asking. "The king doesn't have any male successor, does he?"

"…According to the royal rule of Fireview, if the king doesn't have any male successor, then the next king would be the husband of king's eldest daughter." Diego explained.

"Wait…" Richard said. "Then…"

"…Regent Orion is Princess Olivia's husband." Diego said. "…And he would be the next king of Fireview if King Leonardo died."

"What?!" Rachael said. "B…But… I heard that… the next week would be the coronation of Prince Apollo, right? Then…"

"…That only applies if King Leonardo died before Prince Apollo turned 20." Diego said. "First, Prince Apollo and Princess Artemist are the children of Regent Orion and Princess Olivia, making them the grandchildren of King Leonardo. And according to the royal rule of Fireview, the husband of the king's eldest daughter will be the king until a son born from the king's daughter was born, and the eldest son born from the king's daughter will become the king of Fireview Kingdom when he reaches 20, regardless of if his father is still alive or not."

"So, then…" Richard started to understand everything.

"…Prince Apollo is the heir to the throne of Fireview." Diego said. "And because he will reach 20 next week, he will succeed King Leonardo soon. With this, Regent Apollo will never become the king of Fireview, but because King Leonardo is very old right now, he appointed his daughter's husband as a regent who works in the name of him instead until Prince Apollo reached 20 next week."

"Geez… This nation…" Zetarus said. "And I thought Dustom is bad… It couldn't even compare to this one!"

"Well… Let me continue my story…" Diego said before he continued his story.

* * *

 _It was that fateful day…_

 _It was the day that Prince Apollo, the successor to Fireview's throne must prove his worth in a battle…_

 _A battle between him… And a gladiator in the arena… The stronger the gladiator he defeats, the better reputation he will receive after the battle…_

 _And the chose gladiator… was me…_

 _At that time, I was still the strongest gladiator in that arena, so it was not surprised when I was chosen to fight the prince of Fireview…_

 _However… It was not a fair fight…_

 _Before I got into the battlefield, I was brought to a hidden chamber in the arena… By the order of Regent Orion…_

 _And then… He told me something…_

 _Something that I couldn't even believe in…_

 _He told me that it was him…_

 _It was he who branded my caretaker and me as traitors, and sent us into this pit of hell…_

 _And he was also the one who had arranged a match between me and her… After he had discovered that I had bonded with her…_

 _I was both shocked and angry after I heard a revelation from him. I demanded him the reason of his doing, but he wouldn't answer me. All he did answer me was;_

 _'I am surprised to find that you are still alive. However, today will be the last day of your life. You shall die, by the hands of the prince of Fireview!"_

 _However, he knew that I may be too strong for his son to defeat me, so he came here to 'manage' me._

 _He injected me with a poison into my veins. It will slowly drain my health away, making it's much easier for me to get killed in a battle…_

* * *

"T…That's terrible!" Rachael said. "I…I have never thought that he would be so cruel to you, Diego!"

"…" Diego didn't say anything.

"…So…" Richard spoke up. "What happened next?"

"I was brought into the battlefield… to fight his son, Prince Apollo." Diego said.

"…And…" Zetarus said. "What happened during the battle?"

"As I thought, the poison gradually drained my health away, making me become weaker as the battle went on. However, in the end, I managed to defeat him."

"You defeated the prince of Fireview even when you were poisoned?!" Zetarus said. "Geez… Either that prince was very weak or you were so damn strong!"

"…But if I have to guess…" Richard spoke up. "It didn't even well, right?"

"Right." Diego said. "The moment after I was declared as a victor, Regent Orion stood up and immediately declared that I cheated."

"What?!" Rachael said.

"He said that I used some sort of energy boosting drink to become stronger. The guard even found an empty bottle of energy drink." Diego said. "What a load of bxxxxxxt. How the hell did I get myself an energy drink, let alone having gold to buy them. And guess what, everyone believed him."

"What?!" Rachael said. "That's terrible!"

"And then he ordered the guards to seize me for an immediate execution for the treason against the prince of Fireview." Diego said.

"That's… I can't even find a word to describe this situation…" Richard said. "No offend, but I couldn't even imagine how could you even survive this."

"…My thought exactly." Diego said. "I was alone in the middle of the battlefield… With ten…No, hundred guards surrounded me… And I was still poisoned… I thought that it was the end of me…"

"Why didn't you just fly out of that place?" Zetarus asked.

"I have never flown before in my life, so I was not very skilled in flying." Diego said. "Plus, several soldiers of Fireview Kingdom are the expert archers, so they would be able to shoot me down with ease."

"…If that's so…" Richard said. "How did you escape?"

"...It was…" Diego said before he continued his story.

* * *

 _"Sxxt…" Diego cursed as he was surrounded by a hundred soldiers of Fireview Kingdom, all armed with their weapons, and he was standing in the middle of the battlefield, with a naginata in his paw. However, he barely had enough strength to lift it as the poison had already taken its effect too far. Soon, his health will be fully depleted…_

 _'Am I… going to die here?' Diego thought to himself as his legs started to lose its ability to support the weight of his body. 'Heh… I have never thought that my death would be this pathetic…'_

 _'However…' Diego mumbled and slowly looked at Regent Orion, who was looking at him from the stand with a smug and satisfy look on his face. 'If I am going to die, I must drag that bastard to hell with me…'_

 _Diego tried to walk, but his body didn't listen to his command. Instead, he slowly fell down onto the ground, no more able to stand up._

 _"DAMN!" Diego roared. "I…I will not die like this… My vengeance must be quenched… with his blood."_

 _Diego said as the soldiers of Fireview were now not too far from him, but he still couldn't move any part of his body…_

 _However…_

 _'…Vengeance must be quenched? Interesting…'_

 _A slow and creepy suddenly echoed through Diego's head, making the Charizard looked around._

 _"W…Who?!" Diego asked while looked around. "Who are you?!"_

 _'Who I am is not important right now…' The same voice echoed into the Charizard's head. 'What's more important right now is… you.'_

 _"Wait a minute…" Diego mumbled, as he started to recognize the voice in his head. "This voice… It was the same voice that suddenly appeared in my head when I tried to read her last note…"_

 _'I see that you still remember… How considered…' The voice echoed in Diego's head again. 'It was just that you… have something that sparked the flame of interest in my mind'_

 _"Me?" Dieg mumbled._

 _'Despite everything you have, and what you are in, you still have the flame of vengeance in your heart… However… The flame of vengeance you possess didn't originate from yourself… It originated from your feeling toward others…' The voice echoed in Diego's head once again._

 _"…" Diego said nothing._

 _'Someone who possesses the undying flame of vengeance doesn't deserve to die in a place like this. So… Let me offer you my little help…'_

 _The voice echoed in Diego's head ended with the Charizard's body being suddenly surrounded by a blue flame. The flame then started burning the Charizard!_

 _"CHARRRR!" Diego roared as his body was burned by the blue flame._

 _"W…What's that?!" Regent Orion said._

 _"S…Sir!" One of Fireview soldiers spoke up. "W…What should we do with him?!"_

 _"Do not mind the flame! Kill him!" Regent Orion ordered._

 _"But—" The Fireview soldier said._

 _"Just do it!" Regent Orion said._

 _"Y…Yes, sir!" The Fireview soldiers said, and then all of them started charging at the flame-cloaked Charizard._

 _"CHAR!" Diego roared, and the blue flame that was surrounding him suddenly spread out, burning everyone who dared to approach him!_

 _"ARRRRR!" Several soldiers of Fireview Kingdom roared in pain as they were frozen to death by the blue flame._

 _'W…What?' Diego mumbled and looked around as he saw the blue flame freezing everyone, however, the blue flame that surrounded his body didn't hurt him, not even a bit. Instead, not only it gave him more strength, but it also expelled the poison out of his body!_

 _'Well… What a glorious sight we have here…' The creepy voice echoed in Diego's head again._

 _"W…What are you doing?!" Diego asked._

 _'It's just a bit of power I have…' The creepy voice said. 'It's just a natural of me… The master over the tri-element of Fire, Electric and Ice…"_

 _"Power…" Diego mumbled. "…Over the element of Fire, Electric and Ice…"_

 _'And now… It's time for me to end this… Once and for all…' The creepy voice echoed again, and then…_

 _Diego could feel his body start to become lighter as the blue flame gradually moved higher into the sky, taking his body with it too._

 _"W…What's this?!" Diego said as the blue flame brought him into the sky above the arena!_

 _'I am taking you out of here.' The creepy voice said. 'And thus, this is the end of our meeting…'_

 _"W..Wait!" Diego said. "Y…You still haven't told me who you are!"_

 _'Well… If you really want to know who I am, come and meet me at the peak of Fireview Volcano.' The voice said._

 _"The top… of Fireview Volnano…" Diego mumbled._

 _'Farewell for now, young flame.' The voice echoed again for the last time. 'I hope that the flame in your heart won't die out by the next time we met.'_

* * *

"The…voice… Again?" Richard said. "And also the same voice that read the Quilava's last note for you?"

"I know that it sounds suspicious, but what I told you was not a lie." Diego said and started at the camp fire.

"…What happened after that?" Zetarus asked.

"I fell unconscious." Diego answered. "The next thing I knew was that I was lying in the middle of the desert of Dustorm south of Fireview Kingdom. I assumed that I was taken there by that blue flame."

"…" Richard, Rachael and Zetarus didn't say anything. However, deep in their hearts, they all had the same thing in their mind…

"So, I started travelling around the desert in hope of finding a way back to Fireview. But… You know… After the incident at the arena, I was branded as a criminal for killing countless soldiers of Fireview as well as trying to kill Prince Apollo and Regent Orion, so I have to live a life of an outcast. I roamed the scorching desert as an outlaw, killing everyone who knows my face. And then… At last, I was happen to stop at a small village in the desert… When I met you, Zetarus." Diego said.

Everyone nodded to respond in Diego's words.

"And this is the end of my story… At least for now." Diego said. "Whew! It feels so refreshing when I finally able to speak it out!"

"Diego…" Zetarus said.

"I knew this part of my story is kind of bxxxxxxt, but as I said, it's the truth." Diego said. "That voice was real.

"…" Zetarus turned his attention to Rachael and Richard. Although he didn't say anything, Zetarus made a gesture to the siblings by touching the Ring of Balance on his claw.

"…Got it." Richard nodded before he, along with Zetarus and Rachael, turned their attention to Diego.

"Diego." Richard spoke up. "… Since you already told us your story, let's tell ours too."

"Well… I doubt that someone like you or your sister would have anything to tell me…" Diego said.

Rachael, Zetarus and Richard looked at each others, and then they grabbed their respective Dragon Relic (Mist Pendant, Ring of Balance and Luster Pendant), and then they showed it to the Charizard.

"What are— WHAT?!" Diego said when the Dragon Relics started glowing a mysterious aura, and then three figures appeared from the Dragon Relics and each stood beside the owner of the Dragon Relics.

 _'Calm down, young Charizard.'_ Ilia spoke up. _'We aren't bad Pokemon.'_

"W…Who are you?!" Diego asked.

 _'We are the Dragon Legends.'_ Ilia answered.

"Dragon…Legends?" Diego repeated the words he had just heard.

 _'In other words, we are Legendary Pokemon.'_ Ilia said.

"Legendary Pokemon…" Diego said. "And what the fxxk is this Dragon Legend thing?'

 _'It's the way to call the Legendary Pokemon, specifically Dragon type, who had formed a pact with mortals.'_ This time, it was Zygarde who answered.

"Form a pact?!" Diego said. "What the heck is that?"

"It's some sort of ritual that an ordinary Pokemon and a Legendary Pokemon are bound by a pact." Richard explained. "The benefit we get from forming a pact with Legendary Pokemon is more power and an ability to 'borrow' the power of the Legendary Pokemon whom we have formed a pact with."

"And as the price…" Rachael said. "The Pokemon who formed a pact with the Legendary Pokemon will be cursed to lost something in their life."

"…So, let me get this straight…" Diego said. "All of you… had made a deal with Legendary Pokemon for power at the cost of something in your life?!"

Rachael, Richard and Zetarus just nodded in response.

"We are sorry for keeping this as a secret from you, Diego." Zetarus said. "The reason why we kept this as a secret from everyone was that, if other Pokemon found out that we have formed pacts with Legendary Pokemon, they may think of us as some kind of fanatics who trade their soul with demons."

"…So, Zetarus…" Diego looked at the Garchomp. "In the sewer of Civilight, the reason why you told me that we mustn't kill Rachael and Richard…"

"Yes." Zetarus said. "I knew that both of them also had formed pacts with Legendary Pokemon, just like me, so I didn't want to kill them."

"…And how long did you…keep this thing as a secret?" Diego asked again.

"Since when I escaped from Desert Prison." Zetarus answered. "If it wasn't for my Dragon Legend, I would be dead by now."

"…" Diego didn't say anything. All he did was just staring at the Latios, Latias and Garchomp.

'See? This is what I was telling you.' Holmer spoke up.

"Diego…" Richard, Zetarus and Rachael said and looked at the Charizard.

"…I… see…" Diego said. "This… is the proof of everything."

"…" Richard, Rachael and Zetarus frown. They all knew what would Diego would say…

And they were not ready to accept this…

However…

"… It's the proof that you all have truly trusted me." Diego said.

Rachael, Richard and Zetarus were shocked after they heard Diego's words. They were the words they didn't expect from their friends.

"W…What?!" Richard said.

"Aren't you… angry at us?" Zetarus asked. "That we… didn't tell you this thing?"

"Don't be silly." Diego said. "Everyone has their own secret, not only you, but also me. However, when you all decide to reveal your secret to me, it meant that you all truly trust me to reveal this secret that may caused you a lot of trouble. That's enough for me."

"Diego…" Rachael said.

"Plus, only those fxxxxxs would hate all of you just because you formed pact with Legendary Pokemon." Diego said. "For me, this thing is just a method of obtaining something you want, which is more power. I don't care what others think, but for me, all of you aren't fanatics or anything."

"Really?!" Zetarus asked.

"Really and truly." Diego said.

"Whew…" Rachael said. "I was so scared that you would hate just after we reveal this!"

 _'Then, let's introduce ourselves to your friend here.'_ Ilia spoke up. _'My name is Ilia the Mega Latias. I am Rachael's Dragon Legend.'_

 _'I am Zygarde, the ruler of the Afterlife.'_ Zygarde spoke up. _'I am Zetarus' Dragon Legend.'_

 _'And my name is Holmer the Mega Latios. I am Richard's Dragon Legend.'_ Holmer spoke up. _'Like Richard and Rachael, I am the elder brother of Ilia here.'_

"Diego Pyrotorch the Charizard." Diego said and bowed his head a bit to three Dragon Legends. "Nice to meet you… At last, great Legendary Pokemon."

 _'Nice to meet you too.'_ Ilia, Zygarde and Holmer said, and then Holmer continued speaking.

 _'Diego, isn't it?'_ Holmer said. _'Did you say that there was someone who helped you escaping from the arena, as well as telling you to meet them at the peak of Fireview Volcano?'_

"Yes." Diego said before he realized something. "Wait… Could it…"

 _'…It's most likely that the mysterious being who spoke to you was, like us, a Legendary Pokemon too.'_ Holmer said.

"And…" Diego continued speaking. "Don't tell me that…"

 _'That Legendary Pokemon who talked to you may wish to form a pact with you.'_ Zygarde said. _'Normally, most Legendary Pokemon wouldn't involve themselves in the mortal affair, but if the something like this happens, it's most likely that the Legendary Pokemon wish to form a pact with an ordinary Pokemon.'_

 _'We are some sort of picky creature.'_ Ilia said. _'We wouldn't offer to form a pact easily. We carefully chose the ordinary Pokemon that would forms a pact with us. So it would be very hard for an ordinary Pokemon to form a pact with one.'_

"So, it was all of you who chose to form a pact with Rachael, Richard and Zetarus, not them, right?" Diego asked again.

 _'No.'_ Holmer said. _'In order to form a pact, there must be an agreement from both sides. Regardless of how mighty the Legendary Pokemon is, if the ordinary Pokemon didn't agree with them, the pact will never be formed. In other words, it was the decision of both sides that this pact would be able to be formed.'_

"…I see…" Diego said.

 _'Diego, we still don't know the identity of the Legendary Pokemon who wished to form a pact with you.'_ Ilia said. _'However, it's your choice to choose whether you want to be bound by a contract or not.'_

"…Let me ask Rachael, Richard and Zetarus some questions." Diego said. "First, why did all of you want to form a pact with Legendary Pokemon? No, Zetarus, I already know your answer, so this question belongs to Rachael and Richard. Both of you didn't look like any kind of Pokemon who need more power…"

"…Before I formed a pact with Ilia, I was very weak and frail." Rachael said. "So, I decided to form a pact with her so I will become stronger and will not become a burden to anyone…"

"For me, it's only because I need to discover all knowledge that I can possess in this world." Richard answered. "And Rachael and I have decided that our decisions will be a right choice."

"…Last question." Diego said. "You said that, after forming a pact, you will be cursed to lost something. So, what are the things all of you lost?"

"We wish we could tell you." Zetarus answered.

"What's with that answer?" Diego asked.

"We all don't know what we lost." Zetarus said. "All of us knew that we already lost something, but we really didn't know what it was."

"…I see." Diego said.

 _'So, what would you do, young Charizard?'_ Zygarde asked. _'Will you form a pact with that Legendary Pokemon?'_

"…First, I need to meet them." Diego said. "Tomorrow, I will go to Fireview Volcano and meet that Legendary Pokemon."

"So, that's your decision for now." Zetarus said. "Okay, we will go with you."

"No." Diego said. "I will go alone."

"What?!" Everyone was shocked by the Charizard's declaration. "Why?!"

"Don't think less of me." Diego said. "It's because… This is my trial… And I need to do it by myself… I need to accomplish it with my own power… So that I will worth getting the reward of my trial."

"…Well, if you say so…" Richard said. "Then, tomorrow, Rachael and I will follow our original objective; to find Blancer and Noiria—"

"—Which you can bring it to me and I will upgrade our weapon again." Diego said before he turned his attention to Zetarus. "What about you, Zetarus? What would you do?"

"You kinda ruin my plan, Diego." Zetarus said. "I was about to invite all of you to the hot spring tomorrow so we can relax together."

"We don't have any time for relaxation." Diego said. "All of us have plenty to do."

"Geeze… Fine…" Zetarus mumbled. "Oh, well, then I guess I will accept Princess Artemis' invitation anyway…"

"Princess Artemis' invitation?" Everyone said.

"Don't you remember the conversation we heard at the Graveyard of Warriors?" Zetarus said. "Princess Artemist invited ALLL Dustorm Royal Children to train with her tomorrow. Well, as the third children of Dustorm Royal Family, I am to accept her invitation too."

"Are you serious?!" Diego said. "You will as well step into the lair of our enemy!"

"Don't forget that I once sneaked around the Desert Palace too." Zetarus said. "Trust me. I will come back here alive."

"Whatever!" Diego said. "I am going to bed now! We all have many things to do tomorrow!"

After Diego finished speaking, Ilia, Zygarde and Holmer disappeared into Mist Pendant, Ring of Balance and Luster Pendant respectively, and Diego walked up to his sleeping back.

"I will keep watching here." Richard said. "Rachael, go to bed."

"Okay….Yawn…" Rachael said as she approached her sleeping bag and got into it to catch a nice sleep.

"Then, see you tomorrow." Diego was about to get into his sleeping bag, but Zetarus spoke up first.

"…Diego." Zetarus said. "Don't forget that we are all with you all the way to the end, whether you choose the same choice as us or not. We are friends, remember this."

"I don't need you to tell me twice, Zetarus." Diego said.

"Heh…" Zetarus mumbled as he and Diego got into their sleeping bag, and then they soon joined Rachael in a deep slumber…

 **To Be Continued…**

* * *

 **Dragon of Vale: At first, I plan that this chapter wouldn't be very long, but it turns out to be the longest chapter so far, with most part of this chapter is just conversations. Well, actually, there is something that I really want to put into this chapter too… I guess that I will have to shift it to the next chapter…**


	44. Tail 5-4: Siblings Reunited

**A Dragon's Tail**

 **Tail 5: Diego's Tail - Reprisal**

 **Tail 5-4: Siblings Reunited**

 **-Somewhere in the Fireview Kingdom… At night…**

Fireview Kingdom's landscape consisted mostly of rocky mountains and fiery volcanoes, making it a quite hard place for some Pokemon to live, especially for those who journeyed from the freezing glacier of Queendom Riverbrine, as the sudden change of climate may cause them a harsh effect, which made most travelers avoided going directly from Queendom of Riverbrine to Fireview Kingdom.

East of the nation of flame and stone belied a great ravine named Stone Ravine. It was a natural passage for those who wished to journey from Queendom of Riverbrine to the heart of Fireview Kingdom. However, the natural passage of stone may prove to be difficult for some Pokemon to cross…

However… Sometime, they may not even have any choice…

"Huff… Hufff…"

In the middle of Stone Ravine at night, a single traveler was slowly walking around. It was very rare for a single traveler to journey across the Stone Ravine as it was difficult to travel across this place, even in a group unless they were familiar with the path.

"Huff… Huff…" A lone traveler panted as they slowly walked across the ravine. It's too bad that night's darkness and the cloak they wore prevented her to be seen by anyone who would happen to be nearby. However, if anyone possess an ability to see through the darkness and the cloak they wore, they will find a hidden beauty within the darkness.

"I…I can do this…" The lone traveler said as she continued walking forward. However, as she already walked for several hours without resting, her vigor had been almost depleted.

"No… I must… go on…" The lone traveler said as her legs suddenly didn't listen to her command. The tireness had started to overcome her body.

"No… Not like this…Arr…" The lone traverler said as she slowly collapsed on the stone ground, making the cloak that covered her body slip of her face. The moonlight revealed her identity as a female Aurorus. She was none other than the forlorn princess of Riverbrine, Princess Misvale Tundrafrost the Aurorus.

"I can't…go….on…" Misvale mumbled as her consciousness started drifting away, and before she could say anything else, the tireness had fully overcome her body and put her into a deep unconsciousness.

Normally, her action would be more or less condemn her to the death, as the Stone Ravine was creep with many savage Pokemon, especially at night. So, right now, the princess of ice had gotten herself into the most vulnerable point. Had something approach her, she would not be able to defend herself at all…

And… Soon…

If Misvale was still awake, she would clearly hear a sound of footsteps not too far from her. The sound of this footsteps clearly indicated that the owner of these footsteps wasn't a small or medium-sized Pokemon. In fact, it belonged to a large Pokemon, and the owner of these footsteps was gradually walking closer to her.

Finally…

The moonlight that shone on Misvale's body was blocked by the shadow of the owner of the footsteps. That Pokemon was a very big Pokemon, bigger than average-sized Pokemon. Moreover, he also possess sharp claws, jaws and was… a carnivorous Pokemon.

"…" The carnivore slowly approached the herbivorous princess. He then slowly reached his paw forward until he touched the Aurorus' motionless body.

"?" The carnivore seemed to notice something. He then grabbed Misvale's paw and flipped it, revealing a faint strange mark there.

"!" The carnivore seemed to be surprised after he saw the mark on Misvale's paw. Then he slowly grabbed Misvale's body and gently lifted her up, before he started walking into the darkness once again, with the princess of snow in his grasp too…

* * *

 **-The Next Day… Somewhere in the Fireview Kingdom**

"Onii-chan, where are we?" Rachael asked as she and her elder brother were now in front of a cavern. What lay inside this cavern was beyond her imagination.

"This is just one of many nameless caves in Fireview Kingdom." Richard explained. "Last night, I did a little research about Blancer and Noiria, two ores of highest quality that could be found on the continent of Symmetria, and I did a little calculation according to the data of Blancer and Noiria, which resulted in this cave."

"You meant that we will be able to find Blancer and Noiria here?" Rachael asked.

"The probability of finding Blancer is 72.3568145%, while the probability of finding Noiria is 63.1315926%." Richard answered. "However, it also has a probability of—"

"Let's go, Onii-chan!" Rachael ignored her brother's rambling and entered the cavern.

"Fine." Richard said and followed his sister into the cavern.

* * *

 **-Meanwhile… At the Palace of Flame…**

Palace of Flame was one of the oldest structures on the continent of Symmetria. The whole castle was built using Laterite, making the castle's wall as red as the flame. The castle itself possessed five floors. The first floor contained the foyer, castle's storage, soldier's barrack as well as some other rooms such as kitchens and dining hall. The second floor was mostly the throne room. The third floor was the guest rooms for the visitors of the kingdom. The fourth floor was the private quarters of Fireview Royal Family. And the fifth floor was the privates quarter of the king.

Other than the interior of the castle, the Palace of Flame also had training halls where soldiers and warriors of Fireview trained together. There were two training halls in this place. The first one was the training hall for soldiers of Fireview, which located on the first floor of the castle. The second training hall, on the other hand, located on the third floor of the castle, which exclusively to the royal family of Fireview Kingdom, as well as some special guests.

And today, the training hall on the third floor had been visited by two royal families.

"This way, everyone." Princess Artemis said as she opened the door that led to the training hall of Fireview Royal Family. Upon entering the hall, everyone in the Dustorm Royal Family gasped in amazement.

"Wow…" Largo said. "This place is so… cool."

The training hall was quite big compared to other rooms on the third floor. It consisted of many training tools such as practice swords, practice bows, practicing targets, etc.

"This place is so… big." Natasha said as she couldn't find other words to describe this room.

"Don't tell me that the only one who used this room are you and Apollo?!" Largo asked.

"Well… Father and Mother sometimes also come here too." Princess Artemis answered. "However, lately, father is busy with his work, so it had been a long while since the last time he came here."

"Hm… What a magnificent training hall…" Terrus said as he looked around before he spotted a practicing sword on the table. "Practicing sword? Did you practice sword fighting, Artemis?"

"No, it was my brother." Princess Artemis answered. "He is the one who practiced sword fighting, not me."

"Yeah, I remember that too." Largo said. "Apollo and I studied together under the same teacher. He taught the art of sword fighting to Apollo and the art of flame to me, as I was already good at using my weapon."

"So, what type of weapon do you use, Princess Artemis?" Freya asked with a humble voice.

"I fight using a bow." Princess Artemis said and turned her attention to a practicing bow near the practicing sword. "My mother, Princess Olivia, taught me to fight with bow while Apollo was taught to fight with sword."

"So…" Largo turned his attention to the practicing targets on the other side of the training hall. "Those are the target for you to practice with your bow, right?"

"Yes." Princess Artemis answered.

"Then, why don't all of us practice fighting using a bow today?" Largo suggested, which shocked everyone else of Dustorm royal family.

"Largo?!" Natasha said. "Are you serious?!"

"Don't you remember?" Largo said. "We were practicing shooting together when we were younger."

"Yes…" Natasha said and revealed a gentle smile. "It was… a good memory."

"…" Terrus didn't say anything, but he seemed to be a bit restless.

"So, Artemis, would you mind if my siblings and I practiced archery with you today?" Largo asked.

"I am glad that you want to practice archery with me…" Princess Artemis said and picked up four practice bows and gave each of them to each Dustorm royal child.

"Thank you." Everyone said as they received a practice bow from Princess Artemis.

"Now, then…" Princess Artemis walked back to the table, however…

"Wait…" Princess Artemis said as she looked around the table, as if she was trying to find something. "I think I have it right here…"

"Artemist, what's wrong?" Natasha asked.

"Well… I usually have five training bows in this room…" Princess Artemis said. "But I couldn't find the last one."

"Are you sure that you didn't lose it?" Largo asked.

"No. I always checked everything in this room after I finished training. I also remember that there were five practice bows here yesterday…"

"Then, you can take this one…" Terrus said and handed over the practice bow Artemis gave him back to the female Pyroar. "I will practice sword fighting instead."

"Oh, don't worry about me." Princess Artemis said and walked up to the door of the training hall. "I will go to the training hall on the first floor to see if they have any spare bow left for me. You all can practice archery while waiting for me, okay?"

"Wa—" Terrus tried to say something, but Princess Artemis had already left the training hall.

"Well, bad luck Terrus, or should I say 'Bad Terruck'?" Largo spoke up after Princess Artemis left the training hall.

"…" Terrus didn't say anything in response.

"Come on, Terruck. Archery isn't that bad!" Largo said.

"…Largo, have you forgot already?" Terrus spoke up. "What happened last time we practiced shooting together?"

"Well… Instead of hitting the target, your bullet hit our father instead…" Largo said. "Not the best memory of us, right?"

"…I am a failed prince at this…" Terrus said. "No matter how hard I train, I am hopeless in using a ranged weapon… I am never good at this."

"Don't forget that Natasha, Freya and I are also not good at using ranged weapon too." Largo said.\

"But as the crown prince of Dustorm Empire, I must excel in everything. " Terrus said. "With this, I am such a failure. I dishonor my own father…"

"…If you are, then we share the same feeling with you, Terrus." Natasha said. "Our father is a master of fighting using ranged weapon, but none of his children are at least decent at fighting using ranged weapon…"

"B…But…" Freya tried to say something, but Terrus spoke up first.

"Well… Thank you, my siblings…" Terrus said. "I know that I can always count on all of you."

"Well then, let's start our archery practicing!" Largo said.

"Right now?!" Natasha said.

"Come on! There's nothing better to do anyway!" Largo said.

"…I guess it couldn't be helped…" Terrus said. "However, I will not responsible if my arrow hit any of you, okay?"

"Don't worry! I will let Freya take care of the wounds if your arrow happened to hit our head or something." Largo said.

Four Pokemon walked up to the middle of the training hall and faced four targets in front of them on the other side of the room.

"Let's start with the distant of half of the room first, okay?" Largo said.

Everyone nodded before they picked the arrow, which had four colors depended on the bow it matched (Terrus' is yellow, Natasha's is blue, Largo's is red and Freya's is green), and inserted it into their bows. Then they aimed the arrow at the targets in front of them on the other side of the room.

"Try not to hit yourself first, Terrus." Largo said.

"Shut up, Largo." Terrus said.

"Well, I will count 1 to 3, and then we will shoot together, okay?" Natasha said, and everyone nodded in response.

"Well…Then…" Natasha said before she started counting.

"…1…"

"…2…"

"…3!"

After the count reached 3, four arrows were released at the same time to the target on the other side of the room!

"Well…" Natasha said. "Let's see the result…"

Terrus, Natasha, Largo and Freya looked at the target on the other side of the room, and found that there's no single arrow that hit the target, let alone hitting the center of the target. However, there was a red arrow on the wall behind the target. On the wall just left of the target was a blue arrow, and the green arrow was found just in front of the one who shot it.

"I guess I put too much power in shooting the arrow…" Largo said.

"And I narrowly miss the target…" Natasha said.

"Well, I…" Freya said. "My arrow didn't even go very far… I guess I am not strong enough to use a bow properly…"

"Wait a minute…" Largo said as he realized that there was something wrong. "Where's Terrus' arrow?"

"Um…" Freya said and looked at Largo.

"Largo?" Natasha said and looked at the Alolan Marowak too.

"What's wrong?" Largo asked. "Something on my head?"

Natasha and Freya didn't answer Largo's question with words, but with a gesture of nod instead.

"What?!" Largo reached his paw onto his head and found that there was something stuck on his head. He then pulled it out and found that it was… a yellow arrow.

"Terrus!?" Largo said and looked at Terrus, who seemed to be guilty after his action.

"I am truly sorry, Largo…" Terrus said. "I told you I am terrible at this…"

"Well, whatever…" Largo said and threw the yellow arrow away. "Lucky that it hit mine, not anyone else, because I am really 'hardheaded'. Hahaha!"

Largo started laughing at his joke, which made everyone else (Including Terrus) started laughing too to their brother's joke.

But then…

"WOOSH!"

"LOOK OUT!" Terrus said as there was something small and very fast passed through them to the other side of the room, where the target for practicing archery was!

"W…What was that?!" Largo said and looked at the target on the other side of the room, only to find that…

"W…What?!" Everyone said as they found an arrow stuck in the target on the other side of the room! They all were sure that this arrow wasn't here ten seconds ago, and the color of the arrow… was black.

And then…

"Hm… Hitting… Right at the center of the target… From the distance of one large hall… Not too bad, isn't it?"

A familiar voice came from the other side of the room (The side where the door was, opposite of the side where the target was). It took everyone a few second to recognize it.

"W…Wait…" Everyone said and turned their attention to the door of the training hall, and they found that there was a Pokemon standing there, with a practice bow in his paw. This Pokemon, like Terrus, was a Garchomp, and it didn't take everyone more than a second to recognize who this Garchomp was.

"ZETARUS?!" Terrus, Natasha, Largo and Freya spoke out at the same time.

* * *

 **-Meanwhile… On Fireview Volcano…**

Fireview Volcano was the biggest mountain, not only in Fireview Kingdom, but also on the continent of Symmetria. This volcano was known by the residents of Fireview Kingdom as the sacred mountain, as beneath the crater of the volcano laid the 'God of Volcano' who protected Fireview Kingdom from any harm since the ancient era. Because the God of Volcano was respected by everyone in the nation of flame and stone, showing disrespect toward the deity was considered to be a serious crime in Fireview Kingdom, making no one dare to say anything bad about the God of Volcano.

Despite being respected by everyone in the Fireview Kingdom, the God of Volcano never appeared in front of anyone. The only one who could communicate with the God of Volcano was the 'Volcano Guardian' who resided on the Fireview Volcano. Not only being the 'voice' of the God of Volcano, the Volcano Guardian also acted as the protector of Fireview Kingdom in the name of God of Volcano, making him being respected by everyone in the Fireview Kingdom, including the king and the members of the royal family…

"…So, this is the Fireview Volcano." Diego said as he stood at the starting point of Fireview Volcano Trail, a rocky trail that would lead him to the peak of Fireview Volcano. "This place makes me feel… strange… I don't even know why… Well, whatever… It's time to get going."

Diego started walking along the rocky trail of Fireview Volcano. The rocky path made this a quite rough trip for him, but he didn't say anything. Sometime, a while Pokemon may appear and tried to attack him, but they soon were killed by the Charizard's Naginata.

"Hmpt! Weak." Diego said after he defeated a while Magmar that tried to attack him with a single hit from his Naginata. "I guess this trial will end within a blink of—"

"Halt!"

Suddenly, a voice came from somewhere on Fireview Volcano. Diego then looked around and tried to find the source of the voice.

And then…

"HYA!"

A Pokemon suddenly jumped off a cliff about Diego and landed just in front of the Charizard. That Pokemon was…a Charizard.

"Halt, visitor of the sacred mountain!" The Charizard who had just appeared spoke and pointed his weapon, which was a spear, at another Charizard in front of him. "State your name and your business here!"

Diego looked at the Charizard in front of him. This Charizard seemed to be at the same age as him. He was also as tall as him, as well as having the same eye color as him.

However, there was one thing that caught Diego's attention about the Charizard in front of him. It was his skin. Most part of his body and his face was painted with several strange colored tattoos that looked like some sort of tribal marks. Moreover, unlike Diego who wore an armor suit that covered almost every part of his body, the Charizard in front of him wore nothing but a loincloth that concealed his crotch. He also wore a necklace that made of several sparkling stones and features, giving him a very strange appearance. All of this made it very hard for Diego not to…

"Haha… HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Diego could no more hold back his laugh, so he decided to let it out of his mouth. However, his action seemed to infuriate the Charizard in front of him.

"What's so funny?!" The Charizard in front of Diego asked with an angry voice.

"YOU!" Diego answered while trying not to laugh. "Who do you think you are, dressing like this? Are you some sort of maniac who thinks that he still lives in the cave?! HAHAHA!"

"You… YOU!" The Charizard in front of Diego became even more angry after he heard Diego's words. "You shall pay for your disdain with your life!"

The Charizard picked his spear and started charging at Diego. Diego then quickly dodged the attack and countered with his Naginata. However, the Charizard noticed Diego's attack and was able to block it with his spear!

"YAH!" The Charizard thrusted his spear, making Diego lost his balance!

"Fire Fang!" The Charizard cloaked his fangs with a burning flame and bit at Diego's neck!

"CHARRRRR!" Diego roared in pain as he was attacked by another Charizard! "Fire Punch!" Diego cloaked his fist with a scorching flame and punched the Charizard in his face, making the Charizard lost his bite on Diego's neck!

"Hm! Not bad!" The Charizard said after he released Diego from his bite. "But now, it ends here!"

"Say that to my face, you lizard jerky!" Diego roared.

"FLAMETHROWER!" Both Charizard roared at the same time before they expelled hot flame from their mouth at each other, making both flames from both Charizard's mouths clashed at each other!

Two flames from two different origins clashed at each other. However, instead of destroying each other, both flames swirled into a spiral, creating one beautiful flame!

"WHAT?!" Diego and another Charizard said with a surprising voice, as the flame that should destroy each other turned out to support each other and created one beautiful flame!

"How could this be?" Both Charizards stopped breathing fire at the same time, making the spiral of flame disappeared within a blink.

After the spiral flame disappeared, both Charizards now looked at each other; started from their face, their body, their eyes, their arms and their legs…

And then… Both of them had discovered something.

"WHAT?!" Both Charizards spoke up at the same time. Because, not counting the cloth and tattoos that both of them had, both Charizards looked very much like each other! No… Not very much like each other… None of them could even spot any difference between each other!

"W…Why?!" Diego spoke up with a shocked voice.

"W…Who are you?!" The other Charizard said. "And why did you look so much like me?!"

"I should be the one who ask that question!" Diego said. "Now, tell me who you are!"

However, before either of them could say anything more, another Pokemon suddenly appeared out of nowhere in front of them. This Pokemon, like both of them, was also a Charizard.

And… Before either Diego or the Charizard whom Diego fought with could do anything, they felt something knocking on their head!

"OUCH!" Diego and the Charizard whom Diego fought with groaned in pain and rubbed their head.

"What did you think you are doing?!" The third Charizard who had just appeared scolded. "This is the sacred mountain of Fireview! Your action is such a blasphemy against the almighty God of Volcano!"

"Ouch…Geez…" Both Charizard who got their head whacked by the third Charizard rubbed their head before they turned their attention to the Charizard who did this. The third Charizard, however, was much older than the other two Charizard, but he, like the Charizard who fought with Diego, also had several colored tattoos that resembled the tribal marks on his body and his face. He also wore nothing but a loincloth, a necklace made of several sparkling stones and feathers, and a strange hat made of several colored feathers.

"I… I am sorry, father." The Charizard who fought with Diego apologized.

"Hm!" The matured Charizard mumbled before he shifted his attention to Diego. However, as soon as he laid his eyes at Diego, his eyes became widened with fear.

"Y…You…" The matured Charizard said. "Y…You are…"

"!" Diego looked at the matured Charizard who were looking at him. Somehow, he felt that he knew this Charizard… No, not only that, but he also felt that this Charizard and him were somehow…

"…You…" The matured Charizard spoke up and looked at Diego. "…What's your name?"

"…My name is Diego Pyrotorch the Charizard." Diego answered.

"Diego…" The matured Charizard mumbled. "…So… Your name is Diego… Very well… Dinus, let's go back. Diego, I want you to come with us too."

"What's with this sxxt, old dude?" Diego asked with his arms crossed. "You have just met me and you expected me to go with you?!"

"Insolence!" The other Charizard who fought with Diego spoke up furiously. "Don't you know who you are speaking to?!"

"Calm down, Dinus." The matured Charizard said.

"But father—" The Charizard who fought with Diego tried to say something, but the matured Charizard spoke up first.

"You mustn't let the flame of anger burn you from within, Dinus." The matured Charizard said.

"…Yes, father." The Charizard who fought with Diego said.

After finished speaking to his son, the matured Charizard turned his attention back to Diego. "My apologize for not introducing myself first. My name is **Leonel Novaflare the Charizard**. I am the Volcano Guardian as well as the current Hero of Fire type."

After he finished introducing himself, the matured Charizard named Leonel turned his attention to his son. "You should introduce yourself too, Dinus."

"…Yes, father." The Charizard who fought with Diego said before he turned his attention to Diego. "… My name is **Dinus Novaflare the Charizard** , I am the son and the apprentice of the Volcano Guardian."

"…" Diego didn't say anything. He had heard about the Volcano Guardian before, but he had never thought that he would run into him so soon… And for Dinus… He had heard this name before…

 _'This guy… He must be the one that Prince Apollo mentioned yesterday…'_ Diego thought to himself. _'He said this Charizard is his friend… That makes him my—'_

"Diego, Dinus." Leonel spoke up, interrupting Diego's train of thought. "Come with me."

After he finished speaking, Leonel spread his wings and started flying into the sky. Dinus obediently followed him into the sky. For Diego, somehow, he felt that Leonel's words had some force that made him decided to do as he was told.

"…" Diego said nothing as he spread his wings and started flying into the sky to follow Dinus and Diego.

* * *

 **-Meanwhile… At the Palace of Flame…**

"Good day, my beloved brothers and sisters." Zetarus said as he looked at Terrus, Natasha, Largo and Freya. "I hope that you all are doing well, right?"

"Y…You damned bastard!" Largo spoke up and pointed his bone club at Zetarus. "W…Why are you here?!"

"Well? I was just happened to be around here when I saw a group of my beloved siblings, so I thought that I should pay you a little visit here." Zetarus answered with a snide voice. "Plus, aren't you all happy to see your 'beloved' brother once again?"

"Never!" Largo said. "And how dare you step into this place uninvited?! Get out of here before we kick your butt out!"

"My… my… Aren't you a little rude?" Zetarus said. "Don't you afraid that doing so will disgrace Princess Artemis and your eldest brother?"

"W…What?!" Largo said.

"Princess Artemis did invite 'all' royal children of Dustorm Empire to come and train with her, right? And Terrus also also accepted that 'all' of us, the royal children of Dustorm Empire, will join Princess Artemis in her training here. Well, I just follow Princess Artemis' invitation and Terrus' order as I am also the prince of Dustorm Empire."

"Hmpt!" Largo spoke sarcastically. "Yes, yes… Your are right, Prin-Zess."

A moment of silence followed Largo's bad pun, and then, a crafty smile appeared on Zetarus' face.

"My… My… You are such a lovely little brother of mine…" Zetarus spoke with a crafty voice and approached Largo. "Let me give you a little reward."

"W…WHAT THE FXXK?!" Largo said as Zetarus suddenly grabbed his body and pinned him down on the floor! "W…WHAT ARE YOU DOING, YOU MXXXXXXXXXXR?!"

"Well… Didn't you just love this?" Zetarus spoke with a crafty voice as he reached his paws at Largo's face gently. "You did call me Prin-Zess, didn't you, so I will just show you how much of a 'Prin-Zess' this Garchomp can be…"

"W…WHAT?!" Largo said as Zetarus gently touched his face, and then his paw got lower from his face to his chest, his tummy and then his…

"…That's enough, Zetarus." A powerful voice called the name of Zetarus, which turned the attention of both Zetarus and Largo to the owner of voice, who was none other than their elder brother, Terrus the Garchomp.

"Oh, I completely forgot about you!" Zetarus said as he let Largo free and walked up to Terrus. "Please forgive me for only giving my attention to your cute brother here."

"…Zetarus…" Terrus spoke with a serious voice. "…What are you doing here?"

"I already answered that question, Terrus." Zetarus answered with his arms crossed.

"…What I really want to know is, What are you doing in this nation, the Fireview Kingdom." Terrus said. "Are you planning to do something… dubious here?"

"Well… I don't know the meaning of that word do-be-ias." Zetarus said. "I just happen to come here by chance."

"…I don't believe you." Terrus said. "I know that you are planning something, right?"

"Well, if this place is Dustorm Empire, then your words will be true." Zetarus said. "However, this isn't Dustorm Empire. I don't have anyone here on the to-kill list of mine."

"…So…" Terrus sighted. "It seemed like you still haven't given up on your task of murdering our father."

"Yes." Zetarus nodded. "And will never will."

"…" Terrus didn't say anything after he heard his brother's answer.

"…Zetarus…" Natasha spoke up. "…You…"

"Well, Terrus, what do you think?" Zetarus ignored Natasha and stroke another conversation with his elder brother. "You are here for a training, right? Do you want me to be your sparring partner?"

"…I will not fight you here, Zetarus." Terrus said. "We promised not to fight each other until we all are in the Dustorm Empire."

"Too bad…" Zetarus said and put the practice bow that he was holding in his paw on the table. "Well, I guess that… I should leave, then."

"Yeah, go away." Largo spoke up. "And don't come back again you little punk!"

"Oww…. What a fierce little brother I have here…" Zetarus said. "You know what, Largo, I think I start to really like you."

"I don't need such nonsense words from you." Largo said with his arms crossed. "Now, get out!" "Geez… Fine…" Zetarus said and walked up to the door of the training hall. He was about to leave when Terrus spoke up.

"…Although this may be our first and last time…" Terrus spoke up. "But I am glad that we, at least, have a chance to talk so casually with each other, my brother."

"…Whatever…" Zetarus said before he left the training hall, leaving Terrus, Natasha, Largo and Freya here.

"Hmpt!" Largo grumbled after Zetarus left the training hall. "And my day is spoiled by that axxxxxe."

"I do not expect to run into him here…" Terrus spoke. "But at least… We have a little talk, although not-so-friendly…"

"Little talk?!" Largo said. "Look what he did to me! He almost ra—"

"I know…" Terrus quickly cut off Largo's word.

"And he also completely ignored Natasha!" Largo said.

"W…Well…" Natasha said. "I don't really mind him ignoring me…"

"If you say so…" Largo said. "But…I am quite sad that I didn't have a chance to whack his head with my club."

"…Don't worry about this." Terrus said. "Although not very certain, I have a feeling that this would be the last time we met before our battle… A battle between siblings…"

"Yeah, I hope that day comes soon." Largo said. "I can't wait to kill him and make him scream for everything that axxxxxe had done."

"…But for now, let's turn our attention back to our training…" Terrus said and was about to turn his attention to the training target on the other side of the room when…

"Wait…" Natasha spoke up. "Where's Freya?"

Largo and Terrus looked around the room and realized that the Dragalge was right. Freya was no where to be found, and Terrus, Natasha and Largo were the only Pokemon in this room.

"Don't tell me that…" Everyone turned their attention to the door of the training hall. It seemed like Zetarus wasn't the only one who had just left the training hall…

 **To Be Continued…**

* * *

 **Dragon of Vale: Here's another chapter… Yeah, I know that this tail has so many things in common with the second tail… However, there will be something that this tail has that is completely different from the second tail…**


	45. Tail 5-5: Heavenly Flame and Hellfire

**A Dragon's Tail**

 **Tail 5: Diego's Tail - Reprisal**

 **Tail 5-5: Heavenly Flame and Hellfire**

 **-At Fireview Volcano**

Three Charizard flew together in the sky above Fireview Volcano. From here, they all could see almost everywhere in the Fireview Kingdom. From the bird-eye view, they could see that all mountains and volcanoes in the Fireview Kingdom were actually part of a long mountain range, which laid down across the whole land of Fireview Kingdom starting from the west edge of Fireview Kingdom to the east edge of Fireview Kingdom, which it was split into four small mountain ranges. The first mountain range laid across the middle of Queendom of Riverbrine, becoming the Misveil Mountain Range, a mountain range that divided Queendom of Riverbrine Snow Part and River Part from each other. The second mountain range laid to the north of Queendom of Riverbrine and south of Shadowlost Territory, becoming the Mt. Snowlost and Shadowlost Ridge that divided Queendom of Riverbrine and Shadowlost Territory from each other. The third mountain range, which was the only small mountain range that's consisted of active volcanoes, lay under the sea that divided Fireview Kingdom from Shadowlost Territory, making the sea became acidic and hazardous. The last mountain range laid across the south of Fireview Kingdom to the eastern of Dustorm Empire, creating an unnamed valley that spanned the eastern part of Dustorm Empire, as well as serving as an impassable natural border between Dustorm Empire and the Republic of Civilight.

"There, our destination."

The matured Charizard who led two young Charizard said and pointed his paw at a small cabin near the peak of Fireview Volcano. All Charizard then headed there and landed softly on the ground near the cabin.

"Ah, the essence of flame…" Leonel mumbled as he landed softly on the ground.

"I agree with you, father." Dinus said as he landed softly beside his father.

"Oops!" Unlike the other two Charizard, Diego didn't land softly on the ground. Instead, his body crashed roughly on the ground as he landed.

"Geez… You dumbass…" Dinus said as he looked at Diego struggling to stand up. "Didn't you know how to land on the ground properly?"

"Don't ask." Diego said as he stood up. "I really hate flying, so I should not to fly unless it's important."

"Being a Charizard who hates flying? Hmpt! I don't even know what to say." Dinus said.

"What?!" Diego said after he received a provoke from Dinus. "You really want to die that much?!"

"Split those words to me!" Dinus said, and then both young Charizard glared at each other with a blood-hunger looking on their face, however, their argument was cut short by another whack on their heads.

"OUCH!" Dinus and Diego moaned and rubbed their head after receiving a whack from the matured Charizard.

"You two really lack self-discipline." Leonel commented. "Now, both of you, follow me."

After finished speaking, Leonel started walking toward the cabin and entered it. Diego and Dinus then soon followed him.

* * *

 **-Inside the Cabin…**

Surprisingly for a house of the Volcano Guardian, who was respected by everyone in the Fireview Kingdom, the cabin was modestly furnished. This cabin consisted of only one big room, three small rooms and a cellar. It barely had anything sophisticated except for several kinds of decorated weapons around the house. All weapons were carefully crafted and polished until it sparkled like an invaluable gemstone. However, other than weapons, this cabin didn't hold anything interesting.

As Leonel, Dinus and Diego entered the cabin, they found that there was another Pokemon in this cabin. This Pokemon was a male Tyrantrum.

"Ha! Finally!" A male Tyrantrum spoke up with a rough voice as he saw three Charizards entering the cabin. "Where have you all been?! I was waiting for ya!"

"We have our usual patrolling, **Chronos Orestone the Tyrantrum**." Dinus answered. "The one who should answer that question is you, Chronos. Where had you been? You disappeared from the house since last night."

"Well, I was just out for a walk…" The Tyrantrum named Chronos answered.

"…Chronos…" Leonel spoke up with a calm but sharp voice. "You didn't happen to go to the Brawl Arena, didn't you?"

 _'Brawl Arena?!'_ Diego was shocked after he heard the name of the place he hated most on the continent of Symmetria.

"Aww… It's just that I got lost and ended up there…" Chronos answered. "And it had been several months after the last time I went there!"

"…So…" Leonel continued speaking. "What did you do there? Entering a combat? Or placing a bet on the gladiator fight?"

"Nope." Chronos said. "The arena was closed right now. It seemed like there was some sort of incident several months ago…"

Diego turned his face away as he heard the word 'incident' from the Tyrantrum.

"Incident?" Dinus spoke up. "Isn't it the massacre that Apollo mentioned yesterday?"

"Yup." Chronos nodded. "It happened when Apollo went their his Regent Orion to prove his battle skill by fighting a gladiator. However, Apollo lost, and the gladiator who fought him suddenly became uncontrollable and burned down almost the whole arena, killing almost everyone there before escaping from the arena. Until now, Brawl Arena is currently under the reconstruction, and they still haven't caught that gladiator yet."

"Geez… That gladiator must be insanely strong… Able to defeat Apollo and kill hundred soldiers of Fireview at the same time…" Dinus commented.

"Yeah, actually, I really want to meet him, so I will challenge him to a battle." Chronos said.

"That's just like you, Chronos…" Dinus said. "You always challenge everyone you saw. Yesterday, you also challenged Apollo to a battle when he and Artemis paid a visit to us."

Chronos nodded to Dinus's words before he realized something. He realized that there were 3 Charizard in this room, not 2.

"Wait…" Chronos stood up and walked up to the third Charizard whom he had never seen before. "Dinus, who is this guy? Your twin brother or something?"

"NO! HE ISN"T!" Dinus and Diego immediately spoke up at the same time.

"Eh…" Chronos was surprised after hearing the answer from both young Charizard at the same time.

"…Chronos." Leonel spoke up after listening to the conversation for some time. "I think that this cabin is a bit less warm than normal…"

"Oh, I forgot about this!" Chronos said as he seemed to remember something. "Well, come with me, everyone!"

Chronos walked up to one of three small rooms of this cabin, which seemed to be his bedroom. As he opened the door, a chilly air suddenly flew out of the room, making everyone's bodies shivered from the sudden cold.

"W…What is t…this?!" Dinus asked as he could feel the freezing air touching his skin. "Chronos, d…did you hide s…something in your room?!"

"W…Well…" Chronos tried to speak as his body also shivered from the cold air. "C…Come i…inside a…and see f…for yourself…"

Chronos then entered his room, which Dinus reluctantly followed him, and Leonel went in last…

* * *

 **-Inside Chronos' Room**

The air inside the room was even colder than outside the room as Chronos, Dinus and Leonel entered the room. It didn't take them very long to figure out the source of the chilly air in this room. It came from another Pokemon in the room. This Pokemon was now sleeping on a bed in this room.

"Hm?!" Everyone walked up to the bed and found that the Pokemon who was sleeping on the bed was a female Aurorus that they had never seen before.

"Chronos, who is this lass?" Dinus asked.

"I found her collapsed in the Stone Ravine while I was going back here." Chronos answered. "And I decided to take her here."

"Eh… That's unlikely of you, Chronos…" Dinus commented. "But why took her here? Why didn't you take her to the clinic in the city instead?"

"Because of this." Chronos said and gently grabbed the Aurorus' front left paw and showed it to Leonel and Dinus. On there was a strange mark… However, both Dinus and Leonel had seen this mark before!

"Father!" Dinus turned his attention to Leonel, who seemed to be shocked after seeing the mark. "I…Isn't this…"

"…" Leonel said nothing and spread his wings out, revealing the similar mark on his wings!

"The mark on her paw… Master Leonel, I remembered that you also carried one too." Chronos said. "That meant…"

"…The Mark of Legend." Leonel spoke up. "It's the mark that indicates the identity of its holder as the Hero/ine of Legend…"

"Then…" Dinus and Chronos looked at the unconscious female Aurorus. "She must be…"

"…She is now the current Heroine of Ice type." Leonel said.

"Heroine of Ice type?" Chronos said. "But I heard that the Heroine of Ice type is Queen Nyxier of Queendom of Riverbrine, isn't she?"

"…Did you remember what Apollo told us yesterday, Chronos?" Dinus said. "He told us that there was a civil war in Queendom of Riverbrine. As a result, the queen was killed, and the princess of Riverbrine went missing.

"T...Then…" Chronos looked at the Aurorus. "She must be…"

"…Her name is Princess Misvale Tundrafrost the Aurorus…" Leonel said. "…And she is the forlorn princess of Riverbrine, as well as the daughter of Queen Nyxier. This explains why she is now the Heroine of Ice type. She must have inherited it from her mother…"

"Father, why did you know all of this?" Dinus asked.

"…Don't forget that Queen Nyxier and I once went into a mission to stop the Fallen Crisis 30 years ago together, as well as other 12 Hero/ine of Legend." Leonel answered.

"Oh, you are right, father." Dinus said.

"Then, what should we do with her?" Chronos asked.

"…We will let her rest here for now." Leonel answered. "Chronos, I will leave her in your care."

"Seriously?!" Chronos said. "Are you sure that you want to leave her in the care of someone like me?!"

"Chronos, I trust that you can do it." Leonel said. "And you are the only one who can do it."

"I don't understand…" Chronos said and scratched his head.

"You will someday…" Leonel said and turned back and walked up to the door of the room. "Dinus, let's go. We have something else to do."

"Okay, father." Dinus said as he followed Leonel, who was leaving the room. Dinus soon left the room, leaving only Chronos and Misvale in this room.

"…" Chronos turned his attention back to Misvale. Somehow, since when he met her at the Stone Ravine, he could feel a strange feeling every time he looked at her… As if they were… connected by something.

 _'…Misvale, huh?'_ Chronos thought to himself. _'I promise… That I would keep you from the way of any harm…'_

* * *

 **-Meanwhile… Outside Chronos' Room…**

"Finished already?" Diego asked as he saw Leonel and Dinus leaving the room.

"…Why don't you sit down, Diego?" Leonel said and sat down on a small cushion on the floor and showed his paw to two small cushion near him.. "You too, Dinus."

Dinus and Diego glared at each other for a second before both of them took a seat near the Volcano Guardian.

"Well then…" Leonel mumbled before he looked at Diego. "You said your name was Diego Pyrotorch the Charizard, right?"

"…Yes." Somehow, Diego decided to answer the question that Leonel asked him.

"First, let me ask you a few questions…" Leonel said. "What are you doing here at the sacred mountain of Fireview?"

"…I refuse to answer this question." Diego answered, which made another young Charizard who sat next to him to become furious.

"Insolence!" Dinus roared and pointed his paw at Diego. "Mind your manner when you are speaking to the Volcano Guardian!"

"What?! How dare you!" Diego said and pointed his paw at Dinus. "Do not tell me what to do your lizard jerky!"

"You axxxxxe!" Dinus said.

"You dumbass!" Diego said.

Both Charizards glared at each other with a fiery looking at their face. Both of them were ready for another battle between each other had it not for a whack on their head.

"OUCH!" Diego and Dinus moaned in pain as their heads were whacked again by another Charizard in this room.

"BLASPHEMY!" Leonel stood up and pointed his paws at Dinus and Diego. "YOUR ACTIONS ARE SUCH A TREASON TO THE ALMIGHTY GOD OF VOLCANO! HOW DARE YOU ABOMINATION COMMIT SUCH AN UNFORGIVABLE SIN LIKE THIS?! YOU ALL WILL BE DOOMED FOR THE ETERNAL DAMNATION BY THE GOD OF VOLCANO!..."

This time, Leonel didn't stop easily. He still continued his scolding to both Charizard, and it didn't seem like he would stop within the next few hours…

 _'Oh… Fxxk…'_ Dinus and Diego cursed.

* * *

 **-Meanwhile… At the Outskirt of Fireview City…**

"And… This is the end of my work today…"

Zetarus said as he left the capital of Fireview Kingdom after a little visit to the Palace of Flame. The time right now was noon, which meant that he had about six hours before the sunset…

"What should I do next?" Zetarus mumbled as he left the Fireview City. "Should I follow Diego onto the volcano? Or should I follow those two Lati into the cave? Or should I—"

"Zetarus!"

A cute voice of a young girl caught the Garchomp's attention. It didn't take the Garchomo to turn back to know who the owner of the voice was.

"…" Zetarus said nothing as he felt that someone was approaching him, and yet he decided not to look at her.

"Zetarus, I finally caught up with you!" Freya said as she finally reached the Garchomp. "I really miss you, my brother."

"…I am not your brother, Freya." Zetarus spoke bluntly without looking at the Flygon behind him.

"Do not say anything like that, brother!" Freya said as she looked at the Garchomp. "Don't you know how much I worried about you after you left Desert Palace?"

"…" Zetarus didn't say anything after he heard his younger sister's words.

"Zetarus…" Freya said and showed herself in front of Zetarus' face. "Are you…lonely? Did you ever feel the loneliness after you left us at the Desert Palace?"

"…No." Zetarus gave a short answered. However, his answer made a gentle smile appeared on the face of the Flygon.

"That's good to know…" Freya said. "I should have known that, at least, you have someone whom you can count on, such as… That Charizard who were travelling with us from Windsky Plateau to Dustorm City, right?"  
"…" Zetarus said nothing in response once again.

"Oh!" Freya spoke as if she had just remembered something. She then picked something from her back and showed it to the Garchomp. Zetarus looked at it and realized that it was some sort of an emblem in the shape of a beautiful flower with five petals. The edge of each petal was dark pink while the rest of each petal was light pink and white. The center part of this flower was yellow.

"…What's this?" Zetarus asked and looked at the pendant that Freya showed him.

"It's the emblem for everyone in Dustorm royal family." Freya answered. "I want you to take this one."

"No." Zetarus spoke bluntly. "I am the member of Quakersand in the name only. I don't have any right to have this thing."

"Oh, this is not an official emblem." Freya said. "This was made by Empress Sharon Venomist the Dragalge, the late Empress of Dustorm Empire. She is the foster mother of Terrus, Largo and I, as well as Natasha's and your real mother. She made this emblem for every child of Dustorm royal family. Terrus, Natasha, Largo and I also had this emblem too."

"…" Zetarus didn't say anything.

"However, this one was Empress Sharon's, but since she had already passed away, I think it's better off in your hand, Zetarus." Freya said. "Please, take this."

"…Very well." Zetarus said and took the emblem that Freya shown him.

"Thank you, Zetarus!" Freya seemed to be delighted after Zetarus decided to accept the emblem she gave him. "This emblem was made in the shape of Desert Rose."

"Desert Rose?" Zetarus said and looked at the emblem.

"Yes. It was Empress Sharon's favorite flower." Freya explained. "She loved this flower because Desert Rose only grows up in the barren desert, a place where most lives fail to flourish. However, it endures the harsh terrain of arid desert and produces a beautiful flower. She told me that, life the Desert Rose, no matter how hard the life goes on, it will bloom at last."

"…I don't really understand your words, Freya." Zetarus said. "Also…"

Zetarus put his paw into his bag and picked something up. It was an emblem too, but it was in the shape of a snowflake instead.

"Here, take it." Zetarus said and handed over it to Freya. "I got this while I was in Riverbrine. I think that you may like this."

"Oh!" Freya said as she received a snowflake-shaped emblem from her brother. "It's so beautiful! Thank you, Zetarus!"

"Think nothing of it." Zetarus said and turned his back to Freya. "Now, I must go…. I didn't want to get scolded by Terrus for keeping you here."

"…" Freya said nothing and looked at her brother.

"Farewell, Freya." Zetarus said and started walking toward the wilderness of Fireview Kingdom, but not before he heard the last words from his sister.

"…Zetarus…" Freya spoke up. "In the truth, I really want to be with you… But I know that no one would allow me to do so… But at least… I promise that I will never fight you, no matter what happen…"

"…Freya." Zetarus spoke without looking at his sister. "…I will be around here for a while longer…"

"Hm?!" Freya looked at her brother. She couldn't believe what she had just heard. However, before she could say anything else, Zetarus had already gone.

"Zetarus…" Freya mumbled.

* * *

 **-Several Hours Later… On Fireview Volcano…**

"…AND YOUR ACTION WILL BRING THE CONTRITION UPON EVERYONE IN THE REALM OF FLAME AND STONE!"

"Grrr…." Dinus and Diego grumbled as they were forced to listen to Leonel's scold for more than four hours, as the time right now was about 16.00.

"Hm!" Leonel sat down and looked at Dinus and Diego. "I hope that you all will remember everything I said without fail."

"…Yes…" Dinus and Diego nodded his head.

"Hm?" Leonel looked outside the cabin and realized that the sky was now orange. "Look at the time right now… Dinus, I think it's already time for your daily training."

"Yes, father…" Dinus said and tried to stand up, but the severe cramps in his legs after sitting for four hours made him lose his balance and fell onto Diego's body.

"W…WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Diego said and shoved Dinus' body away.

"OUCH! DON'T SHOVE ME YOU—" Dinus was about to get into another argument with Diego when he realized that Leonel was looking at him, so he decided not to say anything more.

"Diego…" Leonel spoke up and looked at Diego. "Why don't you go and train with Dinus too?"

"Hm! I don't have any reason to train with that bastard!" Diego said with his arms crossed.

"…So, that means that you accept that you couldn't defeat me, right?" Dinus spoke with a snide voice, which angered Diego even further.

"YOU BASTARD!" Diego roared. "FINE! I WILL TAKE YOU ON!"

"Sigh…" Leonel sighed as Dinus and Diego walked up to the door that will lead to outside the cabin, but both of them still argued with each other until they left the cabin, leaving Leonel alone in the big room of this cabin.

"…That Charizard…" Leonel mumbled and looked outside the window, which he could see that Dinus and Diego had already started another fight with each other. "…He must be…"

* * *

 **-A Few Hours Later…**

"TAKE THIS YOU BASTARD!"

Diego slashed his Naginata at Dinus, who quickly blocked his attack with his spear and countered with a flip of his spear, but Diego was able to retreat quick enough not to get any damage damage from Dinus.

"Grr…" Dinus and Diego growled and glared at each other. Both of them had been fighting for a few hours already, but none of them had defeated the other, as well as none of them was ready to submit their defeat to the other. They continued glaring at each other as the sun started descending into the border of the sky, dying the sky in the color of the burning flame. Soon, the sun will disappear from the sky, and the burning flame on the sky will gradually die out, but the burning flame within the heart of both Charizard didn't seem to die out easily…

"…" Dinus and Diego started walking toward each other, with their weapon in their paw. It seemed like they were about to start another round of a battle. However, this hypothesis was soon proved to be fault as they instead shook their paw with each other!

"You are strong, Dinus." Diego spoke up first. "It's quite rare to find someone as skillful as me."

"You too." Dinus said. "I won't say that you are the strongest warrior I have met, but for someone with a familiar fighting style as me, you did a really great job."

"…No."

A familiar voice called the attention of both Charizards. It came from the matured Charizard who had just exited the cabin.

"Father?" Dinus said as Leonel was walking up to them.

"While both of you are Charizard who fought with a lance-type weapon, both of your fighting style are completely different from each other." Leonel commented.

"I don't understand you…" Diego said.

"First…" Leonel said. "If I compare both of you to a type of flame. Dinus, you are like the heavenly flame, while you, Diego, are like the hellfire."

"Heavenly Flame?" Dinus repeated his father's words.

"Hellfire?" Diego repeated the word he had just heard.

"Next… It's your heart…" Leonel continued speaking. "Dinus, you have the heart of a lion, while you, Diego, have the heart of a dragon."

"What does that mean?" Dinus asked.

"Someday, both of you will understand what I said." Leonel said before he started walking back to his cabin. "But for now, let's have dinner together. Diego, if you don't mind, I'd like you to join us too."

"…I don't understand…" Diego said with his arms crossed. "I am just a nobody who went onto this volcano, and yet you treat me as if I am your guest or something. I don't really have time for all of this!"

"…Very well…" Leonel said. "After dinner, come and meet me at my quarter…"

"W…Wait!" Diego was about to ask more question, but Leonel had already entered his cabin.

"Geez…" Diego scratched his head. "What's with this guy?"

* * *

 **-Meanwhile… In Chronos' Room…**

"…" Chronos looked at the unconscious Princess Misvale. He had been looking after her for almost a day, but she still hadn't woken up yet.

"…" Seeing the forlorn princess of Riverbrine made him think of his past. As far as he could remember, he had already grown up here, on the Fireview Volcano, with his best friend Dinus and his master Leonel. He had no memory of his true family… Of his father and mother…

Every time he tried to ask Leonel about his family, the Volcano Guardian would always give him the same answer.

 _"The answer shall descend upon you one day."_

But no matter how long the time had passed, he still didn't know the answer about his real family. Maybe… The answer will never be revealed to him…

"Arr…."

A faint voice stopped Chronos' train of thought. It came from the female Aurorus who was sleeping on his bed, but it seemed like she was about to wake up!

"Are you alright?" Chronos asked as the Aurorus princess gradually got up from her deep slumber. It took her a moment to get a hold of her consciousness, but as soon as she saw the Tyrantrum.

"AH!" Misvale screamed and quickly got away from Chronos.

"What's wrong?" Chronos said and tried to approach the Aurorus, only to make her scream louder.

"P…Please… D…Don't k…kill me…" Misvale said as she tried to plea the Tyrantrum not to kill her.

"Kill? Oh…" Chronos realized what was going on with the Aurorus' reaction. It was because he was a Tyrantrum, a Pokemon that was supported to be the natural predator of an Aurorus. Realizing this, Chronos decided to step away from the Aurorus princess. However, before he could say anything else…

"What's wrong, Chronos?"

A door of his room opened, and a young Charizard walked up into the room and found that the Aurorus princess had already woken up.

"She has already woken up?" Dinus said. "But… What was that scream?"

"…Go and get Master Leonel for me, Dinus." Chronos said.

"Okay." Dinus said and left the room, before he came back a moment later with the Volcano Guardian in his tow.

"What's wrong, Chronos?" Leonel asked.

"She seems to fear me." Chronos answered. "So, could you please try to calm her down?"

Leonel nodded to Chronos' words before he walked up to the Aurorus princess, who still seemed to be panic.

"Do not be afraid of us, milady." Leonel spoke with a calm voice. "We aren't your enermy, and we will not bring any harm to you."

"W…Who are you?" Misvale asked with a shaking voice.

"My name is Leonel Novaflare the Charizard, the Volcano Guardian of Fireview Kingdom, as well as the current Hero of Fire type." Leonel introduced himself.

"Leonel… Oh!" Misvale said as she seemed to know who Leonel was. "You are Sir Leonel, one of 14 Hero/ine of Legend who saved Symmetria from the Fallen Crisis 30 years ago! Oh, thanks goodness! Goddess Yggdrasil, I thank you for your mercy toward my poor soul… My name is Princess Misvale Tundrafrost the Aurorus, the daughter of Queen Nyxier Tundrafrost the Aurorus, the queen of Queendom of Riverbrine. I heard that she is also one of 14 Hero/ine of Legend who saved Symmetria from the Fallen Crisis 30 years ago…"

"Ah… Nyxier…" Leonel mumbled. "She was my old friend… We were travelling together 30 years ago to stop the Fallen Crisis… And you are her daughter…"

"Yes…" Misvale nodded. "Sir Leonel, are you the one who helped me? I don't know how to thank you…"

"No, it was my disciple who helped you." Leonel said and pointed his paw at Chronos.

"Oh! I am so sorry!" Misvale said after she realized that the one that she screamed to was the one who saved her. "I…I am so sorry for my rudeness toward you."

"It's okay. I understand." Chronos said.

"But… Princess, why are you here?" Leonel asked. "And… About Riverbrine…"

"Yes, the Queendom of Riverbrine is in the state of civil war…" Misvale said with a sad voice. "Mother decided to let me escape from Riverbrine to Fireview. She told me that I must take a boat to take a refuge in Shadowlost Territory, but it seemed like I was out of my power while I was crossing the Stone Ravine…"

"I…see…" Leonel said.

"Sir Leonel…" Misvale looked at Leonel. "Have you heard any news about the civil war of Queendom of Riverbrine? Have you heard any news about my mother? Is she alright? Or is she…"

"!" Leonel was shocked after hearing Misvale's question, but he was good at hiding his emotion.

"Princess, you should rest a bit more…" Leonel spoke up.

"…My mother… Queen Nyxier…" Misvale said. "…She is already dead, isn't she?"

"! Princess!" Leonel looked at Misvale.

"I…I should realize this…" Misvale said. "I had a feeling about this when my mother told me to escape... And I should know… Since when she handed over this to me…"

Misvale picked something up and showed it to everyone in the room. It was a sparkling light blue parasol that looked like it was made from a very thin ice, however, the layer of ice that covered the parasol seemed very sturdy, as if it would never melt no matter how hot the place around it was.

"…I remember this weapon." Leonel said. "It's the Lapis Parasol, the personal weapon for the Heroine of Ice type…"

"…Because my mother is already dead, her title as the Heroine of Ice type will be passed onto her descendant, which was me…" Misvale said and looked at her paw, which was where her Mark of Legend was. "I am now the one who will carry the burden of saving the world from the crisis… And I… I must be ready for all of this…"

"Princess…" Leonel said.

"No. Please call me 'Misvale' instead…" Misvale said. "Right now, I am no more the princess of Riverbrine, so please just call me by my name."

"Okay, then, Misvale…" Leonel said. "For now, I think that you should rest here for a bit more. Don't worry about it. We will take a good care of you."

"I appreciate your kindness, Sir Leonel…" Misvale said. "However, I afraid that I could not become a burden to you anymore. I must ask to take my leave as soon as possible…"

"Impossible, Misvale." Leonel shook his head. "I couldn't let you go wandering around after you have just woken up. Plus, you still haven't fully recovered yet."

"But—" Misvale tried to speak something, but Leonel spoke up first.

"Misvale, why don't you rest here until you have fully recovered? Then we could speak of what would you do next…"

"I…" Misvale said. "I… Then I will… accept your kindness, Sir Leonel."  
"Wise decision, Misvale." Leonel said before he turned his attention to Chronos. "Chronos, I will leave Misvale in your care. Please take a good care of her."

"Yes, master." Chronos said.

"Let's go, Dinus." Leonel said and walked up to the door of the room.

"Yes, father." Dinus said as he followed Leonel and left the room with him, leaving Chronos and Misvale in this room…

"Misvale…" Chronos spoke up. "If you need anything, feel free to ask me."

"Thank you…" Misvale said. "Then, could you please grant me with your name?"

"…My name is Chronos Orestone the Tyrantrum." Chronos said.

"Chronos…" Misvale mumbled. "What a strong and beautiful name…"

"Thank you, Misvale." Chronos said.

 **To Be Continued…**

* * *

 **Dragon of Vale: I am sorry if this chapter isn't very good, because there're so many details in this chapter. Anyway, I think that this tail, like the second tail, will have 9 chapters instead of 8 chapters like the rest.**


	46. Tail 5-6: Twin Flames

**A Dragon's Tail**

 **Tail 5: Diego's Tail - Reprisal**

 **Tail 5-6: Twin Flames**

 **-A Few Hours Later… Somewhere in Fireview Kingdom…**

"Onii-chan, where are Zetarus and Diego?" Rachael asked her brother as both of them were sitting in front of a camp fire at their camp. Normally, Zetarus and Diego will be with them too. But today, Zetarus and Diego hadn't come back yet.

"Hm… I don't know, Rachael." Richard answered. "However, I doubt any of them are in danger, as I know that both of them are strong enough to survive any obstacle."

"I hope you are right…" Rachael said. "Anyway, Onii-chan, what should we do right now? Could you please read me another bedtime story?"

"How about a story of Symmetria instead?" Richard said and picked his Chronicle of Daybreak. "I have already told you about two crises that occurred in the world of Pokemon since the longest time ago, so, how about something that had just happened recently?"

"Something… that had just happened recently?" Rachael looked at her brother.

"About the Five Great Wars of Symmetria." Richard said.

"I already known about all of them!" Rachael said. "Well… Except one…"

"Which one?" Richard asked.

"The Bloodmoon War." Rachael said. "I already known that it was the third war of Five Great Wars, and it was the biggest war among Five Great Wars, but I don't know anything more than this."

"Ah… This is really a perfect place to speak about this war…" Richard said. "The reason why the Bloodmoon War is considered to be the biggest war among Five Great Wars is because, not only it's involved with all seven nations of Symmetria, but it also involved with other wars of Symmetria too."

"Really?!" Rachael said. "How?"

"It started at the end of War of Snowlost Plateau." Richard said. "Did you remember what happened at the end of War of Snowlost Plateau?"

"Yes." Rachael nodded. "The old Confederacy of Riverbrine and Queendom of Snowlost was combined into the Queendom of Riverbrine, right?"

"True. But…" Richard said. "Queendom of Snowlost wasn't the only country that was founded at the end of War of Snowlost Plateau. There is one more nation that was founded after the War of Snowlost Plateau, and that nation is Shadowlost Territory."

"Shadowlost?" Rachael said.

"Yes." Richard said. "I will tell you later about the history of Shadowlost Territory, but for now, let's just say that Shadowlost Territory was founded at the end of the War of Snowlost Plateau, and Shadowlost Territory also played an important role in Leafburg's War of Jasmine."

"War of Jasmine too?!" Rachael said.

"Yes. You know that the Poison type Pokemon used to live in Principality of Leafburg, along with Grass type and Bug type Pokemon, right?"

"Yes…" Rachael said. "Jasper and Zenpai once told me about this… They said that the Poison type Pokemon were exiled from Leafburg at the end of War of Jasmine."

"…And it was the Shadowlost Territory who accepted them." Richard said. "The chancellor of Shadowlost Territory gave them a big island west of Shadowlost Territory for the Poison type to live. Because that island was located in the sea between Fireview and Shadowlost, the acidic sea made the atmosphere, terrain and climate of that island to become extremely hazardous to most Pokemon, but also made it a perfect place for Poison type Pokemon. Thus, the Poison type Pokemon then inhabited that island, and the island was called the Venom Island. Also, Venom Island is the biggest island of the continent of Symmetria, with the Riverbrine Island of Queendom of Riverbrine being in the second place."

"Okay…" Rachael said. "Well… I feel good that the Poison type Pokemon were getting a new home to live at the end…"

"…Only for the time being…" Richard said. "However… 17 years ago, the flame of war had been ignited again on the continent of Symmetria, and the igniter of this flame of war was none other than the nation of flame and stone, Fireview Kingdom."

"What?!" Rachael said. "Fireview Kingdom was the nation that started the Bloodmoon War?!"

"Right." Richard said. "I don't know why did Fireview Kingdom decide to start a war, but their first target was the newly-founded Shadowlost Territory, maybe because they thought that the newly-founded nation would be an easy target for them."

"Oh…" Rachael said.

"However, Fireview Kingdom and Shadowlost Territory do not share any land border, as they were separated by the Queendom of Riverbrine. So, the only way for Fireview Kingdom to invade Shadowlost Territory was by ship." Richard said. "And… The first stop of their invasion was none other than the island west of Shadowlost Territory, the Venom Island."

"Oh!" Rachael said. "T…Then… The Poison type Pokemon…"

"…They couldn't stand a chance against a mighty army of Fireview Kingdom…" Richard shook his head. "A war quickly turned into a massacre… Everyone on Venom Island who couldn't evacuate in time was killed brutally by the Pokemon of Fireview Kingdom. They said that the spilled blood of Venom Island's Pokemon was so much that it tainted the moon and turned it blood red. This is why this war is called the Bloodmoon War."

"So cruel…" Rachael said. "I never have any love for a battle, let alone a massacre. Massacre is such a sad and cruel word… I hope that I will not have to experience any massacre in my life…"

"…After the Massacre of Venom Island, Fireview Kingdom continued their invasion to the mainland Shadowlost Territory…" Richard continued the story. "The Shadowlost Territory, knowing that they couldn't win a war against the army of Fireview Kingdom, sent a words for help to Queendom of Riverbrine, which was Shadowlost's main ally, thus dragged the Queendom of Riverbrine into the Bloodmoon War…"

"Oh…" Rachael said.

"With the help of Queendom of Riverbrine, the tide of war was turned to favor the united army of Shadowlost and Riverbrine…" Richard said. "However, the tide of battle changed again when Queendom of Riverbrine was caught in a surprise attack from Republic of Civilight."

"Civilight too?!" Rachael said. "But… Why?"

"Yes. It was quite a shock that Civilight was involved in this war too, as the Republic of Civilight normally didn't involve themselves in other nations' affair. However, at that time, the reason of Civilight's action was unknown, but what was known was that Civilight had sided with Fireview against Shadowlost and Riverbrine, and the battle had become even as both armies were as strong as each other…"

"Then, what happened next?" Rachael asked.

"Shadowlost and Riverbrine wished to end the war as soon as possible so no one would suffer any more casualties, but with no hope to see the end of the war, they decided to ask for the help of Principality of Leafburg." Richard said.

"They even dragged Leafburg into the war too?!" Rachael said.

"That's not even the worst part…" Richard said. "Fireview and Civilight, on the other hand, wished to end the war with the victory on their side, but with no hope of triumphing over the army of Shadowlost and Riverbrine, they decided to ask for the help of… Dustorm Empire."

"WHAT?!" Rachael said again.

"Yes… Dragging the nation with the most powerful army into the war was a very BAD idea…" Richard said. "However, dragging Dustorm Empire into the Bloodmoon War had caused the most impact on the last nation of Symmetria, the Theocracy of Venturnome."

"Don't tell me that they would involve Venturnome in this war too?!" Rachael asked.

"…With six nations of Symmetria at war, it would be inevitable for Venturnome not to involve itself with this war…" Richard said. "However, the question was, which side would Venturnome side with?"

"Um…" Rachael mumbled.

"Other than Dustorm, Venturnome is another most powerful nation on the continent of Symmetria. So… If Venturnome sided with Shadowlost, Riverbrine and Leafburg, it would result in a clash between two most powerful nations on Symmetria… If you couldn't imagine of what would happen, think of the War over the Windsky Plateau." Richard said. "Plus, the Pontifex of Venturnome is the brother of the Emperor of Dustorm…"

"That would be terrible…" Rachael said.

"It would be worst if Venturnome sided with Fireview, Civilight and Dustorm…" Richard said. "With two most powerful nations on the same side, it would surely result in the total destruction of Shadowlost, Riverbrine and Leafburg. Also, Venturnome and Leafburg are very close to each other…"

"That's true!" Rachael said. "Venturnome and Leafburg have a deep diplomatic relation with each other as both nations shared a very similar culture with each other, making both nations very close to each other."

"See? No matter which side Venturnome chooses, the result of the war would be a total catastrophe." Richard said.

"Then…" Rachael said. "How did the war end?"

"…Would you be surprised if I told you that the Bloodmoon War ended without any reason?" Richard asked.

"What?!" Rachael said. "How could something like that even possible?!"

"But it was true." Richard said. "The Bloodmoon War that had been occurring for 4 years suddenly ended without any reason. Fireview Kingdom cancelled their invasion of Shadowlost, and every other nation returned to their land."

"I don't understand this!" Rachael said. "There must be something behind this!"

"I wish I knew…" Richard said. "However, after the Bloodmoon War, most nations suffered from the flame of war. The nation that suffered most from the Bloodmoon War, surprisingly, was the Republic of Civilight."

"Civilight?!" Rachael said. "Why Civilight?! Shouldn't it be Fireview or Shadowlost?!"

"It was later revealed that, the one who started this war wasn't Fireview, but was Civilight." Richard said. "It was Civilight who manipulated Fireview to invade Shadowlost to find more resource for their nation. You know… Fireview Kingdom is famous for its mining, mineral and ore. However, Civilight planned to take Fireview's abundant resource for their own usage, so they persuaded Fireview to start a war with Shadowlost to expand their territory in order to find more resource. Realizing this at last, all nations of Symmetria, including its former allies such as Fireview Kingdom, boycotted the Republic Civilight. This caused a great impact for Civilight as they didn't only suffer from the war, but they were also boycotted by other nations of Symmetria. This would later lead to the fourth war of Symmetria, the Civilusion War."

"So… That's how the Civilusion War started…" Rachael said.

"And this is the end of today's lesson." Richard said.

"Whew! Bloodmoon War is sure to be the cruelest war of Symmetria…" Rachael commented. "At least it didn't have anything to do with the War over the Windsky Plateau, right?"

"…While there's no record of Bloodmoon War's involvement with the War over the Windsky Plateau, I felt like the Bloodmoon War would have something to do with the fifth war of Symmetria…" Richard said. "But it's just my sentiment. It may be true… or not…"

"I see…" Rachael said. "But I still couldn't believe how the Bloodmoon War ended! It's too unbelievable for me."

"And for me too…" Richard said. "Someday, I will discover the truth about this… But for now… Let's give a welcome to our friend here…"

Richard pointed his paw at someone who was approaching them. That Pokemon was none other than the Garchomp named Zetarus.

"Zetarus! Thanks goodness…" Rachael said as Zetarus walked up to them. "Where have you been? We were so worried about you!"

"Well… I was trying to find Diego." Zetarus said. "But I think that he hasn't come back from his trip to Fireview Volcano yet…"

"Then, what should we do next?" Rachael asked.

"…Nah, he would be fine." Zetarus said.

"Are you sure?" Rachael asked.

"Diego is strong. He won't die that easy. And I trust that he would succeed in his trial." Zetarus said.

"Okay…" Rachael said.

"Moreover…" Zetarus said and looked at Rachael and Richard with a serious face. "I am too hungry to do anything else. Rachael, did you spare me dinner?"

"Er… O…Of course!" Rachael said before she started preparing dinner for Zetarus.

"Oh…" Richard facepalmed himself.

* * *

 **-Meanwhile… At a Cabin on Fireview Volcano…**

"…" Leonel was sitting alone in his private quarter. Because it's night time, the only sources of light in his room were two candles beside him and a flame on his tail. Not counting the sound of burning flame on both candles, the room was enveloped in a complete silence as Leonel didn't say or do anything. He just sat down on the cushion on the floor silently. It seemed like he was either meditating or praying for the God of Volcano.

Soon, the silence was broken when the door of the room was opened by another Charizard in a red armor suit. He then walked into the room and sat down on the cushion behind Leonel.

"…So, you came…" Leonel slowly opened his eyes and turned back to face Diego. "I was expecting you, Diego Pyrotorch the Charizard."

"What do you want with me?" Diego asked with his arms crossed. "Out with it. I don't have the whole night for you."

"…Before we talked, could you take off your armor?" Leonel asked. "I want to see your face clearly."

"…Fine." Diego said and started removing his armor pieces, one by one, until his body was covered with nothing but his own skin. He then removed the last piece of his armor suit, which was his helmet, and revealed his face to the Volcano Guardian.

"…" Leonel said nothing after he clearly saw Diego's face and body. He then stared at Diego for a few minutes until Diego spoke up.

"W...What are you going to do next?" Diego asked.

"…Next, I will need to ask you a few questions…" Leonel answered. "Could you tell me your origin?"

"…No." Diego gave a short and blunt answer.

"I figured that you would still stand on this answer…" Leonel said. "Then, at least, could you tell me about your family? Who is your father? Mother? Do you have any sibling?"

"I don't have a family." Diego answered. However, he had a strange feeling in his heart about his answer. "I don't have any father, mother and sibling, and I will never have one, no matter what happen…"

"…Very well…" Leonel said and picked something that was beside him up. It was a small jar that contained something inside. The Volcano Guardian then opened the jar, revealing an orange liquid inside the jar. "Let me tell you a story… It's a story about a tragic fate that will never come true…"

As he spoke, Leonel dipped his claw into the orange liquid in the jar and started using it to paint Diego's body!

"H….Hey!" Diego said as Leonel started painting his body using his claws and the orange liquid in the jar. "W…What are you doing?!"

"The story started with a young man and a young woman…" Instead of answering Diego's question, Leonel continued painting Diego's body and started telling his story instead. "They were brought to meet each other by a tide of fate, and they immediately fell in love with each other… They would often find a time for their secret meeting, although short, but full with happiness…"

"S…Stop it…" Diego said as Leonel continued painting his body, but he didn't bother trying to stop Leonel from painting his body by force or action.

"However, no matter how much they loved each other, their love couldn't go on…" Leonel said. "There was something that made their love impossible; something that separated them from each other. It was the great wall of destiny; too tall to climb, too wide to avoid, and too sturdy to break. Despite knowing that their love was forbidden to become true, they still couldn't bear to live their life apart of each other, so they still continued to meet each other in a secret meeting…"

"…" Diego gave up trying to tell Leonel not to paint his body.

"At last, the day that they both prayed that it would never come had arrived…" Leonel said. "Despite knowing the fate just beyond them, they still couldn't tear themselves from each other. The power of love was too strong for them to be broken with their own hands. So, they decided to have their last meeting with each other in the night of Newmoon, and they decided that they would use their last time together by…passing a night together…"

"…" Diego said nothing as Leonel continued painting his body, as well as his face.

"At last, the morning had arrived…" Leonel said. "However, after waking up together, they found that their last night together had yielded them… two Pokemon Eggs…"

"Two… Pokemon Eggs?" Diego said.

"So, as a memento of each other, both of them took each Pokemon Eggs with them as they were parted from each other. The young woman then returned back to her life, while the young man returned to continue his duty. The young man, however, tried his hardest to raise his child, who was born from the Pokemon Egg that was taken as a memento of the woman whom he held dear, in the place of his father and his mother, whom he has never met, and he also raised his child to be the one who will one day succeed his legacy too. However, he still couldn't stop thinking of his beloved woman, as well as his other child…"

Leonel's story ended at the same time Leonel finished painting Diego's face. He then breathed a flame from his mouth to cloak Diego's body. The flame, however, didn't hurt Diego even a bit, and it soon disappeared without any trace. Right now, Diego's body and face were covered with many tattoos that resembled the tribal marks. His tattoos, however, was identical to the tattoos on Leonel and Dinus' body and face.

"…This is what I can do for you…" Leonel said as he put the jar that contained the orange liquid he used for painting Diego's body down. "I am sorry that I haven't done much for you, Diego."

"…" Diego didn't say anything. He just looked at his body, which was now covered with many tattoos. His tattoos also covered the faint mark that was branded on him when he was a gladiator, making it now impossible to see his gladiator mark!

"…And…" Leonel continued speaking. "…Dinus, why don't you come in too?"

"!" The door of Leonel's room opened, and Dinus walked into the room. It seemed like he had been eavesdropping Leonel and Diego for some time.

"Father…" Dinus said as he entered the room. "That story you had just told… Is it…"

"Yes, you are right, Dinus. I am sorry that I haven't told you sooner…" Leonel said and looked at Dinus, and then he shifted his eyes to Diego, and a faint smile appeared on his face.

"?"

"!"

Dinus and Diego looked at each other and were surprised by the other's appearance. Because, without armor suit covered his body as well as with his tattoos, Diego and Dinus looked identical to each other! The only thing that they were different from each other was the color of their tattoos. While Diego's tattoos were orange, Dinus' tattoos were blue instead. Both young Charizard then looked at the matured Charizard, whose body was covered with white tattoos.

"Father…" Dinus turned his attention to Leonel. "Does this mean…"

"…It's getting late, Dinus." Leonel said. "Why don't you go to bed? Do not forget that we have an important ceremony to perform tomorrow."

"Oh, I forgot about this…" Dinus said. "It's the Flame Blessing Ceremony, right?"

"Flame Blessing Ceremony?" Diego asked.

"It's the ceremony that would be performed for the crown prince of Fireview Kingdom five days before the Coronation Day." Leonel explained. "Tomorrow, the members of Fireview Royal Family will come here to receive the bless from the God of Volcano, and I, the Volcano Guardian, shall be the one who would perform this ceremony…"

"!" Diego was shocked after he heard the explanation from Leonel.

"The site of this ceremony is the peak of the sacred volcano of Fireview, which is the place where we will be closest to the heart of the God of Volcano." Leonel continued explaining. "And now, I need to go to the peak of Fireview Volcano to prepare for tomorrow's ceremony."

"Do you want me to go and help you too, father?" Dinus asked.

"Not necessary." Leonel said. "You should take a rest by now. And you, Diego…"

"?" Diego turned his attention to Leonel.

"…If you don't mine, why don't you stay here for a night?" Leonel said.

"…I don't really have much time for this." Diego said.

"Just one night is fine." Leonel said. "And I will let you do as you please after tonight…"

"…Fine." Diego said and started putting his armor pieces on his body until his body was covered in the armor suit once again, but the orange tattoos on his body were still visible.

"Then, Diego, you can stay with Dinus." Leonel said after Diego had already put on his armor suit.

"W…What?!" Dinus said.

"And now, I shall take my leave…" Leonel said as he walked up to the door and exited his private quarter, leaving Dinus and Diego here…

"Geez…" Dinus grumbled and looked at Diego. "Why do I have to share my room with you tonight?"

"Hm! You spoke as if I want to!" Diego said.

"Whatever!" Dinus said. "However, if you want to stay with me tonight, you will have to tell me EVERYTHING about you."

"…Everything?" Diego looked at Dinus.

"I just really want to know more about you, Diego." Dinus said. "After all, despite everything, we barely know about each other, so I want to take this opportunity to learn more about you."

"…Fine." Diego said. "But you will have to tell me about you too, okay?"

"I doubt I would have much to tell you compare to what you have to tell me…" Dinus said. "But we'll see…"

* * *

 **-Meanwhile…**

 _"…I knew that I would find you here, the Volcano Guardian…"_

 _"Oh… It's you. I haven't seen you for the longest time… When was the last time we met each other?"_

 _"I didn't come here for a reminiscent. I come here because I need to talk to you about…her."_

 _"Her? Did you mean—"_

 _"Yes, the forlorn princess of Riverbrine."_

 _"Now that I think about it…. She is your daughter, right?"_

 _"…"_

 _"And Chronos… It was you who brought him here 17 years ago and asked me to take care of him…"_

 _"I did this to keep him safe from the tyrant queen of Riverbrine who was corrupted by the lust of power. If I didn't do it, she wouldn't hesitate to slay him without any regard that he is her son, as well as Misvale's twin brother."_

 _"So… You still haven't forgiven her, have you?"_

 _"No, I already forgave her… After she atoned for her sin with her death…"_

 _"I see… So it was you…"_

 _"Without her, Chronos and Misvale would only have each other…"_

 _"What about you? Aren't you their father?"_

 _"I don't have any right to meet them. I will just let them go without knowing anything about me…"_

 _"…Are you going to let them know that they share the same blood with each other?"_

 _"It's not necessary. Both of them have already known this."_

 _"Are you sure?"_

 _"It's a feeling of bond, Leonel. Haven't you felt it too? A feeling that knows that someone whom you have just met for the first time in your life is actually someone who carries your blood in their veins…"_

 _"…Well spoken, my scalie friend… But then, what brought you here to me today?"_

 _"I come here because it's the time for me to cease my role as the Hero of Rock type. I come here to pass my power to Chronos."_

 _"…I see… This would mean that I will have to lose one more friend whom I shared my joy and pain with 20 years ago…"_

 _"You know nothing, Leonel. Right now, you are among the last of us. Joshua, Ellisk, Magnus, Nyxier, Kamui and Sharon are already dead, as well as the White Bard…"_

 _"…Other than Nyxier, are you the one behind others' death?"_

 _"…Let's just say that it wasn't only Nyxier whom I had killed…"_

 _"…"_

 _"Anyway, it's the time… Allow me a moment…"_

 _"…"_

 _"…"_

 _"…"_

 _"…Done… And now, I am free from the Blood of legend that bound my life…"_

 _"And yet you passed on the burden to your own son…"_

 _"Also, Leonel, I need you to give this to Chronos…"_

 _"Hm? Isn't this…"_

 _"Yes… It's the personal weapon of the Hero of Rock type…"_

 _"But I remembered that your weapon as the Hero of Rock type wasn't this…"_

 _"Don't forget that the Sacred Weapon of the Hero/ine of Legend will change their shape to match the current Hero/ine of Legend's nature. Because the power of the Hero of Rock type right now belays with Chronos, not me, so this weapon changes their shape into the Citrine Hammer…"_

 _"I see… Very well… I will make sure to give it to Chronos… However, I will just place it beside him after he fell asleep and let him take it when he wakes up, so I will not have to answer his question of how did I get this."_

 _"And now… It's time for me to go…"_

 _"Where are you going? Don't tell me that you are going to kill more of us?"_

 _"…14 Hero/ine of Legend who saved Symmetria from the Fallen Crisis… It was already 30 years… However… Right now, most of them are corrupted by the twisted energy of the chaos… And they will start plaguing the realm with their corruption… So… In order to clean the realm for our corruption, someone must take care of this job, no matter how painful it is…"_

 _"…"_

 _"And now… Among us, the remaining are Rucas, Zira, Fenrir, Garland, Iris, you… And I… I will need to continue my work of killing them all… And this also includes you, Leonel… One day, it will be your turn for the atonement…"_

 _"Fate is surely cruel, isn't it? I know that no one could escape the atonement, not even I. However, I'd prefer to let someone else make the atonement for me… And that someone isn't you, of course…"_

 _"…"_

 _"Don't worry about it. The time for my atonement is just right before me. It won't be long before it's time for this old flame to be purged from his sin…"_

 _"…Very well…"_

 _"What about you? When will the time for your atonement come?"_

 _"…It won't come after the time of everyone else's atonement…"_

 _"I see…"_

 _"Farewell, Leonel. I don't think we would have another chance for a talk like this in our life…"_

 _"The thought is also mine, my friend. Farewell, Tyrus. May the God of Volcano guide your path."_

 **To Be Continued…**

* * *

 **Dragon of Vale: I think this is my favorite chapter of the fifth tail, as it has some of the most memorable scenes in this story. (At least, for me…) Also, the content of this chapter is VERY important… Not just for the fifth tail, but for the whole story…**


	47. Tail 5-7: Fighting Fire with Fire

**A Dragon's Tail**

 **Tail 5: Diego's Tail - Reprisal**

 **Tail 5-7: Fighting Fire with Fire**

 **-The Next Day…**

Today was five days before the Prince Apollo's Coronation Day. It was also the day of Flame Blessing Ceremony, a ceremony where the crown prince, as well as the members of Fireview Royal Family, will pay a visit to the sacred volcano of Fireview and received a bless from the God of Volcano in the name of the next king of Fireview Kingdom. And the one who will perform this ceremony was none other than the Volcano Guardian himself…

And now, the royal family of Fireview Kingdom was on their way to the peak of Fireview Volcano. Because this ceremony was considered to be a sacred ceremony by everyone in the nation of flame and stone, the only one who was allowed to join the ceremony was the members of Fireview royal family, as well as the Volcano Guardian and his disciples…

"Oh… Such a grandiose and majestic volcano…"

The one who spoke up was an old Pyroar who led the Fireview Royal Family as they climbed the Fireview Volcano. He was none other than the current king of Fireview Kingdom, King Leonardo Inferoar the Pyroar.

"Your majesty, are you alright?" A matured female Pyroar who stood beside King Leonardo asked with a worried voice.

"I will be fine, Olivia." King Leonardo said as he turned his attention to his only descendant, Princess Olivia Inferoar the Pyroar.

"But it had been such a long time since the last time you had come to this volcano…" Princess Olivia said uncertainly. "I think you should stay back at the Palace of Flame instead."

"That won't do, Olivia." King Leonardo said. "The Flame Blessing Ceremony is an important ceremony for Apollo's Coronation. As a king of Fireview Kingdom, it's crucial for me to join this ceremony too, no matter what."

"But—" Princess Olivia tried to say something, but her words were cut off by an Arcanine who was walking by her side.

"Olivia, you worry too much about your majesty…" The Arcanine spoke up. "I am sure that he would be fine. After all, he had ruled over the nation of flame and stone for 30 years anyway…"

"…Yes, you are right, Orion." Princess Olivia said after she heard the words from her husband, Regent Orion Flararcane the Arcanine. "I am sorry, your majesty."

"I am glad that you understand…" King Leonardo said and turned his attention to two other Pokemon in the group, who were a pair of Pyroar twin, one male and one female. "How about both of you, Apollo and Artemis? Are you alright?"

"We are fine, your majesty…" Princess Artemis answered. "I have been here quite a few times already…"

"And I always come here to pay a visit to the Volcano Guardian too." Prince Apollo said. "Plus, as the future king of Fireview Kingdom, I must not let this little obstacle hinder my path."

"Good words, my grandchildren…" King Leonardo said before he noticed a cabin not too far from them. "Ah! That must be the Volcano Guardian's place… It had been several years since the last time I paid a visit to him…"

A group of five Fireview Royals slowly approached the cabin of the Volcano Guardian, and then they saw someone standing in front of the cabin. It was a young Charizard covered with blue tattoos.

"Greeting, your majesty." A Charizard bowed down to the royal family of Fireview Kingdom. "My name is Dinus Novaflare the Charizard. I am the disciple of the Volcano Guardian."

"Ah… You must be the son of Volcano Guardian…" King Leonardo said. "You look exactly like your father when he was younger…"

"Good morning, Dinus." Princess Apollo greeted. "I am glad to see you here."

"Me too…" Princess Artemis said. "And good day to you, Dinus."

"The pleasure is all mine, Prince Apollo and Princess Artemis." Dinus said and bowed down.

"…" Unlike King Leonardo, Prince Apollo and Princess Artemis, Princess Olivia didn't say anything after she saw Dinus. All she did was avoiding eye contact with the young Charizard.

"!" Unlike the rest of Fireview Royal Family, Regent Orion seemed to be shocked as he saw Dinus. A glimmer of anger suddenly appeared on his face for a blink before his face returned to its ordinary expression.

"How's Chronos, Dinus?" Prince Apollo asked. "I don't see him around here. Is he with the Volcano Guardian?"

"No. He won't be able to join our ceremony today." Dinus said. "He has something important to do today, so he won't be able to join today's ceremony. He, however, sent his words of apologizing to you."

"It's too bad, Dinus." Prince Apollo said. "But don't worry about it. I am fine with him."

"Then, let's go, everyone." Dinus said and pointed his paw to a path that would lead to the summit of Fireview Volcano. "The Volcano Guardian is already there. Let's not waste anymore time."

After he finished speaking, Dinus led King Leonardo, Princess Olivia, Princess Artemis, Prince Apollo and Regetn Orion to the path that would lead them to the peak of Fireview Volcano. However, as they continued their walk, Regent Orion started mumbling something to himself.

"It can't be… This guy…" Regent Orion mumbled. "But… It's impossible… How could he… and that guy…"

* * *

 **-A Few Minutes Later… On the Summit of Fireview Volcano…**

The summit of Fireview Volcano was a very small plateau with a large crater that opened to the pit of Fireview Volcano. One could see the boiling magma down below from this crater. And… If someone fell down into this crater, they would surely be burned alive by the boiling magma below…

"I have brought them here, the great Volcano Guardian…"

Dinus' voice turned the attention of the a matured Charizard as he brought the Fireview Royal Family to the summit of Fireview Volcano. The Volcano Guardian was none other than Leonel. He was standing at an altar near the crater of Fireview Volcano. The summit of Fireview Volcano was decorated with many ancient tribal trinkets such as several torches on the ground, many holy threads that were stretched around the summit, and the altar of the volcano, which was where the ceremony would be performed…

"Good morning, the great Volcano Guardian." King Leonardo greeted as everyone in the Fireview Royal Family had already reached the summit of Fireview Volcano. "It has been the longest time since the last time I paid my visit to you. I am sorry that I couldn't visit you sooner…"

"Your consideration is such a great honor for me…" Leonel bowed down to the king of Fireview before he turned his attention to the twin royal of Fireview. "Good day, Prince Apollo and Princess Artemis."

"Good day, the great Volcano Guardian…" Prince Apollo and Princess Artemis said.

"I hope that you are prepared for our ceremony, especially you, Prince Apollo…" Leonel said.

"Of course, the great Volcano Guardian…" Prince Apollo said. "I will do my best for today's ceremony…"

Leonel nodded to Prince Apollo's answer, and then Regent Orion walked up to him.

"Greeting, the Volcano Guardian." Regent Orion spoke up. "I think that we haven't met each other before. My name is Orion Flararcane the Arcanine. I am currently working as the regent of Fireview Kingdom. I am also the father of Prince Apollo and Princess Artemis…"

"…I see…" Leonel said before he shook his paw with Regent Orion. "My name is Leonel Novaflare the Charizard. The pleasure of our meeting today is all mine…"

While Leonel and Regent Orion were shaking their paws with each other, Princess Olivia decided to approach them.

"…Greeting to you, the great Volcano Guardian." Princess Olivia spoke up. "…It has been 21 years since the last time we met…"

"…Greeting to you too, Princess Olivia…" Leonel bowed to the princess of Fireview before he turned his attention to the crown prince of Fireview. "Well then, Prince Apollo, I shall briefly explain what you need to do again. First, I shall stand at the altar and call upon the God of Volcano. All you must do is standing in the middle of this summit, following my words, and receiving the bless from the God of Volcano. When the blessing ended, so do the Flame Blessing Ceremony."

"Yes, the great Volcano Guardian." Prince Apollo said.

Leonel nodded to Prince Apollo's words before he started walking toward the altar of the volcano. As Leonel did that, Prince Apollo stood in the middle of the summit, and other members of Fireview Royal Family, including Dinus, stepped away from Prince Apollo to witness the Flame Blessing Ceremony.

However, none of Fireview Royal Family knew that there weren't 7 Pokemon on this summit, but 8…

* * *

 **-Meanwhile…**

"Grrrrr…..!"

Diego had to use all of his willpower to restrain himself from going out of his hiding place and killed everyone in the Fireview Royal Family right now.

Up until now, Diego was hiding nearby at the summit of Fireview Volcano. From his hiding place, none would be able to see him here, but he could see all of them clearly.

'No… This is not the time…' Diego thought to himself. It was because, last night, he had learned from Dinus about what would happen during the ceremony, so he had created a perfect plan to get his revenge.

Diego continued hiding silently as Leonel stood at the altar of the volcano and said something that he didn't understand. It seemed like Leonel was communicating with the God of Volcano…

"…" Leonel chanted words that no one could understand as he reached his paw toward to the crater of Fireview Volcano. As he continued the ceremony, everyone could see that the boiling magma below the crater of Fireview Volcano had become more and more vicious, and the sunlight from the sky above had become brighter and brighter…

At last… It had been a few minutes since Leonel started the ceremony. Right now, the magma in Fireview Volcano Crater had created several magma geysers that started rising from the pit below the summit above! When he saw this, Leonel turned his attention to Prince Apollo.

"It's about time, Prince Apollo." Leonel said as he stepped away from the altar. "Please step onto the altar and received the bless from the God of Volcano…"

Prince Apollo nodded to Leonel's words as he slowly walked up to the altar of the volcano and stepped onto it.

"Very well, then… Let the ceremony continues…" Leonel said as he turned his attention back to crater of Fireview Volcano and continued chanting.

'Just a bit more…' Diego thought to himself. 'According to Dinus, during this part, there would be a ray of sunlight from the sky above down onto the heir to the throne of Fireview Kingdom… At this part, Prince Apollo would be most vulnerable… And this will be my chance…"

"…" Leonel continued chanting, and Prince Apollo was standing at the altar of the volcano, ready to receive the bless from the God of Volcano…

And then…

"!" Everyone was surprised as they suddenly saw a ray of sunlight from the sky above gradually shined down to the summit of Fireview Volcano!

"T…That must be…" Princess Artemis mumbled.

"Right. It's the bless of the God of Volcano." King Leonardo said. "It will shine onto the rightful heir to the throne of Fireview Kingdom. In this case, it was Apollo, the eldest prince of Fireview Kingdom."

Everyone turned their attention as the ray of sunlight gradually shined from the sky above onto the altar of the volcano down below. It was the moment that everyone was looking forward too… Including Diego.

'There…!' Diego started to get impatient as he saw the ray of sunlight shining down below. 'Just a bit more…'

* * *

 _It was the moment that everyone was looking forward to…_

 _The memorable moment… Of Fireview Kingdom…_

 _However…_

 _None of them would have any idea that things will not end up as they hoped for…_

 _When…_

* * *

"!"

The ray of sunlight, which was the bless from the God of Volcano, didn't shine onto the crown prince of Fireview Kingdom! Instead of the ray of sunlight being shined onto Prince Apollo's body, it shined onto the body of someone else!

"W….What's this?!" Everyone said as the bless from the God of Volcano didn't shine onto Prince Apollo's body. Instead, it shined onto someone who was hiding around there instead!

"WHAT THE FXXK?!" Diego said as the ray of sunlight from the sky shined onto his body instead of Prince Apollo's body! Moreover, this would mean…

"Y…You there!" Regent Orion roared as he looked at where Diego was hiding. "Who are you?! Show yourself!"

"…" Diego didn't say anything, but since he didn't know a better choice, he decided to show himself up. His appearance shocked everyone on the summit of Fireview Volcano, especially Prince Apollo, Regent Orion and Princess Olivia! It seemed like they…

"Y…YOU!" Regent Orion roared as he realized who this Charizard was. "You were that gladiator who—"

"Hehehe… Long time no see… Regent Orion…" Diego spoke maniacally as he appeared from his hiding place. "I hope that you are well-prepared for your death today…"

"My death? Huh? Don't be absurd…" Regent Orion said. "I let you go once, and I did not plan to let you go twice!"

"The owner of those words should be mine…" Diego said as he picked up his Bronze Naginata. "Regent Orion, I challenge you to a duel to the death!"

"W…What is this?!" Prince Apollo and Princess Artemis said.

"Oh, don't worry about this, dear prince and princesses…" Diego said. "Once I finish with this guy, you two will be my next targets…"

"I see…" Regent Orion said asked he drew out a sword. "In order to protect everyone in Fireview Royal Family, I, Regent Orion Flararcane, accept your challenge!"

"W…Wait!" Princess Olivia tried to protest her husband not to get into a fight, but Regent Orion and Diego had already gotten into their offensive stance, preparing to attack each other!

But then…

"Hold on, both of you!"

An old but powerful voice turned the attention of both Regent Orion and Diego into the owner of the voice. It was none other than King Leonardo Inferoar the Pyroar!

"King Leonardo?!" Everyone said.

"What do you think both of you are doing?!" King Leonardo said. "We are in the middle of a sacred Flame Blessing Ceremony! How dare both of you interrupt the sacred ceremony with your duel?!"

"Forgive my impudence, your majesty…" Regent Orion spoke up. "But take a look at this filthy gladiator, the very same creature who tried to kill the crown prince several months ago at the arena! Not only that, but he also stole the bless of the almighty God of Volcano!"

King Leonardo turned his attention to Leonel, who was standing silently not too far from them. "The Volcano Guardian, what's the meaning of this? Can you explain how could something like this happen? Can you tell me how could this gladiator steal the bless of the God of Volcano?"

"…The bless of the God of Volcano couldn't be stolen…" Leonel answered. "There's no way for one to steal the bless from the almighty God of Volcano."

"Then, explain the thing that's happening right here!" King Leonardo said.

"…There is only one explanation to this situation…" Leonel said. "The bless from the God of Volcano will only be given to only one person, and that person is the rightful heir to the throne of Fireview Kingdom…"

"!" Everyone's attention was at Leonel.

"According to the Royal Rule of Fireview Kingdom, the rightful heir to the throne of Fireview Kingdom is the eldest prince either born to the current king or, if the current king doesn't have any male descendant, the current king's female descendant…" Leonel said.

"Then…" Everyone turned their attention to Diego, who still was shined by the bless of the God of Volcano.

"…He is the true eldest prince of the Fireview Kingdom…" Leonel explained. "…As well as the true rightful throne to the Fireview Kingdom."

* * *

Everyone was shocked by the conclusion from the Volcano Guardian. It was something that none of them didn't expect before!

"M…Me? P…Prince?! H…Heir to the throne of Fireview?!" Diego said. "W…What are you talking about?!"

"That's right!" King Leonardo said. "I demand the explanation of this!"

"Then… Allow me…"

Regent Orion spoke up, turning the attention of everyone to him.

"O…Orion?!" Princess Olivia spoke up.

"It started 21 years ago… When I was engaged with Princess Olivia…" Regent Orion spoke up and turned his attention to his wife. "Olivia, did you remember what happened just before you were engaged with me?"

"I…I…" Princess Olivia said.

"Despite being engaged with me, you didn't have any love for me…" Regent Orion said. "Moreover... Despite having me as your fiancé, your heart did belong to someone else!"

"Orion!" Princess Olivia started crying.

"That's not even the worst part…" Regent Orion continued his story. "Even in the end, you had to part with that 'someone' whom you loved so dearly, but what was left with you was a Pokemon Egg of a Pokemon born from you and that man!"

"!" Everyone was shocked after listening to the revelation from Regent Orion.

"However, you couldn't take care of him because it will make everyone knows that you already made love with someone else, instead of me, who is your rightful husband. So, you decided to leave your bastard son in the care of one of your guards and told him to take care of your son in the place of you…" Regent Orion continued his story.

"!" Diego had just realized the rest of his story.

"As soon as I discovered all of this, my heart was filled with rage and grief…" Regent Orion said. "So, I need to take care of that bastard child, as well as the soldier who took care of him. However, if I immediately executed them, everyone will be suspicious of me. So, I branded them as traitors and threw them into the pit of the arena, hoping that they would die soon."

"Y…You!" Diego roared.

"Unfortunately, while that soldier didn't make it, the bastard child survived the life in the arena until right now…" Regent Orion said and turned his attention to Diego. "And you… You are that bastard child of Princess Olivia!

"NO!" Diego roared. He couldn't believe it! He couldn't believe what he had just heard!

"You all may wonder how could I know all of this, right?" Regent Orion spoke up. "It was because I have spies everywhere in this kingdom, so I know everyone. However, I couldn't believe that the bastard child I tried to kill will be right here, at the summit of Fireview Volcano… And the God of Volcano would be able to tell who is the real rightful heir to the throne of Fireview…"

"…" Everyone was still shocked by Regent Orion's unbelievable story.

"…Orion…" Princess Olivia spoke up. "You know all of this… since the start?"

"Yes, my dear Olivia…" Regent Orion said as he turned his attention to his wife. "Do you know how much pain I was forced to endure after knowing that my wife, whom I love to the deepest part of my heart, didn't have any love for me, but had her love for someone else?!"

"I…" Princess Olivia said.

"It was my mistake…" Regent Orion said as he turned his attention to Diego. "I should kill you since when you were just a child! But I let you survive and grow up into a strong dragon, who is now trying to kill me. So… In order to atone for the mistake I have done, I must atone for my sin by killing you right now and right here. So, I shall enter a duel with you. This time, fair and square."

"Hold on a second…" King Leonardo spoke up, which turned everyone's attention to him.

"Father?" Princess Olivia spoke up.

"…There's yet one more question that I need to know…" King Leonardo spoke up. "…If this Charizard right here is the bastard son born to Olivia and another man, then who is this 'another man', as well as the father of this Charizard?"

King Leonardo's question gave a strong impact to Princess Olivia and Regent Orion. Princess Olivia didn't say anything. All she did was just making no eye contact with anyone. Regent Orion, on the other hand, had a crafty smile on his face.

"I think I can explain this too, your majesty…" Regent Orion said. "According to my spies, this Charizard right here wasn't the only bastard child born to Princess Olivia…"

"What?!" King Leonardo, Prince Apollo and Princess Artemis said.

"That night, Princess Olivia didn't give birth to only one, but TWO Pokemon Eggs…" Regent Orion said. "While one of these Pokemon Eggs was in the care of Princess Olivia, who later passed on to one of her soldiers, the other Pokemon Egg was taken by that man, who raised the child born to him and Princess Olivia with his utmost care… As well as planned to make that child the successor of his legacy…"

Regent Orion's words shocked everyone again. This time, everyone was able to grasp what was going on.

"I…It can't be…" Dinus mumbled.

"And that man…" Regent Orion turned his attention to Leonel, who didn't make his eye contact with him. "The great Volcano Guardian, I think you know the rest of this story…"

"…" Leonel didn't say anything. All he did was looking at Diego, Dinus and Princess Olivia…

But then…

"…No."

Another voice turned the attention of everyone to its owner, who was none other than the Charizard who was now receiving the bless from the God of Volcano.

"!" Everyone looked at Diego.

"That guy… The Volcano Guardian…" Diego spoke up. "He… He is not my father."

"What?!" Everyone said.

"I am not the son of any princess…" Diego said. "And I am not the prince of Fireview!"

"W…What did you just say?!" Regent Orion said.

"Didn't you hear what I had just said?!" Diego said. "I say that I am the son of NO ONE! No matter what happen! I am still me! Your story changes nothing! I will never become the prince of Fireview, and will NEVER BE!"

"…Interesting…" Regent Orion said. "The real rightful heir to the throne of Fireview refuses his own heritage… Very well, then… If you do not accept yourself as the prince of Fireview, then, allow me to get rid of you in our duel…"

"Bring it on!" Diego said. "Once I finish with you, I can move your to those two over there…" Diego said and looked at Prince Apollo and Princess Artemis.

"And for me…" Regent Orion said. "Once I finish with you, I will move onto the other Charizard over there…" Regent Orion looked at Dinus, who seemed to be confused of everything that had just happened. "Because, even without you, there's still one more bastard child of Princess Olivia who need to be eliminated… But first, let me eliminate you!"

"Grrr…. YOU FXXXXXG BASTARD!" Diego roared. "I WON'T FORGIVE YOU! I WILL NEVER FORGIVE YOU FOR EVERYTHING YOU HAD DONE TO ME! I SHALL KILL YOU RIGHT NOW AND TEAR YOUR BODY APART! CHARRRRRR!"

* * *

 **-Meanwhile… Somewhere in the Fireview Kingdom…**

"What is Diego doing?!" Rachael asked impatiently. "Why didn't he come back to us yet?!"

"Hm… I think this isn't natural…" Richard said. "I don't think going onto the volcano would take him this long… Something must have happened to him there…"

"W…What?!" Rachael said. "T…Then, s…shouldn't we go and look for him?! He may at the risk of his life right now!"

"… Even if that's true, it's not necessary…" Richard said. "Diego said that it was his business, and he must do it alone."

"But—" Rachael tried to say something, but was interrupted by the Garchomp who was with them too.

"Diego will be fine…" Zetarus said. "He isn't such a weakling. He is strong, maybe even stronger than all of us here. I trust that he would be safe… I trust him…"

"Well… If you say so…" Rachael said.

"Moreover…" Zetarus said. "Why don't we continue gathering more Blancer and Noiria? I am free right now, so I think that I would be able to help both of you."

"Your help would be the most appreciate, Zetarus…" Richard said. "There was a cavern that would lead to an underground pit of Fireview Volcano. This cave was too dark and too dangerous for Rachael and me to go, but with you, I am sure that we could find more Blancer and Noiria."

"Then, let's go." Zetarus said.

"Right behind you!" Rachael and Richard said.

* * *

 **-Meanwhile… On the Summit of Fireview Volcano…**

"AND TAKE THISYOU FXXXXXG BASTARD!"

Diego ferociously attacked Regent Orion with an uppercut strike using his Bronze Naginata, and then slashing him and his unprotected underbelly, giving him a very harsh damage!

"ARRR!" Regent Orion roared in pain as he got a final blow from his opponent. Right now, he was too injured to continue fighting!

"Hm! Weak!" Diego said after the duel between him and Regent Orion had finally ended with his triumph over his opponent.

"Haha… Y…You are s…strong…" Regent Orion said with a shaking voice. He didn't even have enough strength to stand up! "I…I should have k…killed you s…since when…I… have a c…chance…"

"But you did let me go so I could come back and finish my revenge…" Diego said. "And now, I am going to kill you."

"Haha… Do it as you please…" Regent Orion said.

"N…No! Father!" Princess Artemis spoke up. "You can't die now!"

"Right!" Prince Apollo said. "You mustn't die here! Father!"

"Apollo… Artemis… My children…" Regent Orion spoke up. "I am so sorry that I could not be with you any longer… Artemis… I am sorry that I didn't spend very much time with you… Apollo… I am so sorry that I couldn't be with you at your coronation day…"

"Father…" Prince Apollo and Princess Artemis said.

"Your majesty…" Regent Orion turned his attention to King Leonardo. "I am sorry that I am such a failure as a regent of this realm… Especially the part that I allied our nation with Civilight dragged this nation into the Bloodmoon War, resulting in the ruins of our nation… I am so sorry…"

"…" King Leonardo didn't say anything in response.

"And… Olivia…" Regent Orion turned his attention to Princess Olivia, who reluctantly looked at him. "I am sorry for not be able to make you fall in love with me and prevent this tragedy. But… Until my last breath… I will always love you…"

"Orion…" Princess Olivia mumbled.

"Are you finished yet?" Diego said as he pointed his Bronze Naginata at Regent Orion.

"Yes." Regent Orion said. "I am ready for your revenge. But… Before I die, could you please grant me my last request of your name? I want to know the name of the rightful heir to the throne of Fireview, as well as the one who kill me…"

"…No." Diego said. "Why should I do something like that? Moreover, leaving you in the dark will make your death even more miserable."

"I guess that you would say that…" Regent Orion said. "Very well… Do it now. As a regent of Fireview Kingdom, my schedule is quite full. I don't have much time for you…"

"You…" Diego mumbled as he raised his Naginata up. "YOU FXXXXXG BASTARD! CHARRRRRR!"

"SLASH!"

"EAHEA!" Princess Olivia and Princess Artemis cried as they saw Diego slashing his Naginata at Regent Orion's neck, immediately cutting it out from his body!

"Hm! Pathetic…" Diego looked at the now-dead Regent Orion in front of him. "Even at your last moment, I have never seen anyone as pathetic as you…"

"…" Everyone didn't say anything as they looked at Diego. Right now, none of them didn't have any idea what do to next, until…

"…Diego…"

It was Dinus. He slowly approached Diego, who had just killed the regent of Fireview Kingdom.

"What's up, Dinus?"

"So… Your story that you told me last night… And… This is…" Dinus said and looked at the headless corpse of Regent Orion.

"Yes." Diego said. "Now, the flame of vengeance that I have toward this bastard has already been quenched… But… Still…"

Diego turned his attention from the lifeless Regent Orion to the twin royal children of Fireview, Prince Apollo and Princess Artemis. "I still have something I must do with these two…"

"W…Wait!" Princess Artemis said as Diego slowly approached her and her twin brother with a blood-soaked Naginata in his paw. "W…What are you thinking that you are doing?"

"Simple. After I finished my revenge against your father, it's now your turn…" Diego said as he slowly approached the twin Pyroars, preparing for another revenge...

But then…

"STOP!"

A voice echoed through the summit of the Fireview Volcano as the owner of the voice stepped between Diego and the twin royal children. It was none other than Princess Olivia.

"M…Mother?!" Prince Apollo and Princess Artemis said.

"W…What?!" Diego said.

"Please… Don't do it…" Princess Olivia said. "Why did you have to do something like this? You are doing all of this for whose sake?"

"For no one." Diego answered. "Now step away, or I will not assure that you will not end up like your husband over there."

"No…" Princess Olivia said as she slowly approached Diego. "You… My son… I am… so… sorry…"

"!" Diego looked at Princess Olivia. He couldn't believe what he had just heard.

"You too…" Princess Olivia said as she turned her attention to another Charizard who stood behind Diego. "Please… Come here…"

"…" Dinus said nothing as he slowly approached Princess Olivia and stopped beside Diego.

"Ah…" Princess Olivia said as she looked at Dinus, and then looked at Diego. "Both of you… You are really my children…"

"…" Diego and Dinus said nothing in response.

"I am so sorry that I have caused you two so much pain…" Princess Olivia said. "I shouldn't do these terrible things to you… I am so sorry that I failed you as a mother…"

"…" Diego and Dinus still said nothing in response.

"…Will you… forgive me?" Princess Olivia asked as she looked at Diego and Dinus, hoping to hear their answer.

"…My mother… She is already dead…" Dinus spoke up. "She had already died since the day I was born… Right now, I don't have any mother… All I have is my father…"

"For me, I don't have anyone in my family…" Diego said. "I was born from nothing, and I will stay in the emptiness for the rest of my life."

"!" Princess Olivia looked at Dinus and Diego, as they gave her the answer that she didn't hope for!

"In other words…" Dinus continued speaking. "I don't have anything to forgive you, Princess Olivia."

"And for me, I have my own definition of forgiveness…" Diego said. "I will only give my forgiveness to someone who's worthy of it, not handing it out to everyone like what most Pokemon who claimed to be a forgiving person does."

"I… see…" Princess Olivia said. "Dinus… I am… so grateful for your words… Diego… I have never met someone who definite their meaning of forgiveness likes that… I know why you think like that… Your life must be so painful… So you will have to create your own meaning of forgiveness in your heart in order to protect yourself… Diego, I am sure that your forgiveness will become your strength, not your weakness…"

"…" Dinus and Diego didn't say anything after hearing the words of Princess Olivia… Who was their mother…

And then…

"And now…" King Leonardo spoke up as he approached Dinus and Diego. "Since both of you are, despite being bastard children, truly the grandsons of mine. I must ask both of you… to join us in the Fireview Royal Family."

"WHAT?!" Dinus and Diego were shocked by King Leonardo's words. They couldn't believe what they had just heard from the king of Fireview Kingdom, their grandfather…

"Despite being bastard children of Olivia, it will not change the fact that you two carry the blood of Fireview Royal Family in your veins… Especially you…" King Leonardo said and looked at Diego. "Being the eldest child born to my own descendant, Princess Olivia Inferoar the Pyroar, you are destined to become the next king to the throne of Fireview Kingdom…"

"No." Diego said. "I am not your grandchild, and I am not the prince of Fireview. I will never become the king of Fireview Kingdom."

"But you must." King Leonardo said. "The Royal Rule of Fireview Kingdom clearly states that the eldest child born to either the current king of Fireview or, in the case if the current king of Fireview doesn't have any male descendant, the female descendant of the current king of Fireview."

"…No." Diego shook his head.

"There's no objection, my grandchild." King Leonardo said. "The God of Volcano had already given him his bless. You will become the next king of Fireview Kingdom, no matter what."

"NEVER!" Diego said. "I don't care what your fxxxxxg god is thinking, but I will NEVER become the king of Fireview!"

"WATCH YOUR WORDS, DIEGO!" Dinus said angrily, but Diego didn't listen to him.

"You have no choice, young one." King Leonardo said. "You are destined to become the king of Fireview Kingdom since the day you were born. You will have to accept and follow your fate destined by the almighty God of Volcano!"

"Fate isn't something to be predetermined, old man!" Diego said. "I will make my own fate! And no matter how much you say, I WILL NEVER BECOME THE KING OF FIREVIEW!"

Everyone, including King Leonardo, was shocked by Diego's angry words. They didn't think that Diego would say something like this!

"Now, get this sxxt into your brain…" Diego said. "And just let me go!"

As he finished speaking, Diego turned his back to King Leonardo, Princess Olivia, Prince Apollo and Princess Artemis and was about to walk away from them…

But then…

 _"…I'm afraid that I couldn't let you do something like that..."_

 **To Be Continued…**

* * *

 **Dragon of Vale: A very serious chapter, indeed… So many things have been happening in this chapter, and so many things have been revealed in this chapter too… Very well… Right now, the fifth tail of this story is about to come to the end…**


	48. Tail 5-8: Lionheart Novaflare

**A Dragon's Tail**

 **Tail 5: Diego's Tail - Reprisal**

 **Tail 5-8: Lionheart Novaflare**

A majestic and powerful voice echoed through the summit of Fireview Volcano, making Diego, Dinus, King Leonardo, Princess Olivia, Prince Apollo and Princess Artemis quickly turned their attention to the owner of the voice, who was a Pokemon who stood on the altar of the volcano. The one who spoke earlier was known by the Pokemon of Fireview Kingdom as the Volcano Guardian, Leonel Novaflare the Charizard.

"What are y—" Diego turned back to confront the Volcano Guardian, only to find that…

While his face couldn't be seen right now as he was lowering his head, his appearance was…unnatural First, his body was trembling, not from fear, but from something else… Second, it seemed like his body was covered in… some sort of…holy aura…

"Old man, what is this action?" Diego said. "Are you nut or something?"

"Father?" Dinus spoke up. "What do you mean by that of your words?"

 _"I commanded that both of you couldn't leave."_ Leonel said while still lowering his head. However, like before, the voice of the matured Charizard was majestic and powerful… as if it didn't belong to the Volcano Guardian himself.

"Heh… Fxxk off, old man." Diego said. "Your fxxxxxg words won't have any effect on me."

 _"Foolish mortal..."_ Leonel said before he slowly raised his head, revealing that…

"WTF?!" Diego said after he saw the Volcano Guardian's face. It wasn't his face that shocked him. It was his eyes. Leonel's eyes were glowing with a mysterious golden aura, and his pupils couldn't be seen anywhere in his eyes. It's as if…he was possessed by something!

"Father?! What's wrong with you?!" Dinus said. His expression after seeing the Volcano Guardian was not much different than the other young Charizard beside him.

 _"Halt your insolence, mortal."_ Leonel said. _"I am not the one whom you call 'father'._ "

"WHAT?!" Dinus said. "T…Then, w…who are you?!"

Leonel looked at Dinus and Leonel, and then he gave this answer to them.

 _"I am known by the mortal flesh of burning flame and rigid stone as the almighty protector of their life. I am known as the patron of this sacred volcano of Fireview. I am the almighty being known by the name of the God of Volcano_."

* * *

"The God… of Volcano?!" Everyone at the summit of the Fireview Volcano said with an unbelievable voice, as if because none of them hardly believe in the words they had just heard…

"The God… of Volcano?!" Prince Apollo spoke up.

"…Are you serious, old man?" Diego spoke with his arms crossed. "This isn't a time for your stupid joke."

 _"Insolence!"_ Leonel roared, making the pillars of magma suddenly erupted from the pit of Fireview Volcano below the crater, becoming visible for everyone at the summit!  
"The volcano…" Prince Apollo said as he looked at the pillars of magma. "Is this… the true power of the God of Volcano?"

 _"This is just a fragment of my power, mortal."_ Leonel said.

"But…" Dinus said. "W…What about my fa—the Volcano Guardian? If you are the God of Volcano, then where is he?"

 _"His conscious is right here, within this body of mortal being…"_ Leonel said.

"But—" Before Dinus could say anything else, Leonel spoke up first.

 _"However, because I have to get myself into the mortal affair, I need to find the most suitable vessel for me, which is none other than the one who acted as my voice and my guardian, the dragon with the burning spirit of a lion, Leonel Novaflare the Charizard."_ Leonel, or in the other word, God of Volcano-possessed Leonel, said.

"Mortal… affair?" Diego said.

 _"And that affair is directly involved with you, Diego Novaflare the Charizard."_ The God of Volcano spoke through the voice of Leonel.

"I am not Diego Novaflare the Charizard!" Diego said. "My name is Diego Pyrotorch the Charizard!"

 _"That changes nothing, mortal."_ The God of Volcano said. _"You are the one who carries the blood of the Volcano Guardian, as well as the blood of Fireview Sacred Royal Family, in your veins, thus your destiny was already predetermined since the day you were chosen to ascend from the Afterlife!"_

"Predetermine? What the hell is that word?!" Diego said.

 _"It means that you have no choice in choosing your path of life."_ The God of Volcano said. _"You were destined to be the king of the sacred realm of flame and stone, and you shall be one regardless of what happened in your past!"_

"Why the hell should I listen to your words?!" Diego said. It seemed like he was pissed by the God of Volcano's words.

 _"Because I am the God of Volcano. My words are absolute. Everyone who heeds my command shall do as I say. Both you and your twin brother are also not above my order."_ The God of Volcano said and looked at Diego and Dinus.

"M…Me too?!" Dinus said and looked at his possessed father.

 _"With your twin brother as the king, you shall serve as the guardian of this sacred volcano."_ God of Volcano said. _"This is my order, as your fates are already predetermined!"_

"Never!" Diego said. "I am not a puppet for you to control! I have my own life! I have my own destiny! I shall never listen to your command, and I will never become the KING!:

"…Although I already knew that I would end up as the next Volcano Guardian…" Dinus spoke up. "But your idea of predetermined fate is ABSOLUTELY BXXXXXXT! Everyone has their own choice to make in their life, not to let the tide of fate decide!"

 _"INSOLENCE!"_ The God of Volcano said and (Under the body of Leonel) pointed their paw at Dinus and Diego. _"STOP YOUR ACTIO AND SURRENDER YOURSELF TO MY ORDER, AND I SHALL FORGIVE YOU FOR EVERYTHING SIN YOU HAVE COMMITED!"_

"NEVER!" Diego and Dinus roared out at the same time.

"…It seems like I underestimate the one who possessed the heart of dragon and the heart of lion…" The God of Volcano said. "THEN, I SHALL SHOW YOU WHY EVERYONE RESPECTS ME AS THE ALMIGHTY GOD OF VOLCANO! RAWRRRRRRRR!"

As the God of Volcano spoke, the body of Leonel suddenly grabbed his weapon and got him into the battle stance! It seemed like he was prepared for a battle in the form of the Volcano Guardian!

"It seems like you really want to die." Diego said and equipped his Bronze Naginata. "Dinus, help me fighting this axxxxxe!"

"But he is our father!" Dinus said.

"Father or not, if we don't fight him, he will kill us!" Diego said. "It's killed or be killed!"

"But—" Dinus was about to continue saying something, but Diego got tired of his twin brother and scolded him instead.

"GET YOUR FXXXXXG MIND OF YOUR CONCERN!" Diego concerned. "IF WE DON'T DEFEAT HIM, THE ONE YOU CALLED FATHER WILL BE TRAPPED IN THE CONTROL OF THAT BASTARD FOREVER!"

"…I see…" Dinus said and picked up his spear. "Although I don't like fighting my own father, but if I didn't do it, I am sure that he would suffer more… So, in order to free him, I must turn my spear toward him… Diego, my brother, let's fight together."

"That's the spirit, Dinus." Diego said.

 _"RARAR!"_ Leonel roared and started charging at them!

"WATCH OUT!" Diego said. "HERE HE COMES!"

 **The Volcano Guardian**

 **Leonel Novaflare the Charizard**

Dinus and Diego quickly dodged Leonel's initiative, strike of charging straight at both of them by moving their body left and right respectively from their standing point. However, as both of them were about to move away from Leonel, a ring of fire suddenly appeared and trap both of them inside with Leonel by creating a dome of fire, preventing them from escaping!

"Damn it! They really don't want us to escape!" Dinus said.

"Well… As a gladiator, I wouldn't escape from the battle in the first place…" Diego said and looked at Leonel, who seemed to prepare for another attack!

 _"RAWRRRR!"_ Leonel swung his spear and created a ring of flame and launched it at Diego!

"Not a chance!" Diego slashed the ring of flame that Leonel sent at him to destroy it into several pieces of small ember!

 _"Hm! Not bad!"_ The God of Volcano, under the voice of Leonel, commented. _"However, I expect both of you to do better than that if you want to win against my power and the power of the one who holds the Blood of Legend within their veins."_

"Blood of Legend?" Diego mumbled.

"Right." Dinus nodded. "The Volcano Guardian, Leonel Novaflare the Charizard, is the current Hero of Fire type. And did you see the spear he was holding?"

Dinus and Diego turned their attention to a spear within Leonel's grasp. The long pole of this spear was made from a sturdy wood, and the blade of this spear was glowing red like it was cloaked with burning flame, and if someone touched or was attacked by it, they would get a severe burn as a result.

"That's the Ruby Spear, the personal weapon of the Hero of Fire type." Dinus explained. "Do not get yourself attacked by it or you will be severely burn."

"Are you serious?!" Diego said and looked at the other young Charizard. Dinus, however, didn't have a chance to answer Diego's question as Leonel had started another attack by flying up and created several blades of gust!

 _"Air Slash!"_ Leonel roared and sent several blades of gusts at Dinus and Diego, which both of them didn't have enough time to evade this attack!

"URGH!" Dinus roared as he tried to shield Leonel's Air Slash with his arms, but it proved to be ineffective. "What a power!"

"So, this is the power of the Hero of Legend…" Diego mumbled while using his Naginata to block Leonel's attack. "No wonder why Zetarus lost to his father…"

 _"TAKE THIS! FIRE SPIN!"_ Leonel roared before summoning two spiral rings of fire from under Dinus and Diego's feet!

"What the— URRGGGG!" Dinus and Diego roared as they were trapped in the vortex of fire that Leonel summoned!

"Damn it… Air Slash!" Dinus roared before creating several blades of gust and launched it at Leonel!

 _"FLAMETHROWER!"_ Leonel blocked Dinus' Air Slash by expelling a hot flame from his mouth to create a barrier of fire that effectively blocked the Air Slash attack!

"Damn… He blocked my attack…" Dinus mumbled.

"DRAGON CLAW!" Diego roared as he jumped at Leonel and slashed him with his claws! This attack made Leonel fell down onto the floor again!

 _"You… YOU! RARWWRRRR!"_ Leonel roared. Suddenly, a ray of sunlight that was shining onto Diego's body earlier appeared again. However, this time, it shined onto Leonel's body!

"What's he doing?!" Diego said.

"…Sunlight will boost the fire type attack…" Dinus said. "We will need to be more careful from now on!"

 _"TAKE THIS!"_ Leonel roared and prepared to summon other rings of fire from below where Dinus and Diego were standing again!

"Oh, great…" Diego mumbled.

"Diego, fly now!" Dinus said.

 _"FIRE SPIN!"_ Leonel roared at the same time that two spiral rings of fire erupting from where Dinus and Diego were standing. Luckily, this time, both Charizard managed to avoid this attack by flying up!

"Geez… Why did he keep using this attack?" Diego mumbled as he and Dinus landed onto the ground again. "I fxxxxxg hate that move…"

"Me too, Diego." Dinus agreed to Diego's opinion. "Fire Spin is a quite annoying move, but at least, it's quite beautiful when the vortex of spiral flame—"

Dinus's words suddenly stopped as a flash of thought suddenly appeared in Dinus' head. The very same thing could be applied to Diego as it seemed like he had just realized something while listening to Dinus' word. After this short moment, a crafty smile appeared on both young Charizards' face.

"Diego…" Dinus turned his attention to Diego. "Are you thinking what I am thinking?"

"How the hell should I know what you are thinking?!" Diego said. "But well… The answer is yes."

Dinus and Diego turned their attention to Leonel, who seemed to prepare his next attack.

"Well, then, let me take care of him." Diego said. "And you do what you must."

"Fine with me." Dinus said.

 _"RAWR!"_ Leonel roared out and started another attack by charging at Diego!

"The hell with you!" Diego said and used his Bronze Naginata to block Leonel's attack!

 _"Don't be such a fool, mortal!"_ Leonel roared as he tried to thrust his spear forward. _"No matter how hard you try, you will never defeat me! My victory is already predetermined!"_

"Well, then…. LET ME PROVE YOU WRONG!" Diego roared and suddenly jumped backward! With a sudden retreat, Leonel almost lost his balance!

"NOW, DINUS!" Diego roared as he saw the other young Charizard, who stood behind Leonel!

"NOW , ONCE AND FOR ALL!" Dinus roared.

"DIE, YOU BASTARD!" Diego roared.

"FLAMETHROWER!" Dinus and Diego both expelled a hot flame from their mouth at the same time at the matured Charizard. However, like what happened yesterday, as the flame generated from Dinus and Diego clashed with each other at Leonel's body, it turned into a spiral vortex of burning flame, trapping Leonel inside!

"ARRRRGGGGG!" Leonel roared as he was trapped inside a flaming vortex.

 _"AND… NOW!"_

Diego and Dinus raised their polearm and charged at Leonel at the same time, attacking the Volcano Guardian as they ran passed through him!"

 _"ARGGGRR! WHY! YOU!"_ Leonel roared as he had taken too much damage from Dinus and Diego's attack! He couldn't take this anymore!

"HOW COULD YOU DEFEAT ME, MORTALS?! DOES THIS MEAN THAT YOUR WILL TO WALK ON YOUR PATH THAT STRONG?!" The God of Volcano said through Leonel's body.

"…" Diego and Dinus didn't say anything. All they did were just staring at Leonel's body being burned in their vortex of flame.

"URGH! FINE! I GAVE UP!" The God of Volcano said. "HOWEVER, BECAUSE BOTH OF YOU DEFY ME, THE ALMIGHTY GOD OF VOLCANO, I SHALL PUNISH BOTH OF YOU! BOTH OF YOU WILL BE CURSED TO LIVE IN THE LIFE OF ATONEMENT AND HAVE TO FIGHT EACH OTHER UNTIL ONE OF YOU REACH THE END OF THEIR ATONEMENT WITH THEIR DEATH! CHARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!"

After finished speaking, Leonel's body was cloaked with a golden aura before the aura itself suddenly scattered away from Leonel's body and disappeared into the air, leaving only Leonel's unconscious body behind…

"Father!" Dinus quickly approached Leonel's body, while Diego was just standing at the point he was standing before….

And then…

"…Diego…"

Two voices, one male and one female, called the name of the young Charizard. Diego turned his attention back to the owners of the voice and saw Prince Apollo and Princess Artemis walking up to him.

"You…" Diego mumbled. By his instinct, his paw suddenly tightened his grip on his Naginata. However…

"!" Diego was shocked as he saw Prince Apollo and Princess Artemis suddenly kneeled down in front of him!

"Diego, we are truly sorry." Prince Apollo and Princess Artemis said.

"Sorry… For what?!" Diego said. He still couldn't believe the words he had just heard.

"I must be sorry for all of my action earlier." Princess Artemis said. "I have no idea of what you have gotten into."

"Me as well." Prince Apollo said. "I really have no idea about everything my father had done to you. On the behalf of my father, I truly regret everything I had done to you."

"…" Diego didn't say anything.

"And now, you, the true heir to the throne of the Fireview Kingdom, have returned…" Prince Apollo said. "If you want to kill us, please do it."

"However, I beg you. Please leave your majesty and our mother alone. They didn't deserve to die…" Princess Artemis said.

"…I afraid that I couldn't do that." Diego answered. His answer shocked both Prince Apollo and Princess Artemis!

"W…What?!" Princess Artemis said. "Why?! Why did you have to kill our mother and your majesty too?! They didn't do anything wrong!"

"Fxxk off." Diego said. "I have never said that I will kill those two."

"What?!" Prince Apollo said. "But you said—"

"What I meant earlier was that I afraid that I won't grant you a wish of slaying both of you." Diego said.

"You meant… that you won't kill any of us?!" Princess Artemis said. "But… Why?!"

"First, because I have already forgiven all of you." Diego said. "My hunger for revenge had already been quenched when I killed your father, so I have no need to kill any more of you."

"Well…" Prince Apollo and Princess Artemis said.

"More importantly…" Diego continued speaking. "If I killed both of you, this would mean that I MUST become the king of Fireview Kingdom, which I don't want to. Also, I am tired of this bxxxxxxt revenge. In the end, I have no choice."

"You would really give up on this?"

Another voice came from another Pokemon who slowly walked up to Diego, Prince Apollo and Princess Artemis. It was none other than King Leonardo, accompanied by Princess Olivia.

"Your majesty?" Princess Artemis said.

"Well… Diego, right?" King Leonardo said. "Are you sure that you would give up on being the king of the realm of flame and stone?"

"Absolutely yes." Diego said. "I hate being the royal blood, and I am not suited for being a king. I am sure that I will bring this kingdom to ruins if I have ever become its king."

"…Very well…" King Leonardo said. "If you insist, then I won't pressure you in doing so anymore. However, I—"

"Everyone!"

King Leonardo's words were interrupted by Dinus' voice, who was standing next to Leonel. "Come here, please!"

Diego, Prince Apollo, Princess Artemis, Princess Olivia and King Leonardo walked up to where Dinus and Leonel were and realized that Leonel had already gotten his consciousness back!

"The Volcano Guardian?" Prince Apollo spoke up.

"Arrr… All of you…" Leonel spoke with a faint voice.

"Are you alright, father?!" Dinus said.

"Dinus… Diego… Both of you really did a good job of defeating me…" Leonel said. "With this… Soon… I will be free… from everything."

"Father… Don't tell me that…" Dinus said.

"It's inevitable, Dinus…" Leonel said. "I already know that the time of my atonement will arrive soon… However… Before I pass away, I will need to say something to you…"

Leonel then turned his attention to King Leonardo. "Your majesty, I am sorry for everything that was out of control today, as well as the sin I committed in the past. Normally, what I have done would equal to the sentence of death, and I shall accept it. However, I will continue guarding the realm of flame and stone, even in my afterlife."

"…I heard your words, the great Volcano Guardian…" King Leonardo said. "I forgive you for everything you have done. Leonel Novaflare the Charizard, you are the one who truly possesses the heart of a lion. And now, please rest in peace, Lionheart."

"Thank you, your majesty…" Leonel said before he turned his attention to Prince Apollo and Princess Artemis. "Next… Prince Apollo and Princess Artemis…"

"The great Volcano Guardian…" Princess Artemis said.

"Princess Artemis… You possess a very kind heart and soul…" Leonel said. "Please don't let your heart and soul be tainted with the stain of corruption…"

"Yes, I will remember your words, the great Volcano Guardian…" Princess Artemis said.

"And… Prince Apollo…" Leonel said. "I am sorry that I couldn't live until the day you become the king. However, I am sure that the one who possess a strong heart and soul like you will become the great king of Fireview and makes the nation of flame and stone a powerful nation… However, do not forget to bind your heart with the righteousness and do not let it fall into the pit of corruption. If you fall, so do the whole kingdom."

"I will be sure to remember your words until the day of my last breath, the great Volcano Guardian…" Prince Apollo said.

"Great, both of you…" Leonel said and turned his attention to a Pyroar who was standing next to King Leonardo, Princess Olivia.

"Olivia…" Leonel said.

"Leonel, I am sorry for everything…" Princess Olivia said as she slowly approached Leonel and touched Leonel's paw with her paw. "Everything that happened was all my fault. I am so sorry… If only we could go back in time to prevent this tragedy…"

"Please do not regret your action, Olivia…" Leonel said. "No one could ever change their past. All they could do is move forward and build their own future. For me, I have never regretted meeting and falling in love with you. However, I regret that I couldn't fulfill your life with the happiness you want. Please forgive me, Olivia…"

"Leonel…" Princess Olivia said.

"And last… Diego and Dinus…" Leonel turned his attention to the last two Pokemon here, who were the young Charizards named Dinus and Diego. "I must apologize to both of you too…"

"No, father." Dinus said. "You didn't do anything wrong to me. You don't have to apologize me."

"And yet I conceal the truth of your birthright from you, Dinus…" Leonel said. "I am such a bad father to you. And Diego…"

"…" Diego looked at Leonel, but he didn't say anything.

"I know that you will never forgive me for what I have done." Leonel said. "But—"

"…No, I have already forgiven you as well, father." Diego said. "I am tired of holding a grudge against any of you, so I think that I will have to learn about letting it go…"

"…Good…" Leonel said. "I see that your level of forgiveness has been moving forward for one more step… However… I still regret everything I did to you, Diego. I am such a bad father to you…"

"Aww… When will you stop blaming yourself, father?" Diego said.

"Well… Soon enough…" Leonel said. "But before that, I want all of you to remember my case. About what I have done… I regretted everything I had done in my life, so I have to live my life in regret. However, both of you… Do not become like me… Live your life by following the voice of your heart, and when you did, never regret it again. Do you understand?"

"Yes, father." Dinus and Diego said.

"Ah… Seeing both of you like this reminds me of my past self… Back when… 30 years ago…" Leonel said. "I went onto an adventure with my friends… Some of them were my best friends, while some of them were my mortal enemies. And now… It all ends here… Farewell… Everyone… I will protect all of you and guide you… even in the afterlife…"

After finishing his last words, Leonel succumbed to his injury. His breath stopped, and his hearts stopped beating…

"Father…" Dinus and Diego said. Despite their spirit, both of them couldn't even hold back their tear. "FATHER!"

Dinus and Diego's voices echoed through the summit of Fireview Volcano as they cried for their father's departing. Both of them couldn't stop crying for their father, not even for the other four Pyroars who were also with them…

"Why… Leonel…" Princess Olivia said.

"Oh…" Princess Artemis mumbled.

"…The great Volcano Guardian…" Prince Apollo mumbled.

"…" King Leonardo didn't say anything, but he, like others, couldn't hold back his tear too…

And then…

"W…What the fxxk?!" Diego said as he suddenly was surrounded by some sort of the red aura. The very same aura could be seen around Leonel's lifeless body too!

"T…This must be…" Dinus said. "This must be how the power of legend being transfer from one Pokemon to another Pokemon."

"B…But… Why me?!" Diego said as the red aura that surrounded his body gradually became stronger. "I don't want to become the Hero of Legend!"

"…It was because you are the eldest son of the former Hero of Fire type…" Dinus said. "You know… While we are twin, you are the older among us, making you the eldest child of our father. Thus, you will be the one who will inherit the title of the Hero of Fire type from our father."

"FXXK OFF!" Diego said as he tried to drive away the red aura that surrounded his body, but his afford seemed to end in vein. "I DON'T WANT TO BECOME THE HERO OF LEGEND! I JUST WANT TO BE MYSELF!"

"…I afraid that I don't think you can stop this, Diego." Dinus said.

"Nonononononono!" Diego said as the aura grew stronger. It was only a few second until he became the next Hero of Fire type, which he didn't want to.

 _'No! I will never accept this!'_ Diego though to himself. _'I will never become the Hero of Legend! I will do anything in order not to become one!'_

And then…

 _'Interesting… Not only being a king, but you also don't want to become a Hero of Legend too? I could never believe that I would be able to find someone like you within my life…'_

A sinister and creepy voice echoed into Diego's head. It took Diego a few moment to recognize this voice…

 _'Y…You!'_ Diego thought to himself. _'You were the one at the arena!'_

 _'I see that you still remember about me… Such an honor for me...'_

 _'W…What do you want right now?!'_ Diego thought to himself.

 _'Didn't you say that you don't want to become the Hero of Legend? Well… In this case, I think that I may be able to help you… Again.'_

 _'Y…You would?!'_ Diego thought to himself.

 _'However, you will have to trust me and follow what I told you to do. Will you accept this?!'_

 _'Sure! Anything!'_ Diego thought to himself.

 _'Very well… Then…_ '

* * *

"ARG! NO! I WILL NEVER BECOME THE HERO OF LEGEND! NO!"

Diego roared as he swung his arms and moved around as if it would be able to drive away the red aura that surrounded him, but it was no use. Soon, he would become the Hero of Fire type…

…If only something unexpected didn't happen…

Like…

"DIEGO! WATCH OUT!"

Dinus roared out, because as Diego his attention was at his afford of trying to drive away the aura that surrounded his body, he didn't pay his attention to his surrounding. This made him walk randomly until he reached the edge of the Fireview Volcano Crater!

"DIEGO!" Dinus quickly approached the edge of the crater, in the hope of catching his twin brother in time, but… He was half a second too late as Diego had already fallen into the crater!

"Ur! NOOO!" Diego roared as he fell down from the edge of the crater and fell into the pit below!

"DIEGO!" Dinus roared. This moment, while it was actually very short, but for Dinus, it felt like it was a very long and tortuous moment as he watched his twin brother falling into a pit of burning magma below without being able to help him at all!

The moment ended with Diego's body touched the burning magma in the pit of the volcano and quickly sank into the magma, which quickly followed by another thing that also fell down from the crater above. It was several teardrops of a Charizard above.

"Why… Why do something like this have to happen?!" Dinus said. "WHY?! CHARRRRR!"

As Dinus was roaring in despair, the red aura that was surrounding Diego's body suddenly appeared and surrounded his body instead!

"…" Dinus didn't say anything as the power of legend being transferred from his father to his body instead. It gave him an enormous power, as well as a very strong feeling within his heart…

"CLANK!"

Other than the power of legend, Dinus also received something from his father too. It was the personal weapon of the Hero of Fire type, the Ruby Spear.

"…Diego…" Dinus slowly looked at the burning pit of magma below, the very same pit that Diego fell into not too long ago. Falling into a burning pit of magma like this, even for fire type Pokemon, would prove to be lethal. However…

 _'…No.'_ Dinus looked at the burning pit of magma. _'Despite the power of legend being transferred to me instead of Diego, I am sure that Diego is still alive… I know it… I could feel it… I believe that he is still alive… I don't know why… But… For now…'_

 _'Farewell, my brother. May we meet again soon…within the time of our lifespan…'_

* * *

 **-Meanwhile…**

"…"

Diego regained his consciousness and found himself in a strange place where he couldn't see anything except himself because everywhere around him was in the tone of black and white…

"Where… am I?" Diego said as he looked around.

 _'You are in your own mind…_

A creepy and sinister voice echoed again. However, this time, it didn't only echo in Diego's head, but it also echoed everywhere…

"Y…You?!" Diego said as he tried to look around, but he still couldn't find anyone. "Are you the Legendary Pokemon who helped me?! Where are you?!"

 _'How curious...'_ The voice echoed again. _'You already have figured out who I am… Interesting…'_

"Stop your bxxxxxxt right there." Diego said. "…And show your fxxxxxg face to me!"

 _'I afraid that I couldn't do anything like that…'_ The voice answered. _'It's because this is your mind. I couldn't enter one's mind that easy, so the only thing I can do is speaking to you through telepathy…'_

"My mind?" Diego said. "But I remember that I followed your order and fell down into the Fireview Volcano pit…"

 _'Yes. I told you to do it to fake your death.'_ The voice said. _'However, I used my power to protect you from being incinerated by the magma, so you are still alive like now. However, I have to trap you in your mind because I need to talk to you about something… After our talk, I will send you back to your world without doing any harm to you, and regardless of your action and decision to me here too."_

"Whatever!" Diego said. "Just tell me what you want! Are you going to offer me to form a pact with you or something?"

 _'You surprised me again, young Charizard...'_ The voice answered. _'Not many Pokemon knows about forming a pact with Legendary Pokemon… And yet a gladiator who spent almost his entire life in the life of vengeance knows this…'_

"It's because my friends told me." Diego said with his arms crossed.

 _'Your friends? Ah… I see…'_ The voice echoed. _'I could sense that there are several Pokemon who has formed a pact with the Legendary Pokemon in the Fireview Kingdom right now… I guess that some of them are your friends, right?'_

"Are you going to babbling all day?!" Diego said. "Do not piss me off! I don't have my entire day to spend with you!"

 _'…Very well…'_ The voice said. _'If you already know about forming a pact, then I would offer you to form a pact with me. If you form a pact with me, not only I will grant you the power you would never imagine, but I will also allow you to summon me to help you in a fight too.'_

"Really?" Diego said.

 _'Moreover…'_ The voice continued speaking. _'Diego Pyrotorch the Charizard, you are special. Your kind possesses an arcane power to would drastically increase your power. If you form a pact with me, then I will unlock your potential and allow you to obtain that power that even the one of your kind would never hope of getting.'_

"Power…" Diego said. "But my thirst for revenge had already been quenched. I don't have any need for that kind of power. Plus, I prefer obtaining the power with my own paw instead."

 _'Oh, really?'_ The voice said. _'Think. What did you have to accomplish in order to come this far? In order to stand at the point of me offering you the power? Everything you have accomplished, every obstacle you have destroyed… Aren't these prices reasonable enough for obtaining this power from me?'_

"…You have a point…" Diego said.

 _'Well… What's your answer, mortal?'_ The voice asked again. _'You can choose to accept my proposal and form a pact with me, or you can decline my offer and I will send you back to your world without doing any harm to you, and then we will forget that we once know of each other's existence…'_

"…I still don't understand something." Diego said. "First, why did you want to give me these powers, whereas you do not gain anything in return? I don't understand…"

 _'There are three major possible answers for this question, young Charizard…'_ The voice answered. _'The first answer is the Legendary Pokemon wants the Pokemon they formed a pact with to do something for them. The second answer is the Legendary Pokemon wants to use the Pokemon they formed a pact with as their 'avatar' to do something for them. And the third answer is the Legendary Pokemon possesses a special feeling toward the Pokemon they formed a pact with, such as sympathy or anything else. For me, the answer falls in the third category.'_

"You feel something for me? Ha!" Diego said. "Don't tell me that you feel bad for what happened in my past?"

 _'Stupid mortal…'_ The voice said. _'I offer you this chance because I like you. I like you because you are both identical and completely different from me…'_

"I don't understand any of your bxxxxxxt." Diego said with his arms crossed.

 _'You will know better if you decide to form a pact with me…'_ The voice said. _'Well, do you have any more questions to ask me?'_

"…There's one more question I'd like to ask." Diego said. "My friends told me that, when you form a pact with Legendary Pokemon, you will be cursed to lose something in your life. If this is true, then I want you to tell me what I will lose when I form a pact with you."

 _'...Very well, then…'_ The voice said. _'Now, listen up…'_

* * *

"…Fine." Diego said. "But… At one condition, thought."

 _'Hm? What do you want this time?'_ The voice asked.

"…Can I…keep these?" Diego said and looked at the orange tattoos on his body. They were the same tattoos that he was given last night by the Volcano Guardian.

 _'You want to keep those tattoos on your body?'_ The voice said. _'Very well… You can keep it.'_

"Then, I accept your proposal." Diego said and stepped forward. "I am ready."

 _'Then…'_ The voice said, and a glowing orb of light suddenly appeared in front of Diego. _'Touch this orb, and we will begin our forming.'_

Diego reached his paw forward and touched the glowing orb of light in front of him. While doing this, Diego could feel the increasing of power that flew from the glowing orb into his body. The power he received gave him a feeling that he could do anything with the power he received, but it also gave him a feeling of… Grief? Regret?

'…And now, the forming is complete…' A voice spoke up as the glowing orb of light disappeared. 'I have given you the power that ordinary mortal would never hope to reach, and I also unlocked your potential power to another stratum. Moreover, you can now summon me to assist you in a battle. I can attack and hinder your foes with my move Glaciate.'

"…Very well…" Diego said before he noticed something…

"W…What is this?!" Diego said and looked at one of his claws on his right paw. There was a mysterious ring with strange marks there! He was sure that the ring wasn't here a moment ago!

'That's the Ring of Ruins, the Dragon Relic of yours.' The voice answered. 'Dragon Relic is the proof of your pact with me. You can also speak to me via the Dragon Relic of yours at anytime you want.'

"…" Diego looked at his Dragon Relic, the Ring of Ruins, on his claw with a worried look on his face, as if he still had something on his mind…

'Something wrong, young mortal?' The voice asked.

"…When I formed a pact with you, I had a strange feeling deep in my heart…" Diego slowly spoke up. "It is an indescribable feeling… What should I call it? Grief? Regret? I don't know…"

'It is the feeling that everyone who has just formed a pact with the Legendary Pokemon would have, Diego.' The voice answered. 'You know what other Pokemon thinks of the Pokemon who had formed a pact with Legendary Pokemon, right? They think of them as a fanatic who sells their soul to the demon, so they would shun them or act hostile toward them should they know that this Pokemon is the one who had formed a pact with Legendary Pokemon. The feeling you had after you formed a pact with me was the feeling that you are now forever branded as an outcast who will never be accepted by anyone, so they will have to isolate themselves from everyone and live further away from anyone. That's the feeling you had.'

"…That's fine with me." Diego said. "I don't really care much of what everyone thinks of me, and I don't have many friends. The only friends I have right now are also the one who formed a pact with the Legendary Pokemon too, so I think I would be fine…"

 _'If you say so…'_ The voice said. _'And now, it's time for you to pay your price for forming a pact with me.'_

"Fxxk…" Diego cursed. "Now, let's get this over with before I run out of my patience."

 _'Very well, then…'_ The voice said, and then he was about to do something when Diego spoke up first.

"Actually, hold on a second." Diego said.

 _'What is it this time, Diego?!'_ The voice seemed to be upset by Diego's interruption.

"There's another thing, although a bit late, that I need to ask you." Diego said. "Despite that we have already formed a pact with each other, you still haven't told me who you are or what your name is yet. Would you mind telling me who you are?"

 _'Hm?! I haven't told you who I am yet?!'_ The voice seemed to be surprised by Diego's question.

"You fxxxxxg axxxxxe…" Diego mumbled.

 _'Well, then, if you want to know, then I suppose that I would tell you…'_ The voice said. _'But first, you must pay the price for forming a pact with me!'_

As the voice stopped, Diego's body started glowing with a dim purple light started emitting from everywhere on his body, and the Charizard could feel a sharp pain running through his body!

"ARRGRRGRGRG!" Diego roared as the pain in his body gradually increased. The pain he felt could be compared to the feeling of having several bombs being transplanted into his body, and all of them started exploding at the same time!

"CHAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!"

Suddenly, Diego's body shattered into several small pieces, which all of them were then incinerated by the blue flame that appeared from nowhere. After the blue flame that burned his body disappeared, the only thing left in the burning blue flame was a sparkling orb that contained a soul inside…

 _'Well, then, let me answer your question…'_ The voice echoed again. _'I am known as a vessel who possesses nothing but emptiness. I am a remnant of the Dragon God. Everyone fears my very existence. I am a Kyurem, and my name is_ _ **Frostic**_ _.'_

 **To Be Continued…**

* * *

 **Dragon of Vale: This chapter took forever to write… And it still didn't turn out very good. Whatever, there are only two more chapters in the fifth tail, and then we will start the sixth tail! I am really looking forward to write the sixth tail!**


	49. Tail 5-9: The End of the Beginning

**A Dragon's Tail**

 **Tail 5: Diego's Tail - Reprisal**

 **Tail 5-9: The End of the Beginning**

 **-Four Days Later…**

It had been four days since the day of Flame Blessing Ceremony, and just one more day before the Coronation Day of Fireview Kingdom's Prince Apollo. Despite it wasn't the Coronation Day yet, today was also important as it was the day where all rulers from other six foreign nations (Or their representatives) will arrive at the Fireview Kingdom and pay their respect to the king and the crown prince of the nation of flame and stone, and right now, at the time where the twilight covered the whole sky, there was a banquet in the main hall of the Palace of Flame that was held as a welcoming ceremony for everyone. The banquet was held in the style of buffet, where the food was prepared and placed on the tables, and the guest can take it for eating while having a conversation with other guest too.

Right now, almost every guest from foreign nations had already arrived at the Palace of Flame. Started with Prince Terrus and his siblings from Dustorm Empire, Prince Fenrir Jr. from Shadowlost Territory, who had arrived since six days ago. Daimyo Augustine of the Principality of Leafburg had already arrived since yesterday, and President Voltson of the Republic of Civilight had just arrived a few moments ago. Because there wouldn't be any representative from the Queendom of Riverbrine due to its civil war, the only guests from foreign nation that hadn't arrived yet was the prince of the Theocracy of Venturnome…

"Freya, why don't you try this one?"

Largo said and handed over a leaf cup that contained something that looked like orange custard with a white topping to Freya.

"Oh, thank you, Largo." Freya said as she received the leaf cup from Largo and started eating the orange custard inside, only to suffocate it out later!

"Cough! Cough!" Freya coughed after she ate the food Largo gave her.

"F…Freya?! Are you alright?!" Largo was shocked by his sister's action.

"W…Water please…" Freya said.

Largo quickly passed a glass of water to the Flygon, who quickly drank it up. After drinking water, Freya seemed to be better.

"T…Thanks… Largo…" Freya said with a shaking voice as she handed over the empty glass back to the Alolan Marowak.

"What happened to you, Freya?" Largo asked as he put the empty glass down on a table. "Does the food I gave you taste bad?"

"W…Well…" Freya said. "I…It was so spicy… T…That custard you gave me…"

"Custard? …Hahaha HAHAHAHA!" Largo said before he let out a burst of laugh. "That's not custard, Freya! That's one of Fireview Kingdom's traditional dishes! It's some sort of spicy mashed fish with a topping of coconut milk, not custard!"

"W…Well… I…I am sorry…" Freya said as Largo continued laughing, only to be stopped by their elder siblings.

"That's enough, Largo." Terrus appeared and spoke. Beside him was Soryl the Aerodactyl who still worked as his bodyguard, and Natasha the Dragalge.

"It's just so funny…" Largo said. "Freya mistook this spicy food for custard! I couldn't stop laughing!"

"It's only because Freya haven't gone anywhere outside Dustorm Empire, so she didn't accustom with a foreign dish like this." Natasha said.

"Moreover…" Terrus continued speaking. "Don't you remember that Freya couldn't eat anything spicy?! And Fireview's traditional dishes are among the spiciest cuisine on the continent of Symmetria as it contained several different kinds of spices in one dish, giving it an exotic taste."

"But Dustorm's traditional dishes are also spicy and rich with spices too, aren't they?" Largo asked.

"That's because your sister stayed at the Windsky Plateau for the most part of her life." Soryl spoke up. "Because the plateau of the wind was once a part of Theocracy of Venturnome, Windsky's traditional dishes aren't as savory as Dustorm's dishes."

"True…" Terrus nodded. "Dustorm's cuisines are famous for its strong scene of many kinds of spice being used in a dish, compared to Fireview's cuisines that are famous for its taste."

"In other words… Both Dustorm and Fireview's cuisines use a lot of spices…" Largo said. "But Fireview focuses more on the taste of food while Dustorm focuses more on the scene of food. That's also the similarity between Dustorm Empire and Fireview Kingdom."

"Speaking of similarity…" Natasha spoke up. "I also heard that Venturnome's cuisines and Leafburg's cuisines are very similar to each other too."

"That's right." Terrus said. "Both Venturnome's cuisines and Leafburg's cuisines don't use too much spices like Dustorm's and Fireview's, as both nations prefer to season their dishes by drawing the natural taste of the ingredients that are being used in the dish, while Dustorm and Fireview prefer to use spices to season their dishes."

"If so, then…" Freya spoke up. "What is the difference between Venturnome's cuisines and Leafburg's cuisines?"

"From what I know…" Terrus answered. "Leafburg's dishes are very simple as the ingredients being used in their dishes are mostly berries, so they don't do much when preparing the cuisine. Venturnome, on the other hand, prefers their food to be… sophisticated. I mean, while they do not bother using too much spice, they always make sure that their dishes turn out to be perfect in every way, including the decoration and the amount of nutrients they received from each dish."

"Wow… I see…" Freya said. "Terrus, I never know that you know so much about other nations' cuisines!"

"Well… I usually have to go to other nations by our father's order anyway…" Terrus said. "Moreover, I need to practice my sense to taste, so I need to concentrate my attention at my tongue every time I had a meal, whether in other nations or not."

"Well then…" Largo spoke up. "Since you already told us about four of seven nations' cuisines, how about telling us about the rest three? You can start with Civilight."

"Well… Living in a busy city, they have to live their life in a very fast, pace, so the Pokemon of Civilight prefer their food to be… very, very simple." Terrus said. "They do not mind what they eat, as long as it is easy to eat in within a few minutes or a few seconds. So, Civilight's dishes tend to be what they called 'fast food'. Also, for some reason, the Pokemon of Riverbrine, mostly Electric type Pokemon, loves sour food."

"And what about Riverbrine?" Natasha asked.

"Because the Queendom of Riverbrine possesses two completely different climates, the dishes of Riverbrine could be divided into two types." Terrus said. "The Pokemon of Riverbrine Archipelago prefers their dishes to be cold and refreshing to counter the sunny climate of this region. The Pokemon of Snowlost Snowfield, on the other hand, prefers their dishes to be hot and warm to fight the tundra climate of their region. This doesn't apply to the Ice type Pokemon thought as, because being Ice type Pokemon, they don't need any warm food to keep them warm. However, there is one thing that the cuisines from both regions share; both regions, like Leafburg and Venturnome, always use fresh ingredients for their food as Riverbrine, especially the Riverbrine Archipelago, is a nation that's rich with food, unlike Fireview and Dustorm that could hardly grow anything. The Snow Part of Riverbrine also couldn't cultivate well too, but they are able to get the ingredients from the Riverbrine Archipelago anyway, so that's not a problem for them."

"And…" Freya said after Terrus finishes his long analysis about the cuisines of the Queendom of Riverbrine. "What about the Shadowlost Territory's cuisines?"

Before Terrus could say anything, the Alolan Marowak beside him spoke up first. "Trust me, Freya, you do not want to know about this one."

"Why?" Freya asked.

"…Let's just say that Shadowlost's cuisines are VERY very…peculiar." Terrus said. "Everyone who has gone to Shadowlost for the first time would always have a problem eating local cuisines."

"True." Largo nodded. "I still remember when I went to Shadowlost for the first time after I finished training in Fireview…"

"Yes." Natasha said. "You refused to eat anything for almost three days! If Fenrir and I didn't shove the food into your mouth, you would be dead by now!"

"C…Come on!" Largo said and looked at Natasha as his sister revealed his embarrassing moment in the past. "T…That was so long in the past! It's water under the bridge!"

 _"Oh…I wouldn't say so…"_

A voice came from someone who was standing behind the Alolan Marowak. Largo quickly turned back and saw someone whom he rarely seen since when he had arrived at the Fireview Kingdom, and that 'someone' was also the representative of the Shadowlost Territory…

"Prince Fenrir Illunight Jr.?" Largo said as he saw the Zoroark behind him. "Where have you been?! I haven't seen you since when we arrived at the Fireview Kingdom!"

 _"Well…I just went out to find a nice place to calm the beast within my soul from destroying the whole kingdom…"_ Fenrir Jr. answered with a casual voice that completely contrasted of what he was saying.

"And where have you been?" Natasha asked.

 _"The Cape of Blood."_ Fenrir Jr. answered.

"The Cape of Blood… That's the northernmost point of Fireview Kingdom, isn't it?" Soryl spoke up.

 _"Yes."_ Fenrir Jr. said. _"From there, if you have a sharp eyesight, you could see the Venom Island on the other side of the acid sea that separated Fireview and Shadowlost from each other. That place is also where… it has begun."_

Everyone didn't say anything after hearing Fenrir Jr.'s words, because the Cape of Blood was where the army of warships of Fireview Kingdom left for the Shadowlost Territory at the start of the cruelest war of Symmetria, the Bloodmoon War.

 _"…And it's thanks to both of you that the damn war had finally come to the end, Natasha, Largo…"_ Fenrir Jr. continued speaking.

"We didn't do anything, Fenrir…" Natasha said. "It was our mother, Empress Sharon."

"Right." Largo said. "It was she who sent Natasha to study in Shadowlost and sent me to study in Fireview. All we did was just following our mother's order."

 _"And if both of you didn't, the war would never end…"_ Fenrir Jr. said. _"Having the child of the Dustorm Emperor at Shadowlost and Fireview, the armies of both nations would sure to be hesitated to attack the other nation and risk themselves of harming either of you and turned the Dustorm Empire, the most powerful nation on the continent of Symmetria, to be their enemy. Thus, the war had finally ended… By the brain of Dustorm's Empress Sharon."_

"…By the way." Terrus changed the topic of conversation and turned his attention to Soryl. "Soryl, did you find what I told you to find?"

"Well… Yes." Soryl answered. "But not now, Terrus. We are in a middle of a banquet! There are several better food to eat!"

"Sigh…" Terrus mumbled. However, before he could say anything else, an announcement of the Palace of Flame was made instead.

 _"Here comes the crown prince of the Theocracy of Venturnome!"_

"C…Crap…" Largo said as he heard the announcement of the incoming guest from the last nation. "H…Here he comes!"

* * *

 **-Meanwhile… Somewhere in the Fireview Kingdom…**

"Arrgg…."

Diego slowly woke up from his long slumber. It took him quite a while to adjust his eyesight and look around to see that he was now in the same place where he and his friends were camping six days ago. However, this place still looked like what it was six days ago, and there was another Pokemon here, a Latias.

Upon seeing he woke up, Rachael quickly approached Diego.

"Oh! Diego! You finally wake up!" Rachael said. "We were so worried about you!"

"Rachael?" Diego spoke up as he saw the Latias. "Why are you here? And where are Zetarus and Richard?"

"Well… This is our camp, and I stay here to take care of you." Rachael said. "Onii-chan and Zetarus went out to find more ores for you. They should come back soon."

"And how do I… end up here?" Diego asked.

"Well… Four days ago, Zetarus, Onii-chan and I went into a cavern at the Fireview Volcano to find more ores…" Rachael said. "And then, we found a body of someone floating on the sea of magma in that cavern. When we took a look, Zetarus immediately recognized that it was you, so we took you back here…"

"So… It has already been four days…" Diego mumbled as the memory gradually flew into his head… The memory of meeting Dinus and Leonel… His father and his twin brother… The memory of the Flame Blessing Ceremony… His revenge against Regent Apollo… His true inheritance… His battle against the wrath of the God of Volcano… And…

"You have a lot to explain to us, Diego." Rachael said. "Especially about… the body of yours."

"!" Diego quickly examined his body and realized that his body was not the same as before. While he was still a Charizard, he didn't possess the appearance of the ordinary Charizard. First, his body appeared to be a bit more muscular than before, and his entire body was turned into a different color. The majority of his body was now black instead of orange while his belly was sky blue instead of pale yellow, and his wings were now dark blue instead of dark green blue. The tip of his horns, as well as the tip two curved spikes that appeared on each of his shoulders, was blue (While the spikes were black like the rest of his body). He also had a few black spikes growing on his neck, as well as on the tip of his wings. His wings right now were divided into several sections. The flame on the tip of his tail was now blue instead of its usual color of yellow and red, and he now always breathed blue flames out the side of his mouth.

However, despite having a new body, there was something that was on his old body that was still on his new body. They were the orange tattoos that Leonel gave him, which now could be seen even more clearly with the contrast between its color and the color of Diego's new body…

"M…My body…" Diego said after he finished examining his body. Right now, he didn't wear any armor pieces, as those armor pieces were now beside him. It seemed like his friends removed it earlier.

"Onii-chan said that you now have the body of Mega Charizard X, Diego." Rachael said.

"Mega… Charizard X?" Diego said.

"It's one of two forms that a Charizard took when they did a Mega Evolution." Rachael explained.

"Mega Evolution?" Diego said. "What is it?"

"Onii-chan told me that Mega Evolution is a kind of temporary evolution with the help of the Mega Stone and the Key Stone to temporarily increase the power of a certain Pokemon…" Rachael said. "He also said that only a few kinds of Pokemon could achieve the Mega Evolution, such as a Charizard."

 _'So…The potential of hidden power he mentioned…'_ Diego thought. _'He did refer to the Mega Evolution…'_

"But he also said that you are strange, Diego…" Rachael continued speaking. "The effect of Mega Evolution will only last for a few moments, but you had been a Mega Charizard X since when we met you until now, which was already four days…"

"…" Diego didn't say anything, as he knew the reason of this…

"Moreover…" Rachael continued speaking. "In order to achieve a Mega Evolution, we will need to use a Mega Stone of that Pokemon and a Key Stone, but we do not see any of them on your body… Well, except that ring on the claw of your right paw…"

"!" Diego quickly looked at his right paw and saw the Ring of Ruins there. He could also feel a connection between him and someone via this ring…

However, before he or Rachael could do anything else, Diego suddenly felt a sharp pain in his tail, as if something sharp was penetrated into his tail! But… He had ever experienced a pain like this before!

"OUCH! ZETARUS!" Diego roared and looked at his tail, which was now bitten by a male Garchomp who appeared out of nowhere!

"Nomnomnom…" Zetarus acted as if he did nothing wrong and continued biting Diego's tail.

"GET YOUR FXXXXXG MOUTH OFF MY TAIL YOU FXXXXXG BASTARD SON OF A BXXXX!" Diego roared as he tried to struggle free from Zetarus, but it didn't seem like the Garchomp would let him go easily…

While Diego was struggling with Zetarus, Rachael noticed that another Pokemon also arrived at their camp, and that Pokemon was none other than the one she called 'Onii-chan'.

"Onii-chan?" Rachael looked at her elder brother.

"Sigh… We have just come back and something like this happened…" Richard mumbled. "And I see that Diego has finally woken up."

"Um…" Rachael said and looked at Diego and Zetarus, and then looked at her brother. "Shouldn't we help them?"

"Let them go for now." Richard said. "Rachael, why don't you start preparing for dinner? It would be quite some time before those dorks…" Richard looked at Zetarus and Diego. "… Finish their 'job'."

"Okay…" Rachael said.

* * *

 **-Meanwhile… Back at the Palace of Flame…**

"Sigh…" Largo let out a sigh. "I will never get used to that fancy prince of Venturnome…"

"He is not that bad, Largo." Natasha said. "But I agree that he is a bit… out-of-world…"

"Don't you see what happened as he and other representatives of Venturnome entered this place?!" Largo said. "I thought that I got high from smoking weed or something…"

 _"…You spoke as if you have ever… smoke it…"_ Fenrir Jr. spoke with a crafty voice.

"What?! Nonononono!" Largo seemed to be flustered by Fenrir Jr.'s words. "It…It was just a metaphor!"

 _"Haha…I got you this one…"_ Fenrir Jr. said and let out a small laugh.

"Hmp!" Largo grumbled. "And where is that fancy prince of Venturnome right now?"

"He and other representatives of Venturnome went to the throne room to pay a visit to King Leonardo." Terrus answered.

"Speaking of King Leonardo…" Largo spoke up. "I heard that something bad has happened to him during the Flame Blessing Ceremony on the Fireview Volcano four days ago. Terrus, do you know anything about this?"

"…Regent Orion had been killed during the Flame Blessing Ceremony." Terrus said.

"What?!" Largo, Natasha, Soryl and Freya said with a shocked voice, while Fenrir Jr. just crossed his arms and said nothing.

"According to Prince Apollo, it seemed like Regent Orion was killed by the wrath of the God of Volcano…" Terrus said. "Moreover, not only Regent Apollo, but the Volcano Guardian of Fireview Volcano was also killed during the Flame Blessing Ceremony too."

"WHAT?!" Largo said. "The Volcano Guardian is already dead?! Damn it! I should visit him sooner… Now I will never have another chance… Damn it!"

"…Do not blame yourself, Largo."

Another voice came from someone who stood behind the Alolan Marowak. Largo then turned back and saw that it was a Charizard with many weird tattoos on his body who dressed in nothing but a loincloth on his crotch. He quickly recognized this Charizard at once.

"Dinus!" Largo said. "Long time no see!"

"Long time no see too, Largo." Dinus said.

"Me too, Dinus." Largo said before he turned his attention to his siblings. "Everyone, this Charizard is my friends, as well as the son of the Volcano Guardian."

"Nice to have a privilege to meet everyone." Dinus said. "My name is Dinus Novaflare the Charizard. I am the friend of Largo and the son of the Volcano Guardian."

Everyone took turns to introduce themselves to the Charizard, except for Soryl, who looked at the Charizard with a suspecious looking at his face.

"By the way, Dinus…" Largo spoke up. "We have heard about the Flame Blessing Ceremony…"

"…It was such a tragic event…" Dinus said. "The regent of Fireview Kingdom and my beloved father were killed during the ceremony. It was one of the most painful memories in my life."

"Who did kill them, Dinus?" Largo asked. "Did they really get themselves killed by the God of Volcano's wrath?"

"…" Dinus didn't answer Largo's question.

"What are you doing, Largo?!" Natasha said. "Asking your friend about the death of their father! That's not something to do right now!"

"Oh, right…" Largo said. "I am sorry, Dinus. I hope that I didn't hurt your feeling…"

"…It's fine…" Dinus said. "The Volcano Guardian may already pass away, but his spirit is still with the sacred soil of Fireview, and I will follow his legacy of being the next Volcano Guardian…"

"…Speaking of this…" Terrus spoke up. "Dinus, I remember that your father, Leonel Novaflare the Charizard, the Volcano Guardian of Fireview, was also one of the Hero/ine of Legend…"

"…Right." Dinus said and showed the Mark of Legend on the back of his right paw to everyone. "After the death of my father, I am now the current Hero of Fire type."

"Me too…" Terrus said and showed his Mark of Legend to Dinus. "I did inherit the title of the Hero of Ground type from my father, Emperor Garland Quakersand the Garchomp, during the Succession Ceremony in Dustorm Empire several months ago."

"Nice to meet the fellow Hero of Legend, Prince Terrus." Dinus said.

"Me too." Terrus said and turned his attention to Soryl. "Soryl, why don't you say something too?"

"Well…" Soryl spoke up and turned his attention to Dinus. "While I may not look like one, but I am the Hero of Legend too."

"You are?" Dinus said. "What kind of power do you have as the Hero of Legend?"

"I am the Hero of Flying type." Soryl answered. "Please do not ask how I became one right now."

"Then, I won't." Dinus said.

"And more…" Soryl continued speaking. "Dinus, isn't it? Haven't we met each other before?"

"I am sorry?" Dinus looked at Soryl.

"I think I met you… at the Desert Palace during Terrus' Succession Ceremony several months ago…" Soryl said.

"I am afraid that you must be mistaken…" Dinus said. "I have never left the sacred realm of Fireview before in my life, so it's not possible to be me…"

"Strange…" Soryl said. "Your face looks very much like that guy… But whatever."

"…" Dinus said nothing after hearing Soryl's words.

"By the way, Dinus…" Largo spoke up. "Where's Chronos? Isn't he coming here with you too?"

"Well… Chronos won't come." Dinus answered. "He is busy with… his work right now."

"That's too bad…" Largo said. "Well…If not, then I will have to visit him soon before I left Fireview Kingdom."

"Speaking of leaving Fireview Kingdom…" Natasha spoke up and turned her attention to Terrus. "Terrus, when will you leave Fireview Kingdom and go back to the Dustorm Empire?"

"…Well, it won't be anytime soon…" Terrus said.

"What do you mean?" Freya asked.

"…Our father gave permission for me to visit the Shadowlost Territory after Prince Apollo's Coronation Ceremony…" Terrus said. "So, Fenrir Jr., Natasha and Largo, I will accompany all of you to the Shadowlost Territory too."

"That's great." Natasha said. "I am so glad that you would come with us too, Terrus."

"Just do not wander around and gnaw anything you found on the ground, alright?" Largo said.

"…I won't make a promise to you, Largo." Terrus said.

"So…" Soryl spoke up. "It seemed like I will have to go with you too, Terrus."

"Only if you want to." Terrus said. "You can come with us, or you can go back to Dustorm Empire with Freya too."

"What?!" Largo said. "Won't Freya come with us too?!"

"W…Well…" Freya spoke up. "Father didn't let me. He told me that Shadowlost Territory is too dangerous for me, and all of Dustorm royal children shouldn't leave our empire for long, so I will have to go back…"

"That's too bad…" Largo said. "But… Well… Since it was father's order, then we couldn't do anything…"

"Anyway, Soryl, what would you do?" Terrus asked. "Will you come with us? Or will you go back with Freya?"

"…I think I will go with you, Terrus." Soryl answered.

"Are you sure?" Natasha said. "I think that you should accompany Freya back to Dustorm Empire."

"Well… That won't be a good idea…" Soryl said. "No offense, but what would the nobles of Dustorm Empire think of someone from the Windsky like me who accompanies the youngest child of Emperor Garland while crossing the desert of Dustorm? They may think that I plan to do something bad and then they will use it as an excuse to do something bad to my village…"

"Oh, that's right…" Natasha said. "I am sorry, Soryl."

"M…Me too…" Freya said.

"Nah, all of you didn't do anything wrong." Soryl said. "Pardon me for saying this, while I don't like the Dustorm Empire very much, especially its nobles, I like all of you. All of you, the royal children of Dustorm Empire, are all good guys whom I can trust."

"I am glad to hear this from you, Soryl." Terrus said.

"…Well… I am happy too to hear you say that, Soryl…" Largo said with a voice as if he had something on his mind. "But… 'ALL royal children of Dustorm Empire' is kinda tickling my mind…"

"Oh…" Soryl understood what was going on. "I am sorry, Largo. I didn't mean to say that."

"Whatever…" Largo said before he realized that Dinus was still here. "Oh, I am sorry, Dinus, for leaving you out of the conversation for so long."

"Don't worry about it, Largo. It's nothing." Dinus said.

"Then, why don't you join us, Dinus?" Terrus said. "I really want to know more about the sacred mountain of Fireview. Can you tell me about it?"

"Gladly." Dinus said. However, before any of them could say anything more, a voice of someone could be heard by all of them.

 _"Oh! Marvelous! Such an extraordinary phenomenon! Like a script of fate written by a wondrous writer of drama and bloodshed! Like a wonderful and tragic play on a stage! Like a foretelling and a prediction of the stars!"_

"C…Crap…" Largo spoke as he heard the voice, as the owner of the voice was someone he didn't want to meet. "W…Why now?"

* * *

 **-At a Small Camp, Somewhere in the Fireview Kingdom…**

"…So, that's what happened to you after you left for the Fireview Volcano." Richard said after Diego told him everything about the incident on the Fireview Volcano, as well as his true inheritance.

"But it's still unbelievable, isn't it?" Rachael spoke up. "In the end, Diego, like Zetarus, turns out to be the member of a Royal Family too!"

"I am NOT a member of any royal family." Diego said. "And, unlike you, Zetarus, I am NOT a prince of Fireview too."

"Um-em." Zetarus nodded to Diego's words, but he didn't actually pay his attention to Diego's words. Instead, his attention was at something else…

"And you are the son of the Volcano Guardian of Fireview…" Richard said.

"And you also have a twin brother too…" Rachael said.

"Well...Yes." Diego nodded.

"…You know…" Richard said. "From what I have heard, you and Zetarus have a story that's very similar to each other…"

"How come?" Diego asked.

"First, you were the wanted criminal of a nation who had an intention to get rid of a certain member of the royal family of that nation…" Richard said. "But in the end, it turned out that both of you are actually the prince of the fellow nation, yet you chose to abandon your birthright and followed your own destination…"

"Maybe…" Diego said. "However, there are some minor difference between Zetarus and I. First, I succeed in killing that certain member of the royal family while Zetarus didn't, at least right now. And, while both of us didn't accept our birthright, Zetarus still considers himself as a part of his royal family while I cut every tie from my royal family. It's like black and white, both are similar to each other, but also completely different from each other, right, Zetarus?"

"Yes… Black and crunchy…" Zetarus said as his attention was on something else, and Diego couldn't bear it anymore.

"STOP STARING AT MY TAIL, YOU MXXXXXXXXXXR!" Diego roared and punched Zetarus' face with a flame-cloaked fist, attacking him with the move Fire Punch!

"Ouch…." Zetarus said as he rubbed where he was punched. "So hot… It burns…"

"Why did you have to keep your eyes on my tail, you axxxxxe?!" Diego spoke with an angry voice. "And I told you NOT TO BITE MY TAIL YOU BASTARD SON OF A B—"

"Say it again and I will bite your tail off, Diego." Zetarus spoke with a serious voice. "I did punish you just because you worried me!"

"Me?! Worried you?!" Diego spoke with a surprised voice. He didn't expect that to come out of Zetarus' mouth.

"You disappeared for an ENTIRED day and came back by unconsciously floating on the sea of magma!" Zetarus said. "Don't you know how much I worried about you?! How much I fear that you wouldn't come back?! Don't you know?!"

"…You are right…" Diego said. "I am sorry for disappearing and coming back in that condition… I was so selfish and I didn't care for your feeling… So… I am truly sorry, Zetarus."

"Well, that tail bite was a punishment to you not to do it again…" Zetarus said. "However…"

"What?" Diego looked at Zetarus.

"…I think the tail of your new body is far more crunchy and tastier than your former body…" Zetarus said and licked his lip. "Can I bite your tail again?"

"WHAT?!" Diego was shocked after he heard Zetarus' request. "NO! DON'T YOU DARE!"

"Come on!" Zetarus said and approached Diego. "I promise that I will be gentle!"

"W…WHAT?!" Diego said as Zetarus touched his tail, and then…

"…If you want to do it, go and find somewhere else to do."

A voice of a Latios turned Zetarus and Diego's attention to Richard, who was now covering Rachael's eyes and ears.

"Oh…" Zetarus quickly got away from Diego. "I am sorry!"

"Sigh…" Richard sighed as he uncovered Rachael's eyes and ears. "You know what? Both of you sound like a pair of couple when both of you quarrel with each other…"

"W…WHAT?!" Diego said. "D…DO NOT SAY SOMETHING LIKE THAT!"

"Welp… Actually, I wouldn't mind…" Zetarus said with a crafty voice.

"ENOUH!" Diego roared and looked at Zetarus with an angry face. "NO MORE ANYTHING LIKE THIS, OKAY?!"

"Fine…" Zetarus said and looked at Diego's tail. "But you'd better watch your back from now on or you may find your tail in my mouth."

"Do it you bastard, I dare you…" Diego spoke with a creepy voice, as if he was trying to hold back his anger.

"…Are you done yet?" Richard spoke with his arm crosses. "Diego, you still haven't told us how did you turn into a Mega Charizard X yet, and how did you survive a fall into that crater."

"Oh, right…" Diego said. "Well… It was the Legendary Pokemon I did mention earlier that saved me."

"Legendary Pokemon?" Rachael said. "The same Legendary Pokemon you said that they saved you from the arena?"

"Yes." Diego said. "And, as you thought, he did offer me to form a pact with him."

"…Holmer told me that he could sense that you are now like us…" Richard said. "So… This means that you accepted his offer, didn't you?"

"Well… It's true that, now that my thirst of vengeance had already been quenched, and I no longer need power…" Diego said. "But it wouldn't be a bad idea to accept this offer…"

"And your body…" Rachael said.

"…It's the price I paid for forming this pact…" Diego said. "My old body had already been destroyed, so I will not be able to turn back into a Charizard anymore, and I also lost my Flying type, but I did gain a new body, a new type of Dragon, as well as an increasing in my power…"

"…Then…" Richard spoke up again. "Who is the Legendary Pokemon that you formed a pact with?"

Diego didn't answer Richard's question with his words, but with a gesture of raising his paw to show everyone his Dragon Relic, the Ring of Ruins. The ring started emitting a mysterious light, and a silhouette of a Legendary Pokemon appeared…

 _'My name is Frostic the Kyurem…'_ A creepy voice echoed from Diego's Ring of Ruins. _'I am the corpse of the Dragon's God… I am the dragon of emptiness… I am the empty shell of the god…'_

Before any of Rachael, Richard and Zetarus could say anything after hearing Frostic's introduction, their Dragon Relics started glowing with a mysterious aura, and then the silhouettes of three Legendary Pokemon suddenly appeared from each Dragon Relics. Upon appearing, the Legendary Pokemon that appeared from Zetarus' Ring of Balance quickly spoke up.

 _'YOU! YOUUU!'_ Zygarde spoke with an angry voice. _'HOW DARE YOU SHOW YOUR FACE TO ME AGAIN?!'_

"What?!" Rachael, Richard, Zetarus and Diego were surprised by Zygarde's hostility toward Frostic, as Zygarde was usually calm, even when Zetarus did something disgusting, but now…

 _'…Zygarde…'_ Frostic mumbled.

 _'How dare you address my name, you monster!'_ Zygarde said. _'What you have done 130 years ago is truly UNACCEPTABLE!'_

Frostic still didn't say anything.

 _'Hm! You are so disgusting that I don't even want to see your face.'_ Zygarde said. It seemed like he had calmed down a bit. _'But do not dare to show your face to me again, understood?'_

After finished speaking, Zygarde's silhouette disappeared into Zetarus' Ring of Balance, leaving three silhouettes and four Pokemon here…

 _'…Well...'_ Holmer spoke up and looked at Frostic. _'The great Frostic, I am glad to see you again.'_

 _'Me too…'_ Ilia spoke up. _'It had been so long since the last time we had a decent conversation with each other.'_

 _'…I remember both of you…'_ Frostic said. _'Both of you once aided the Hero/ine of Legend in their quest of ending the Twilight Crisis, as well as both of you are also my fellow d—'_

 _'A…And…'_ Holmer quickly spoke up. _'I heard that you, like us, also aided the Hero/ine of Legend in their quest of saving the world too.'_

 _'Yes.'_ Ilia said. _'Unlike us, you did aid them to end the Daybreak Crisis instead, right?'_

"Really?!" Rachael said and looked at the silhouette of Frostic. "Frostic-san, you are so cool!"

Frostic didn't anything.

 _'Not only the Daybreak Crisis…'_ Holmer continued speaking. _'But you also aid them during the Fallen Crisis 30 years ago too, right?'_

"Really?!" Rachael asked.

 _'…Yes.'_ Frostic answered. _'I aided the Hero/ine of Legend during their quest to stop the Fallen Crisis 30 years ago.'_

"If that's true, then—" Diego spoke up, but his words were interrupted by Frostic's words.

 _'Yes, I knew your father, Diego.'_ Frostic said. _'And I also knew the father of the Garchomp who sits beside you too. Their names are Leonel and Garland, right?'_

"…" Zetarus and Diego didn't say anything after hearing the name of their fathers.

 _'…Anyway, I forgot to tell you something about the power of Mega Evolution I gave you, Diego…'_ Frostic said.

"What?" Diego looked at the Kyurem that he had formed a pact with.

 _'…Despite I gave you the power of Mega Evolution and turned you into the Mega Charizard X, it didn't turn out very good.'_ Frostic said.

"W…What did you mean by that?!" Diego asked.

 _'Normally, in order for a Pokemon to do the Mega Evolution, they need to possess a Mega Stone of their kind, a Key Stone as a catalyst, and some sort of 'bond'…'_ Frostic explained. _'However, all I did to you was giving you a new power, as well as transferring your soul to your new body. I didn't use either Mega Stone or Key Stone. Moreover, I had to put some part of my power to make the effect of your Mega Evolution permanent. As a result, the power you gained from this Mega Evolution aren't as strong as the normal Mega Evolution. You only gained the increase in your attack stat and special attack stat while your defense stat stays the same as when you were a Charizard. So… Be careful.'_

"That's fine with me." Diego said. "I didn't pay much attention to both my defense stat and special defense stat, as I'd prefer the offensive fight, so I like to have high attack and special attack instead of defense and special defense."

"Me too." Zetarus spoke up. "But I'd prefer having high speed instead as I like attacking the enemy from afar."

"Me too, Zetarus." Richard said. "But, unlike you, I'd prefer special attack over physical attack."

"Well… I…" Rachael said. "I don't like to battle, so I'd prefer to support all of you in a battle instead…"

 _'…If you say so…'_ Frostic said. _'But I kept my promise by keeping those tattoos on your new body.'_

"Yeah… Thanks for that, Frostic." Diego said and looked at the orange tattoos on his black and blue skin.

"So, the one who gave those strange tattoos was your father, right?" Richard spoke up.

"Yes." Diego said. "I really don't know why I didn't stop him from doing so. It's so ugly and strange…"

"And yet you kept it even when you were transferred to your new body…" Richard said.

"But I kinda like them, Diego." Zetarus spoke up. "It also makes you…look tastier…"

"DON'T. YOU. DARE!" Diego grumbled.

 _'…I think it's time for me to go…'_ Frostic spoke up. _'I will leave all of you for now… Good night, everyone.'_

 _'Us too.'_ Holmer and Ilia said. _'Good night, everyone.'_

After they finished speaking, Frostic, Holmer and Ilia disappeared into their respective Dragon Relic (Ring of Ruins for Frostic, Luster Pendant for Holmer and Mist Pendant for Ilia.), leaving Rachael, Richard, Zetarus and Diego here.

"Well… Diego…" Richard spoke up and picked something up to show to the Mega Charizard X. They were two small pieces of ores, one black and one white. "Are they the ore you mentioned?"

Diego took both ores from Richard and started examining them for a few minutes, and then he gave the answer to the Latios. "They are, without doubt, Blancer and Noiria."

"We found quite a few out of both of them during these past five days!" Rachael said.

"And since we have them, could you upgrade our weapons again by using them?" Richard asked.

"Well… I could do it." Diego said. "But it's getting late. You all wouldn't want to hear the sound of forging during your sleep, right? So, I will do it tomorrow, okay?"

"That's fine with me." Richard said. "Well, then, there's one more thing that we need to discuss before we call it a day."

"And what would that be?" Zetarus asked.

"…Since our objectives that led us to Fireview Kingdom were already fulfilled, what will we do next?" Richard asked.

"…I think that…I will go back to the Dustorm Empire…" Zetarus answered. "I need to complete my mission of killing the Emperor of Dustorm Empire, so I have to go back."

"Well…" Diego said. "I don't have anything to do with my revenge is already finished, but I did promise Zetarus that we will help each other, so I will go back to the Dustorm Empire with him too…"

"Glad to have you with me, Diego." Zetarus said before he turned his attention to Rachael and Richard. "What about both of you? Wanna come with us or not?"

"…We don't have any reason to go with both of you…" Richard answered. "But we also don't have any reason not to go with both of you. So… Rachael, I will let you decide…"

"Me?!" Rachael said. "W…Well… Since Zetarus and Diego are our friends, I think we should continue helping them…"

"…Are you really sure that you want to continue travelling with two outlaws?" Zetarus asked.

Rachael was about to answer Zetarus' question, but was stopped when Richard mumbles something…

"I heard that Dustorm Empire has many beautiful cloths for sale, especially at the Sandust Port." Richard mumbled without looking at anyone, but his words couldn't escape Rachael's ears.

"REALLY?!" Rachael looked at her elder brother.

"I don't know…" Richard answered. "But I heard that the Sandust Port of Dustorm Empire has an Opera House too…"

"Yeah, that's right." Zetarus confirmed Richard's words.

"YES!" Rachael said and looked at Zetarus and Diego. "Zetarus, Diego, Onii-chan and I will go to the Dustorm Empire with you for sure!"

A moment of silence followed Rachael's words, and it was broken with a sigh of a Latios, Garchomp and Mega Charizard X.

"Whatever…" Zetarus said. "It's always nice to have someone cooking and guiding us…"

"Yeah!" Rachael said. "All of us will be able to travel together again! Yeah!"

"But there's a little problem…" Diego spoke up. "How could we go to the Dustorm Empire? By foot? Nah… The guards at the checkpoint would immediately recognize the outlaws like Zetarus and I."

"Then, that leaves us with a travelling by ship…" Zetarus spoke up, but Richard shook his head.

"That won't do." Richard said. "Fireview's Coronation Ceremony will end soon, so the Pokemon from other nations will be going back to their home, and they would likely go back by ship. It won't be a good idea for us to take a ship at this moment…"

"Then, what should we do?" Rachael asked.

"There are two ways to solve this." Richard said. "First, we can wait in this nation for at least one week to let the Pokemon from other nations to go back to their home…"

"That won't do…" Diego said. "I don't want to stay here anymore."

"Then… That leaves us with one choice…" Richard said and opened his Chronicle of Daybreak. "According to the record in this Chronicle, there should be a cave that leads us to the Dustorm Empire."

"But wouldn't that cave already be discovered?" Diego asked.

"I don't think so…" Richard said. "The Chronicle said that the entrance of this cave was completely sealed and hid. So, unless they have the exact location of this cave, no one would be able to discover this cave."

"And… Do you?" Diego asked.

"Yes. The Chronicle did have a record of the location of the cave." Richard said. "And we can use it to sneak into the Dustorm Empire undetected."

"Great!" Zetarus said. "Now I will be able to complete my lifetime mission! YAWN…" Zetarus let out a yawn. "I am so sleepy right now… So, I will go to bed right now. Well, see you all tomorrow."

"Me too." Diego said. "See you all tomorrow."

As they spoke, the Garchomp and the Mega Charizard X got themselves into their respective sleeping bag and then quickly fell asleep.

"Rachael, you should go to sleep too." Richard said. "I will keep watching here…"

"Okay!" Rachael said. "Good night, Onii-chan!"

Rachael approached her flower-patterned and got herself into it, before she quickly fell asleep. Right now, the only one left was Richard.

"…" Richard picked up his Chronicle of Daybreak and continued reading it.

With Rachael, Zetarus and Diego were sleeping and Richard was reading his Chronicle, the only sound that could be heard was the sound of burning flame in the middle of the camp, which would soon die out, leaving only a gray ash behind…

* * *

And thus, the journey of burning revenge had come to the end…

And their new journey will start soon at the first light of the next day…

However… The place they would head to… It doesn't lead them to their destination…

But it will lead them to the past…

To the beginning… Of Everything…

And… Soon…

The prophecy… Will come true…

 **-End of Tail 5: Reprisal-**

 **To Be Continued…**

* * *

 **Dragon of Vale: Thus, the fifth tail of this story, Reprisal, have come to the end. The reason behind the name of this tail is very clear, isn't it?**

 **Diego has finished his revenge, and he, along with Zetarus, Rachael and Richard plan to go back to Dustorm Empire to continue his mission… But will things go on as they plan? All I can say is 'The story of living creature's existence is truly unfathomable…'**

 **This tail gave me the same vibe that the second tail gave me, and Diego, who had made an appearance since the second tail, finally got his own tail… (No pun intended.) For me, this tail turns out not too bad. (At least, for me…)**

 **As usual, the next chapter will be the interlude of the fifth tail! And then it will be the start of the sixth tail! I can't really wait to start writing the sixth tail! Because the sixth tail is one of the most important tail of this story, and many major characters will appear in this tail too…**

 **By the way, Rachael, Richard, Zetarus and Diego will all play a major role in the next tail, along with Claura and Xavier from the fourth tail too! However… No, Xavier isn't the protagonist of the sixth tail. The protagonist of the sixth tail will be a new character who had already appeared, but they didn't get a proper introduction. I bet that you wouldn't be able to guess who is the protagonist of the sixth tail…**

 **(Hint: The protagonist of the sixth tail had already appeared once throughout the first five tails of this story, and I hardly told you anything about them, not even a hint about their specie… But… Look at Rachael, Zetarus, Richard, Claura, Diego and even Xavier, as well as the name of this story, before you guess…)**


	50. Tail 5-Interlude: Dayrise and Nightfall

**A Dragon's Tail**

 **Tail 5: Diego's Tail - Reprisal**

 **Tail 5-Interlude: Dayrise and Nightfall**

 _It had been a few weeks since I came to this village of the sun…_

 _It started when I decided to pay a visit to Solar Village's temple of Yggdrasil. However, I did fall unconscious during my prayer, but I was saved by a priestess and a member of Solar Village's Dojo._

 _Because of my frail condition, both of them insisted that I should stay here for a while until I became better…_

 _And now, the time had arrived… The time of my departure…_

 _I must continue my pilgrimage on the continent of Symmetria as the priest who served Goddess Yggdrasil. Moreover, I couldn't bring myself to take more advantage of everyone's kindness like this…_

 _I went to the Temple of Yggdrasil earlier to say farewell to Solar Village's Archbishop, Zira Daystar the Eevee. I also tried to meet the Dojo Master of Solar Village's Dojo, as I hadn't had a privilege to meet him since when I arrived at this village, but it seemed like he was not at the Solar Village right now. Such a shame that I did not even have a chance to meet the great hero who led a group of Hero/ine of Legend during the time of the Fallen Crisis… Maybe it was because I had no merit…_

 _And this would leave me with…_

 _"Oh! There you are!"_

 _A voice of someone whom I want to meet right now echoed into my ears. I turned my attention to the owner of the voice and saw a Lucario in a White Gi walking up to me. He was also accompanied by two other Pokemon, a young Eevee in the priestess robe and a Florges in a sophisticated dress._

 _"Good morning, Ridley, Eva, Katarina." I bowed down to them. "A pleasure to meet all of you here."_

 _"You too." Ridley said. "And I am so glad to see that you have become a lot better than before!"_

 _"All of this is thanks to all of you." I said. "Without your help, I would never recover this fast."_

 _"I…It's nothing…" Eva said. "I… I was just doing what I should do…"_

 _"And you too, Lady Katarina…" I turned my attention to the Florges in a sophisticated dress. "Thank you for visiting me several times during my stay at the Solar Village's Dojo…"_

 _"Tsk. You should be thankful for this!" Katarina said._

 _"By the way…" I looked at Ridley, Zira and Katarina. All of them were holding their respective weapons, which were a wooden pole for Ridley, a staff for Eva, and a fan for Katarina. Moreover, all of them seemed like they had just gone into a battle recently… "What have all of you done? You all look like you have just gone into a war or something…"_

 _"Er… Well…" Ridley said and scratched the back of his head. "We were just going out to patrol the surrounding of this village…"_

 _"Patrol?" I repeat the word I just heard. "Are you parts of the village's defense force?"_

 _"Well… Actually…" Ridley answered. "We are a group of vigilante who protects the Solar Village from the evil beings."_

 _"A group of vigilante?" I said. "Oh, I have never known this before!"_

 _" It's not that big deal…" Ridley said. "Our group only consists of Zira, Katarina and me…"_

 _"Only three?!" I said unbelievably._

 _"Well… It's just that I really want to put my power as the son of the dojo master into a good use…" Ridley said._

 _"And I…" Eva said. "I…It's just that if I accompany Ridley, I would be able to heal the wounds of any injured person we found…"_

 _"I see…" I said and turned my attention to Katarina. "What about you, Lady Katarina? Why did you decide to you this group?"_

 _"Hm! It may not seem like its true, but I actually born in this village…" Katarina answered. "It was because all of my ancestors, as well as my beloved father, once lived on a place known as the Fairy Isle."_

 _"Fairy Isle?" I said. "Ah! I know about this. It is a beautiful island only inhabited by Fairy type Pokemon, right?"_

 _"Well… It was once…" Katarina said. "But now, the Fairy Isle is no more… And it was because of the Fallen Crisis 30 years ago…"_

 _"The Fallen Crisis?" I said. "If I remember correctly, due to the Fallen Crisis, the continent of Symmetria was twisted and drastically changed, such as the area that's now Theocracy of Venturnome was once on the east of the continent, and the area that's now the Shadowlost Territory was once an island south of mainland Symmetria…"_

 _"Yes." Katarina said. "And for the Fairy Isle, it suffered greatly because the Fallen Crisis had caused it to move north to the sea that divides Shadowlost from Fireview…"_

 _"Oh…" I said. "That sea…"_

 _"Yes. The acidic sea known as the 'Sea of Death'…" Katarina said. "The undersea volcanoes of that sea expelled an extensive amount of poisonous gases, such as sulfur, making the sea itself very dangerous. The Fairy Isle, being located on the Sea of Death, was greatly affected by the poisonous gases expelled by the undersea volcanoes, and turned into a dreadful place that's lethal to most Pokemon, especially Fairy type and Grass type Pokemon…"_

 _"…" I carefully listened to the Florges' story._

 _"So, everyone on the Fairy Isle decided to migrate from their own home to the south, until we reach Theocracy of Venturnome, where we started a new life here…" Katarina said. "My beloved father and mother chose to settle in this peaceful Solar Village, and this is also where I was born…"_

 _"…I am so sorry to hear that, Lady Katarina…" I said. "It must be a very painful memory…"_

 _"Oh, you are now offering your mercy to me?" Katarina said._

 _"Oh, I didn't mean to hurt your feeling…" I said. "Please accept my words of apologizing."_

 _"Hmpt! As a daughter of Theocracy of Venturnome's magistrate, I accept your apology!" Katarina said._

 _"Anyway…" Ridley spoke up. "The old Fairy Isle, while being greatly tainted, is now a living place for the Poison type Pokemon who escaped from the Principality of Leafburg during the War of Jasmine."_

 _"Ah!" I started to realize about this. "Then, the Fairy Isle from the past is now today's Venom Island, right?"_

 _"Bingo!" Katarina said. "This is why I don't feel very bad about the Fairy Isle being tainted, as it is now a safe haven to other Pokemon, where they can live peacefully without any fear."_

 _"Speak of that…" Ridley spoke up. "Another reason why I started our vigilante group was because I want this village to be a safe haven where everyone could live together in harmony. I wanted to follow my father's step of keeping the realm saved, like what he did 30 years ago…"_

 _"That's such a noble cause, Ridley." I said before I remembered something. "By the way, Ridley, where is your father? I went to visit him a moment ago, only to find that he isn't there. Do you have any idea about where he is?"_

 _"Well… I don't think we would come back soon…" Ridley answered. "A moment ago, an urgent message from the capital had arrived. It seemed like the Archsage of Venturnome has summoned my father to the capital of Venturnome, and she wanted him to come as soon as possible"_

 _"Archsage of Venturnome?" I thought back to a Mewtwo whom I had met a few months ago. "Did you mean Archsage Iris?"_

 _"You know her?!" Katarina asked with an unbelievable voice._

 _"Yes. I met her when I was in the capital of this nation." I answered. "She was the one who helped me while I was there and suggested me to go on a pilgrimage."_

 _"Wow!" Katarina said. "You have met Archsage Iris in person! You must be very lucky to have met her!"_

 _"But speaking of a pilgrimage…" Ridley spoke up. "The way you are dressing… Are you going to continue your pilgrimage?"_

 _"Yes, of course." I answered. "I have completely recovered, and as a servant of Goddess Yggdrasil, I must continue my pilgrimage on the continent of Symmetria. This is also the reason why I wished to meet your father, as well as all of you, before I leave."_

 _"A…Are you sure that you are r…ready to continue your p…pilgrimage?" Eva asked with a worried voice._

 _"Of course, priestess Eva." I answered._

 _"Well, then…" Ridley spoke up. "Where is your next destination?"_

 _"At first, I planned to go to the Principality of Leafburg…" I answered. "But a while ago, I spoke to Archbishop Zira, and she suggested that I should pay a visit to the Tower of the God."_

 _"Tower of the God!" Ridley said. "That's one of the most memorable places on the continent of Symmetria! You should definitely visit this place!"_

 _"Yes." I nodded to the Lucario's words. "It's the place where the final battle of the War of the God III, right? The battle took place on the top of the tower, with a clash of Hero/ine of Legend and a Demon Lord."_

 _"Yes." Ridley said. "It had been over a century since that day… Almost 150 years… But I still really appreciated the act of the Hero/ine of Legend who saved us from the darkness at that time…"_

 _"Me too…" I nodded to Ridley's words. "That's also why I want to visit that place, other than the Tower of the God being a place that was built to worship the God Arceus."_

 _"If that's so…" Ridley said. "Then, the Dayrise will accompany you on your journey to Tower of the God."_

 _"The Dayrise?" I repeated the word that I had just heard._

 _"It's the name of our vigilante group." Katarina answered. "We chose this name because the main objective of our group is to vanquish the evilness and creates a peaceful place where everyone can live together in harmony, just like the sun that ends a dreadful night and turned it into a day."_

 _"That's a nice name." I said. "But did you say that you all will accompany me on my journey to the Tower of the God?"_

 _"Of course." Ridley said. "The Tower isn't very far from the village, and we all could use this opportunity to patrol the surrounding area too!"_

 _"M…Moreover…" Eva spoke up. "I…If anything happens to you, I…I would feel very bad for l…let you go alone…"_

 _"That's very kind of all of you…" I said sincerely. "Very well, then… I accept your offer."_

 _"Right!" Ridley said. "But first, all of us need to prepare for our journey. So… Would it be alright if you delay your departure for one day?"_

 _"It's not a problem at all!" I answered. "Take your time. We can live at the first light of tomorrow."_

 _"Thanks." Ridley, Eva and Katarina said. "Now, then… Let's go back to the Dojo and get ourselves prepared for—"_

 _"Oh! There you are!"_

 _A voice came from a Machoke who was running up to where we were. I remembered this Machoke. He was one of the apprentices at the Solar Village's Dojo._

 _"Hm?" Ridley turned his attention to the Machoke. "Did something emergency happen?!"_

 _"Well… Not that…" The Machoke said. "It's just that there's a group of Pokemon who wants to meet you."_

 _"A group of Pokemon… who wants to meet me?" Ridley asked._

 _"Yes." The Machoke said. "They want to meet the son of Solar Village's Dojo, as well as the daughter of the Archbishop."_

 _"M…Me too?!" Zira asked._

 _"Yes." The Machoke said._

 _"What kind of those Pokemon who want to meet Eva and I?" Ridley asked._

 _"Well… They are a group of travelers who have just arrived from the Queendom of Riverbrine on boat…" The Machoke answered. "They consist of a Scyther, a Sceptile, a Heliolisk, an Aggron and a Feraligatr…"_

 _"…Scyther… Sceptile… Heliolisk… Aggron… and Feraligatr…" Ridley mumbled. "Wait… Not counting the Scyther… All of them are the species of…"_

 _"Ridley?" Eva looked at the Lucario._

 _"…Let's go, Eva." Ridley spoke up. He seemed to suddenly become serious after hearing the Machoke's words. "We shouldn't keep them waiting for long."_

 _"W…Wait!" Eva said as Ridley started walking toward the direction of the dojo without waiting for her and anyone else. She then quickly followed the Lucario, and the Machoke followed them afterward, leaving the Florges and me here._

 _"Hm… Ridley…" Katarina mumbled. "Always getting yourself hype without any particular reason… That's just like you…"_

 _"Lady Katarina?" I said._

 _"I think I will follow them…: Katarina said. "What about you? Will you come with me or not?"_

 _"Well… I think that I shouldn't…" I answered. "This seems like some serious matter, so I don't think that they would want someone like me to involve with. I think I will go to the church to give my daily pray to Goddess Yggdrasil instead."_

 _"That's fine." Katarina said. "Then, see you soon!"_

 _"Me too, Lady Katarina." I said._

* * *

 **"WWWHHHHHAAAAAAAAAATTTTTT?!"**

 **I roared after seeing what's in front of me. It was the thing that I had never expected that it could happen…**

 **"Master?" One of my minions approached me. "What's the meaning of this?!"**

 **"It's our experiment!" I roared. "I tried to create a virus that would help us in our conquest of those who bathed in the sacred light, but LOOK AT THIS!"**

 **"Not only the experimental specie doesn't die, but he also turns into… what should I call it?" My minions looked at what's in front of me and spoke his opinion.**

 **"…Ugh!" I held my head in frustration. Seeing this time really brought back something that I wished that I would never remember again, but… Seeing something like that in front of me right now…**

 **"RRRRRAAAAAAWWWWRRRR!" I suddenly roared out as I held my head. The frustration in my head suddenly became so strong, and it's almost unbearable for me!**

 **"M…Master?!" My minion said. "A…Are you alright?!"**

 **"DOES IT LOOK LIKE I AM ALRIGHT?!" I roared.**

 **"I…I am sorry, master." My minion apologized.**

 **"WHATEVER!" I roared before I turned my attention to the source of my frustration, which was in front of me the whole time.**

 **"What should we do with him, master?" My minion asked. "Do you want to stab this creature with your Dusk Trident?"**

 **"…No." I answered. "…Dispose him."**

 **"Very well…" My minion said. "How should we dispose him, master? Do you want us to tear his soul from his body and then—"**

 **"That's not necessary." I answered. "With the effect of the viruses I injected into his body, he won't survive long, and even if he does, no one would…accept him anyway. He is now the creature that the god never cares. He is now what everyone called the abomination… He is now… not different than me…"**

 **"Master?" My minion spoke up as he couldn't hear the last sentence of me because I lowered my voice as I said it out.**

 **"…Never mind." I said. "Just throw him into a deep valley somewhere. If he's lucky, he would die as he crashes onto the bottom of the valley, but if he doesn't… No one would ever find him there, and all he could do is waiting for the moment of his death."**

 **"Certainly." My minion bowed at me. "Your order shall be carried on."**

 **"…Now, I must be going." I said as I walked toward the door. "Make sure that you finish this task before I came back, or else…"**

 **After I finished speaking, I left my private laboratory.**

 **In order to go back to my private quarter, I need to pass it again…**

 **A hall of mirror…**

 **Normally, I don't have any problem walking across a hall with mirrors on each side of my body. I don't mind the mirrors. I don't mind the reflection of myself… Even if the picture I saw on those mirrors were… Well… For me, I wouldn't say that, but for anyone else, it would be VERY easy for them to wet their bed after seeing the reflection of my body, let alone seeing my body. Well… It's true that the appearance of the Pokemon of my specie was quite scary… But… For me… I am not the same as everyone of my specie… I was different, and my appearance was much scarier than any Pokemon one would have seen… Not that I cared about it anyway…**

 **But for now, I need to walk across a mirror hall. I hated to walk across this hall because… Every time I did, something would stick in my head, and it would feel like my soul was transferred into a body of another Pokemon…**

 **Anyway… I had to go…**

 **I slowly walked across the mirror hall. A thousand reflections of my body appeared on those mirrors. I ignored those reflections and continued walking until I reached the end of the mirror hall…**

 **But then…**

 **"Arr…" I suddenly felt something trying to invade my head. "Again… Arr…"**

 **The very same feeling started flowing into my head… However, the thing that appeared in my head wasn't the same as the thing I felt before…**

 **This time… It was…**

* * *

 **"Ah! Like stars gathering together to form a constellation! Like actors and actresses who meet up with each others to perform such a dramatic show! Tonight is going to be a memorable night for all of us!"**

 **"So… The prince of Venturnome, could you tell us the reason you want all of us to come here, on the lonely corridor of the Palace of Flame?"**

 **"Largo is right. The banquet is still going on. We shouldn't leave the hall very long."**

 **"The show can't be rushed, Prince Largo, Princess Natasha. We still need two more actors to make this show PERFECT!"**

 **"…Two more? You summoned Terrus, Natasha, Largo, Fenrir Jr., Dinus, and I, Soryl, here without telling us anything…"**

 **"Ah! Like the scripted fate foretelling by the stars, there they are!"**

 **"…"**

 **"…"**

 **"Chronos?!"**

 **"Princess Misvale?!"**

 **"Dinus?! What are you doing here?! And… Who are those Pokemon?"**

 **"…My name is Princess Natasha Venomist the Dragalge. I am the first princess of the Dustorm Empire."**

 **"I am Prince Largo Boneskull the Alolan Marowak. I am the second prince of the Dustorm Empire."**

 **"My name Prince Terrus Quakersand the Garchomp. I am the first prince, as well as the crown prince, of the Dustorm Empire."**

 **"I am Soryl Hurricloud the Aerodactyl. I am just a Pokemon from the Windsky Plateau who's the bodyguard of Prince Terrus here."**

 _ **"…My name is Fenrir Illunight Jr. the Zoroark. I am the son of the Shadowlost Territory's chancellor…"**_

 **"And for me?! Like the hidden stars on the southern sphere of the shining stars above the world inhabited by the creatures name Pokemon, I am destined to play the role as the one who bears the royal blood of—"**

 **"Well… He's the crown prince of the Theocracy of Venturnome."**

 **"Thanks for shutting him up, Dinus. He is so annoying…"**

 **"And you are?"**

 **"My name is Chronos Orestone the Tyrantrum. I am the friend of Dinus Novaflare the Charizard over here. We both are the apprentices of the Volcano Guardian."**

 **"Very well… Chronos, may I ask you, why is the princess of Riverbrine with you right now?"**

 **"I found her at the Stone Ravine, so I took care of her until she recovered…"**

 **"And… Princess Misvale, why did you come to the Fireview Kingdom?"**

 **"…My mother… Queen Nyxier… She told me to escape the Queendom of Riverbrine here… She told me to find a boat and take a refuge in the Shadowlost Territory… But I lost my consciousness while I was crossing the Stone Ravine… And if Sir Chronos didn't come to my aid… I will probably die out there…"**

 **"…I am sorry to hear that, Princess Misvale. But anyway, I am also glad to see that you are safe."**

 **"It's such a tragic story, Princess Misvale, but at least, the constellation of Legend, which consisted of two sub-constellations of Dayrise and Nightfall, with the shiniest star that links both sub-constellations together to form the constellation of Legend, is able to welcome one more member of it!"**

 **"What did you mean by that?"**

 **"Don't you see what the fate has brought here today? Right here, we have the Star of Darkness, the Star of Dusk, the Star of Spirit, the Star of Flame, the Star of Ancient, the Star of Snow, the Star of Earth, and the Star of Sky. All of them are forming into the sub-constellation of Nightfall near the North Celestial Pole of the sky, while the Star of Light, the Star of Dawn, the Star of Life, the Star of Forest, the Star of Insect, the Star of Thunder, the Star of Techno, and the Star of Ocean are forming into the sub-constellation of Dayrise near the South Celestial Pole of the sky. And the Star of Magic, which is linking the sub-constellation of Dayrise and the sub-constellation Nightfall to each other to create the constellation of Legend, is now located near the sub-constellation of Nightfall, far from its usual location, which was near the sub-constellation of Dayrise. Don't you see what the star is trying to tell us?"**

 **"…Da fuq?"**

 **"…The 'Stars' he mentioned are actually the Hero/ine of Legend… Such as the Star of Earth is me, Terrus Quakersand the Garchomp, as I hold the power of the Hero of Ground type after the Succession Ceremony."**

 **"Then, I must be the Star of Sky, as I, Soryl Hurricloud the Aerodactyl, was the Hero of Flying type after… that day."**

 _ **"…While I am still not, I, Fenrir Illunight Jr. the Zoroark, will soon inherit the title of the Hero of Dark type from my mother… So… I am the Star of Darkness…"**_

 **"…After the incident on the Fireview Volcano, I, Dinus Novaflare the Charizard, am the Hero of Fire type, so I must be the Star of Flame."**

 **"…After the death of the queen of Riverbrine, I, Misvale Tundrafrost the Aurorus, am now the Heroine of Ice type, as well as the Star of Snow."**

 **"…I don't understand this, but it seems like I, Chronos Orestone the Tyrantrum, am now the Hero of Rock type… The Star of Ancient, maybe? I really don't know how did I become one… I just woke up and found that I was already the Hero of Legend, with the Mark of Legend on the back of my paw and the Sacred Weapon by my side…"**

 **"But what about Largo and I? We aren't the Hero/ine of Legend like all of you."**

 **"…Natasha… Don't you remember? The Left Empress of the Dustorm Empire, Empress Sharon Venomist the Dragalge, was the Hero of Poison type. You, being her firstborn child, will someday inherit the title of the Heroine of Poison from her…"**

 **"So… It means that I, Natasha Venomist the Dragalge, is actually the Heroine of Poison type… So I must be the Star of Dusk…"**

 **"What about me?! I am not the Hero of Legend, my mother wasn't one, and it was Terrus who inherited our father's title, not me."**

 **"Prince Largo Boneskull the Alolan Marowak, you are the one who also carries the Blood of Legend within your veins. You are the one who's destined to carry on the burden of saving the fate of the world, you are—"**

 **"Whatever! Does this mean that I am also the Hero of Legend too?!"**

 _ **"…I am sure that the Prince of Venturnome wouldn't call you for no reason, Prince Largo of Dustorm…"**_

 **"I…If that's true, t…then… W…What type of Hero of Legend I am?!"**

 **"…Judge by the process of elimination, as well as your type as the Alolan Marowak, I think you, Largo Boneskull the Alolan Marowak, must be…the Hero of Ghost type… And you are the Star of Spirit…"**

 **"I am the Hero of Ghost type?! I don't believe this! I mean, unlike you all here, I don't have any Mark of Legend and the Sacred Weapon…"**

 **"The star never tells the lie, the Prince of Spirit. You are indeed the one who carries the Blood of Legend within your veins. You are indeed the one with the Star of Spirit. You are indeed—"**

 **"So… I am truly the Hero of Legend… And, like Natasha and Fenrir Jr., my power hasn't been awakened yet… I have never guessed that it could happen… I mean… Terrus and Natasha are one, but I don't think that I would ever become one too…"**

 **"Now that Terrus, Largo and I are all Hero/ine of Legend… I start to feel bad for Freya… She is the only one who will never become the Heroine of Legend."**

 **"Don't forget about—"**

 **"Not that GUY, Terrus. Not him."**

 **"Anyway, 9 Hero/ine of Legend are gathering here… And... According to the Venturnome Prince's words, 8 other Hero/ine of Legend are gathering somewhere south…"**

 **"…All Hero/ine of Legend are gathering together by the tide of fate… This won't be a very good sight, right? Every time the Hero/ine of Legend were brought together… It always meant that…"**

 **"…The new crisis is beckoning toward the world of Pokemon."**

 **"A new crisis?! You like the Fallen Crisis 30 years ago?!"**

 **"The words you have just spoken out is far from the ugly truth we have, the Princess of Riverbrine, like a story that's concealing the plot twist at the end."**

 **"What do you mean, the Prince of Venturnome?"**

 **"The new crisis that's beckoning toward the world of Pokemon, like the sequel to a story, is far more extreme and more drastic than what happened during the ribald tale of the fallen one 30 years ago."**

 **"You mean that the crisis this time will be far crueler than the Fallen Crisis 30 years ago?!"**

 **"Unlike the villains on the stage, the stars never tell the lie."**

 **"…And what did the stars tell you?"**

 **"…The North Polaris Star turns south, and the South Polaris Star turns north. Such an unnatural phenomenon, along with the gathering of 17 Stars of Legend, is one of the prophecies that the stars are trying to tell us!"**

 **"…I don't understand anything you told me anyway…"**

 **"…Prince of Venturnome, do you have any idea about the source of the upcoming crisis? What kind of demon that we must defeat this time?"**

 **"Hm… Like the revelation of the drama, we will never know the truth unless the story goes on to the climax point of the story."**

 **"Didn't the stars tell you anything?"**

 **"…Recently, like the recurring characters within the story, something that didn't appear before had appeared in the celestial sphere. They are… the Void Spots."**

 **"The Void Spots?"**

 **"Yes. I could spot ten Void Spots in the celestial sky above us. Right now, four of them are located very close to the sub-constellation of Nightfall. Two more are located a bit east of the first four Void Spots. Two more are located to the east of the former two Void Spots, which they are moving close to each others. One more is located southeast of the first eight Void Spots, and the last one is located at the center of the celestial sphere, in the middle of the sub-constellation of Dayrise and the sub-constellation of Nightfall."**

 **"I still don't understand…"**

 **"There's one more thing that you all must know, like an actor that has to study their role before they step onto the stage. It's the prophecy written by the missing Pontifex of Venturnome, Pontifex Hawkins Gale-norval the Lugia."**

 **"A prophecy… from Pontifex Hawkins?"**

 **"Like the writer who has already known the end of the story, Pontifex Hawkins is a clairvoyant. He could see what would happen in the future. However, like the script of fate, he couldn't do anything to stop what would happen. What he could do is to soften the effect of the action. That's the real reason why he decided to give the title of the Hero of Flying type to you in advance, Soryl Hurricloud the Aerodactyl."**

 **"You would say that Pontifex Hawkins knows that he would die soon?!"**

 **"Sadly, like the moment after the shocking revelation, I must say that what I told you is the truth., and the stars proved my words even further. Right now, 14 Stars of Legend that once shined very bright on the celestial sphere 30 years ago are now very dim. Some of them even lost their light and disappeared within the darkness."**

 **"…If this is true, then… Did Pontifex Hawkins see something other than his own death?"**

 **"Like a very sharp reader who could see through the plot of the story, he could see the upcoming crisis too, and he said that the cause of the crisis will be… himself."**

 **"What?! Pontifex Hawkins will be the one who will start the new crisis?!"**

 **"I am just a poor reader. I couldn't see through what he told me, but he also told me that he will start the new crisis, and the crisis would go on by ten demons that will be risen from death. These ten demons… They will plague the realm of Pokemon with their wrath, until the world of Pokemon… comes to the end…"**

 **"Ten demons?! Wait… You did tell us about… ten Void Spots on the sky…"**

 **"I believe that the ten demons he mentioned are also the same being as the ten Void Spots on the celestial sphere."**

 **"…So… It means that, among 'Ten Demons', four of them are very near to us, two of them are in the eastern Fireview Kingdom, and two more are at somewhere to the east of Fireview Kingdom… Maybe in the Snow Part of Queendom of Riverbrine… One of them is at the southeast of Fireview Kingdom… That would be the Republic of Civilight… And the last one is at the center of Symmetria… But the center of Symmetria is a deep valley in the Dustorm Empire that's so barren and harsh that no one could survive there…"**

 **"The stars never tell a lie, Dustorm Prince."**

 **"Then, what should we do next?"**

 **"Unfortunately, there's nothing that we could do right now. All we could do is wait for the crisis to arrive upon us. We couldn't prevent it from happening, but at least, we could finish it as soon as we can."**

 **"…Understood. As the crown prince of Dustorm Empire, as well as the Hero of Ground type, I vowed that I shall protect the world from this crisis, no matter what I must do."**

 **"Me too! Pontifex Hawkins had been so kind to me, and he even gave his power to me, so I vowed that I shall follow his step!"**

 _ **"…Well… Since my mother was once the Hero of Legend, I, toll, shall save the world…"**_

 **"M…Me too… My mother may have already departed, but I shall follow her step as the Heroine of Ice type…"**

 **"Well… If Misvale says so… Despite I know nothing of my origin, I shall help in the way I can."**

 **"…As the son of the Volcano Guardian, I already vowed that I will follow his step, and I will continue to do so."**

 **"…While I am still not the Heroine of Poison type, I vowed that I will aid all of you too."**

 **"Hm! Since everyone here already said something, so I, too, vow that I shall vanquish the evil from the realm!"**

 **"And here… Like the writer who writes the last chapter of an arch, my work here is finished."**

 **"Hm? You called us here just to tell us about all of this?!"**

 **"Like actors and actresses at the final minutes, I must tell all of you to be prepared for the future. And now, after tomorrow, I will need to go back to the south to relay the same message of the sub-constellation of Dayrise there., as I am the Star of Magic, the star that is linking the sub-constellation of Dayrise and the sub-constellation of Nightfall with each other. Without me, both sub-constellations would be torn apart, and the constellation of Legend will never be finished…"**

 **"…Before you go, Prince of Venturnome, can I ask you one more question?"**

 **"Go on, Dustorm Prince."**

 **"…You did mention the Star of Light, Dawn, Life, Forest, Insect, Thunder, Techno, Ocean, Darkness, Dusk, Spirit, Flame, Ancient, Snow, Earth, Sky and Magic… All of them are the equivalent to the Hero/ine of Fighting, Normal, Fairy, Grass, Bug, Electric, Steel, Water, Dark, Poison, Ghost, Fire, Rock, Ice, Ground, Flying and Psychic type, right? However, there's one more type that you didn't mention…"**

 **"Ah! You mean the last Star of Legend, right? Well, unfortunately, I am unable to locate the star you mentioned anywhere in the celestial sphere…"**

 **"And what does it mean?"**

 **"…Either there will be only 17 Hero/ine of Legend in the time of this crisis… Or something else…"**

 **"Something else?"**

 **"…Like the producer of a stage drama, I am unable to reveal what's on my mind right now, as I don't have any evidence of my suspicions. It may be right… or not."**

 **"…"**

 **"Anyway, every show needs to have the ending, and today's show is not above the exception. Therefore, I hereby end the meeting today, right here. Have a good night, everyone. Certain Call."**

* * *

 **"What the heck?!"**

 **I recovered from the hallucination. This time, I didn't enter someone's mind, but it seemed like I was sent to somewhere else to witness… Something…**

 **"The upcoming crisis?" I mumbled, and a creepy smile appeared on my face. "Very well… Then…"**

 **I continued walking until I reach the end of the mirror hall. Once I got out of the mirror hall, one of my minions approached me.**

 **"Please excuse me for my sudden approaching." My minion said. "I come here to report that I have already carried on your order by disposing the failed experimental specie as you commanded."**

 **"Good work, my minion…" I said. "I knew that I can count on you."**

 **"And now, if you excuse me…" My minion said before he walked away.**

 **"Another work finished…" I mumbled as I continued walking upstairs until I reached my private quarter. After entering the room, I sat down on a chair and continued working on my work, which was just a little calculation of something…**

 **"I must do it… I shall be the one who conquer the world, and the world shall fall under my rule. I will show everyone the true meaning of shadow! RRRAAAAWWWRRR!"**

 **To Be Continued…**

* * *

 **Dragon of Vale: Sorry for a bit late update. I was busy with my midterm test.**

 **Anyway, this interlude is much longer than the average interlude, even longer than some other chapters in my story! And it also reveals a lot of story…**

 **Anyway, the next chapter shall be the first chapter of the sixth tail! I can't wait to write this one! Because it will be the start of the 'real' story of A Dragon's Tail! (Well… The first five tails are actually just the introductions! The 'real' story will start in the sixth tail! Moreover, this story hasn't gone pass its half-point yet!)**


	51. Tail 6-1: A Dragon in Black

**A Dragon's Tail**

 **Tail 6: Baromyteus' Tail - Deception**

 **Tail 6-1: A Dragon in Black**

 _30 years ago, there was a great crisis happened on the continent of Symmetria…_

 _It was the Fallen Crisis…_

 _The name of the Fallen Crisis came from what happened during its occurrence… During the Fallen Crisis, several undead creatures appeared from deep within the ground and plagued the continent of Symmetria, under the command of their master…_

 _Those creatures were called 'Fallen', as they were the corpse of the Pokemon who had fallen to their oblivion who were raised from death against the law of nature…_

 _The Fallen had no mind of their own, because they were just the empty shells, working only for the one who commanded them…_

 _Their master was… the Fallen Dragon…_

 _What is the Fallen Dragon? There was no record of what it is other than it was the demon dragon who was imprisoned under the continent of Symmetria for committing a great crime to the world of Pokemon…._

 _What did it do to deserve such a miserable fate? No one knew the answer…_

 _However, there were several records that it tried to plague the world of Pokemon by sending the Fallen over to the land for many times…_

 _What was the Fallen Dragon's intention of plaguing the world of Pokemon? There was no answer to this… Maybe it wanted to rule the world… Maybe it just wanted to be freed… Or maybe it was envious for those who bathed in the sacred light while it had to stay within the darkness under the surface for eternity..._

 _Regardless, its action of raising the fallen against the law of nature was considered to be a great danger to the world of Pokemon, especially to the continent of Symmetria, so the Hero/ine of Legend, the protectors of the world of Pokemon, were chosen to be the one who stopped the disaster before it turned the continent of Symmetria into ruins…_

 _The group of the Hero/ine of Legend that were chosen to stop the Fallen Crisis consisted of 16 Pokemon. They were the Hero of Justice, the Purity Cleric, the Forest Swordsman, the Lightning Thief, the Ocean Pirate, the Volcano Guardian, the Master of Mercy, the Diamond-dust Valkyrie, the Techno Knight, the Ancient Gladiator, the Toxic Ranger, the Black Sniper, the Sorceress of Existence, the White Bard, as well as two more Pokemon…_

 _All of them fought valiantly to stop the invasion of the Fallen, even at the greatest moment of despair when the eternal winter had veiled over the continent of Symmetria as a result of the Fallen being the creatures against the law of nature, resulting into the continent of Symmetria being turned into ruins…_

 _But they never gave up…_

 _The continued their struggle until they reached the lair of the Fallen Dragon, preparing to finish the Fallen Crisis once and for all…_

 _Only to discover the unexpected truth…_

 _It was about the last two Hero/ine of Legend who were travelling with them and helped them in their mission…_

 _They were not the Hero/ine of Legend…_

 _But they were the faithful servants of the Fallen Dragon!_

 _They were the one who was responsible for many actions during the Fallen Crisis…_

 _They manipulated many incidents during the Fallen Crisis, under the command of the Fallen Dragon…_

 _They befriended the Hero/ine of Legend with their lies and deceptions to fool them, allowing them to execute so many unforgivable crimes to the continent of Symmetria…_

 _And then, at the final moment of the mission, they stabbed the Hero/ine of Legend in their back, before revealing their true intention to those who were once their comrades…_

 _The sudden revelation gave a significant impact to the Hero/ine of Legend… All of them had never thought that thing would turn out like this. Nevertheless, they had no choice but to forget their pain and moved on…_

 _They had to eliminate the one who stood within their path, including their comrades…_

 _And in the end, they were able to defeat their comrades and eradicate the Fallen Dragon from the continent of Symmetria, thus ended the Fallen Crisis right here…_

 _After the end of the Fallen Crisis, the 14 remaining Hero/ine of Legend devoted themselves in rebuilding the ruins continent into a prosperous continent once again…_

 _At the end of their task, the Hero/ine of Legend will return to their home, and lived their life as an ordinary Pokemon… Until the time when they were needed again…_

 _The Hero of Justice returned to his hometown, which was the Solar Village in the Theocracy of Venturnome, and became the Dojo Master there, teaching his skill to everyone there, including his son who one day will inherit his legacy…_

 _The Purity Cleric lived her life quietly in the Republic of Civilight, but she was forced to flee to the Solar Village when the Civilusion War broke out, where she devoted herself as the servant of Goddess Yggdrasil and became the Archbishop of Solar Village's Church…_

 _The Forest Swordsman disappeared into the deep forest of the Principality of Leafburg and lived his life quietly until the last moment of his life, where the lust of power had guided him to the path of death…_

 _The Lightning Thief wished to live his life quietly in the capital city of the Republic of Civilight, but fate had turned him into a tool for one's ambition, which he later atoned in with his death…_

 _The Ocean Pirate lived his life as a happy-go-lucky merchant in the Queendom of Riverbrine, but he later disappeared, and when he was found once again, he was at the last moment of his life…_

 _The Volcano Guardian continued serving the God of Volcano in the Fireview Kingdom, and he would later perish by the wrath of the deity he served…_

 _The Master of Mercy reunited the Pokemon of her clan and found the nation of the Shadowlost Territory, as well as becoming its chancellor…_

 _The Diamond-dust Valkyrie lived her life normally at first, until the War of the Snowlost Plateau broke out, and when the Queendom of Riverbrine was found, she was chosen to be its queen. However, the wealth and the power she got from being a queen had corrupted her soul, and she had to atone it… with her death…_

 _The Techno Knight wished to live his life quietly in the Republic of Civilight too, but during the Civilusion War, he was captured and being used as an experimental specie. He was later freed from his miserable life by his own son…_

 _The Ancient Gladiator continued living with his wife peacefully, and when she became the queen of Ice and Water, he was made her personal knight. However, he was disgusted by the queen's corruption and left her. His whereabouts had been unknown since then…_

 _The Toxic Ranger, following her husband, became the Empress of the Dustorm Empire. She then gave birth to many children, all whom she loved so dearly. However, she later passed away due to the illness…_

 _The Black Sniper became the Emperor of Dustorm Empire, and he made the desert nation to become the most powerful nation on the continent of Symmetria. However, after the lost of his wives, he never was the same again…_

 _The Sorceress of Existence became the Archsage of Theocracy of Venturnome, where she guided the path of the continent to the road of peace and prosperous, in hope that she would never have to see the continent of Symmetria being turned into ruins again…_

 _The White Bard became the Pontifex of the Theocracy of Venturnome, and with the guide of his beloved wife, he was able to make the sacred nation to become a peaceful place where everyone could live together in harmony. Unfortunately, he was now unable to do his job anymore…_

 _With the protections from 14 Hero/ine of Legend, peace had returned to the continent of Symmetria once again…_

 _But…_

 _What about those two?_

 _Those two Pokemon who faithfully served the Fallen Dragon and stabbed the Hero/ine of Legend in the back?_

 _What happened to them?_

 _Did the Hero/ine of Legend kill them? Or did they spare their lives out of pity?_

 _No one knew the answer…_

 _However, there's one thing that everyone knew…_

 _Both of them were now the traitors of the world of Pokemon…_

 _They were the renegades…_

 _They will be cursed and damned for eternity…_

 _For the rest…_

 _Of their lives…_

* * *

"CLLANNKKK!"

"ARGGR!"

A Pokemon fell down onto the ground. His body was soaked with his own blood, which was now spilling non-stop from the wounds he had just gotten.

"Pitiful…" A strong and daunting voice came from someone who was standing in front of him, holding his weapon in his paws. His weapon was now stained with the blood of the Pokemon in front of him.

"Y…You…" The injured Pokemon spoke up with a shaking voice as he looked at the Pokemon in front of him. It's impossible to tell what kind of Pokemon he was as he wore a black armor suit covered his body, including his tail, and his head was covered with a black horned helmet. His body also emitted a sinister aura that made everyone around here felt uneasy about him, like a prey that was at the mercy of the predator…

"You miserable creature…" The Pokemon in the black armor suit spoke up again. "How… DARE YOU DO SOMETHING LIKE THIS TO HER?!"

"W..Wait! I am sorry! I wasn't thinking!" The injured Pokemon spoke with a shaking voice. "P…Please forgives me!"

"You pathetic…" The Pokemon in the black armor suit continued speaking. "Don't you know what are the things I hate most? They are lie and deception… And you… YOU JUST DID IT RIGHT BEHIND MY SIGHT!"

"P…Please forgives me!" The injured Pokemon pled. "I…I will double… No… Triple your gold if y… you let me go! Please!"

"Heh!" The Pokemon in the black armor suit snarled at the injured Pokemon in front of him. "Do you think that I am just a sloppy mercenary who only cared for gold?!"

"N…No…" The injured Pokemon spoke. "I… I didn't mean that…"

"WHATEVER!" The Pokemon in the black armor suit roared and raised his weapon. "YOUR TIME IS OVER! DIE, YOU MISERABLE CREATURE!"

"NOOO!"

"SHINK!"

A sound of something piercing through the chest could be heard if there was anyone else around here, but there was no sound of roar in pain as the one who was attacked was now lying lifelessly in front of the Pokemon in the black armor suit.

"Pathetic!" The Pokemon in the black armor suit put away his weapon before he walked up to another Pokemon behind the lifeless corpse of the Pokemon he had just killed. She was a slime snail Pokemon with gooey light-violet skin and violet belly. Her slimy tail had a curled tip. She had two long horns on her head and several green spots on her body; three on each side of her tail and two on each side of her head. Her paws and her chin had a dripping green goo. In other words, she was a Goodra. Right now, she wore a beautiful and graceful white dress that was usually worn by a songstress or a dancer, and her body was now trembling in fear.

"Are you alright, sister?!" The Pokemon in the black armor suit asked the female Goodra with a warm voice that showed tenderness and concern to the trembling Pokemon, unlike the daunting voice he spoke earlier. "Did that earthscum hurt you?"

"N…No, brother…" The Goodra answered with a shaking voice. "Y…You came back just in time before he… did something to me…"

"That scum…" The Pokemon in the black armor suit looked at the corpse of the Pokemon he had just killed. "He hired me to do a work for him, but… LOOK AT WHAT HE DID TO US! HE STABBED US IN THE BACK BY TRYING TO GET YOU FOR HIMSELF!"

"Brother…" The Goodra looked at the Pokemon in the black armor suit.

"I don't ever want to imagine what would happen if I wasn't told that you were in danger and hurried back…" The Pokemon in the black armor suit said.

"But… Brother…" The Goodra looked at the corpse of the Pokemon that the Pokemon in the black armor suit had just killed. "You… You have just killed another client of yours."

"True." The Pokemon in the black armor suit said. "…And I never regret doing so…"

"But…" The Goodra continued speaking. "Brother… You did kill almost EVERYONE who hired to do their job! And now, you won't get paid for your job!"

"Um… Well…" The Pokemon in the black armor mumbled.

"Sigh…" The Goodra sighed. "Well, then… Let's go, brother. I still have a job at the tavern of the Stonehill Village to do tonight?"

"Hm?" The Pokemon in the black armor suit looked at the Goodra.

"They hired me to dance there tonight." The Goodra answered. "Brother, you should perform your dance there too."

"Nope." The Pokemon in the black armor suit answered. "I only do sword dancing, and almost no one would care to watch me doing so."

"If that's so, then…" The Goodra continued speaking. "Let's go, brother. I still need to prepare a bit for tonight's work."

The Pokemon in the black armor suit nodded to the Goodra, and both of them walked together to reach the exit of the building they were in. However, just before they left this place, the Pokemon in the black armor suit turned his attention back to the lifeless corpse of the Pokemon he had just killed…

"…" The Pokemon in the black armor suit didn't say anything as he looked at the corpse.

"What's wrong, brother?" The Goodra asked once she noticed the strange action of the Pokemon beside her.

"Heh… Cynical, isn't it?" The Pokemon in the black armor suit forced himself to laugh a bit, though he didn't do a very good job. "The things I hate most are lie and deception… But… Just look at what I have done 30 years ago… To the World of Pokemon… To the continent of Symmetria… To everyone… And most importantly, to them…"

"…Brother, I also share that feeling…" The Goodra approached the Pokemon in the black armor suit and gently touched his arm. "I deceived them by handing over a false friendship to them, before I stabbed them in the back at the end…"

"…" The Pokemon in the black armor suit said nothing.

"If they hadn't defeated us, the continent of Symmetria would surely fall into the complete chaos of madness…" The Goodra spoke with a sad voice. "But… I didn't deserve their mercy… They should have just… killed me right there… Why do they have to let me live? I do not understand…"

"…I can't say that I understand your feeling." The Pokemon in the black armor suit spoke up. "Unlike you, I have been their enemy since the beginning, and I didn't plan to become a friend with them, not until the last breath of my life."

"…" The Goodra didn't say anything.

"…But I regretted what I had done." The Pokemon in the black armor suit continued speaking. "The things I hate most are lie and deception, and yet I did both to them… I didn't even deserve to continue living in this world…"

"Brother…" The Goodra spoke.

"…Let's go, Anastasia." The Pokemon in the black armor suit spoke up.

"Okay, my brother." The Goodra nodded, and then both of them left the building together…

* * *

 **-Meanwhile…**

"Ugh… What a pain…"

Claura mumbled as she finished smashing the last bandit's head with her anchor. This bandit, along with many other bandits, did try to ambush her and Xavier while they were walking across the Stone Ravine, in hope that they would be able to squeeze some loot from them. However, none of them knew how strong both of them were… So, in the end…

"Eww… That's all of them?" Xavier said with a disappointed voice as he cleaned his blood-soaked halberd. "I am still not satisfied with this yet!"

"That's enough, Xavier." Claura said as she walked up to Xavier across a dozen corpses of bandits that were brutally killed by Claura and, especially, Xavier.

"Aww…" Xavier mumbled.

"Anyway…" Claura looked at Xavier's halberd. For some reason, his halberd looked a bit different than when they were at the Riverbrine Archipelago. Its handle seemed to became more rigid, the blade itself seemed to become sturdier than before, and the edge of the blade seemed sharper than before. Moreover, even thought it was used in a fierce battle, it didn't seem to become very dirty like before. "How about your halberd right now? I upgraded your weapon, as well as mine, yesterday. Is it good enough?"

"Well… It DID become a bit better…" Xavier said. "The sharper edge allowed me to slice the bodies of these bandits easier, and the new handle made it become easier for me to grab it, so I can use it a bit better at defending the attack. However, it's just a bit better thought…"

"I am not a professional blacksmith, Xavier." Claura said and looked at her upgraded anchor. Her upgraded anchor had a longer chain than before, as well as a heavier but far more powerful anchor attaching to the chain. "This is as much as I can do. If we want to upgrade our weapon any further, you will need a professional blacksmith to do this job."

"Lame…" Xavier mumbled. "But I guess it couldn't be helped. Oh, well… Since my weapon had already been upgraded, I will now call it 'Stratosphere'…"

"Again with a strange name…" Claura mumbled.

"What about you, Claura?" Xavier asked. "What would the name of your upgraded weapon be?"

"Hm…" Claura looked at her upgraded weapon. "Well… I think I am going to call it 'Naidni'."

"…Such an uncreative name." Xavier commented. "Whatever… Let's get going…"

* * *

Claura and Xavier continued their journey across the Stone Ravine. Both of them had just crossed the Fireview-Riverbrine Border today, and were now heading toward the capital of Fireview Kingdom. The reason why both of them decided to go to the nation of flame and stone was the very same reason why they spent their time in the Riverbrine Archipelago. It was because they needed to find something…

However, after walking across the Stone Ravine for several hours, the sun had finally departed from the sky, and night had come, but the capital of Fireview Kingdom, as well as the exit of the Stone Ravine, was still far away. Luckily, both of them did come across the Stonehill Village, a small village located in the Stone Ravine near the Fireview-Riverbrine Border, so it did seem like both of them didn't have to spend their night in the wilderness again…

"Moreover, I want my poor stomach to take a little break after those tortures I did to it." Xavier said.

"And what does this support to be?" Claura asked.

"It means that I tortured my stomach by feeding it with those foods you made." Xavier answered. "Claura, you must never forget that your foods suck."

"XAVIER!" Claura roared.

First, both of them went to the store to buy some groceries. Next, they went to the inn to rent a room for a night.

"In order to save our money…" Claura spoke up. "We will sleep together in the same room, okay? Don't worry about it. We are cousins after all…"

"Whatever…" Xavier mumbled. "Just don't shove me to sleep on the floor again, do you?"

After they finished renting their room, both dragons went to a nearby tavern to have dinner. This tavern, like many other taverns around Symmetria, was the place where many Pokemon, usually travelers or mercenaries, would stop by to relieve their hunger and thirst. The foods, according to many travelers, may not be very good, but it's better than having to fill their belly by their own. Some tavern, like the one in the Stonehill Village, also had some sort of 'entertainment' for the weary travelers, such as a dancer who would soothe (Actually, stir) everyone's soul with their dance…

"Whewwww!"

"Wahhhh!"

Many Pokemon in the tavern, which most of them were Fire type or Rock type Pokemon, shouted out with glee as they saw a sultry Salazzle dancing on the stage in the tavern. The Salazzle dancer danced with such a sultry movement, and the pheromone was excreted from her body as she danced, made every male Pokemon in the tavern to become ' wild and arouse'. However, this didn't affect some Pokemon, such as all female Pokemon in the tavern, as well as…

"Zzzzzzzz…."

"Sigh…" Claura looked at her cousin, who was now sleeping while sitting beside her at the table. Both of them had just finished their dinner for a while, and they decided to order some drinks. However, while waiting for the drinks, Xavier did fall asleep, just like what he always did when he was left with nothing to do for a few minutes.

Claura turned her attention to the stage. It seemed like the Salazzle dancer had just finished her dance, and many male Pokemon in the tavern quickly approached her and asked her to 'spend a night' with them. Some of them even got themselves into a brawl in order to 'determine' that which one of them would be the one who will 'spend a night' with this dancer…

"Hm!" Claura mumbled with an unpleasant voice. Luckily, the waiter had come to her table to serve them the drinks they ordered, so Claura woke Xavier up and took the drinks they ordered. By the time they did this, the Salazzle dancer had already left. (Along with some male Pokemon) Right now, a new dancer was on the stage, preparing for a dance...

However, unlike other dancers who had come to perform a dance on the stage, this dancer wasn't like them. First, unlike other dancers who all were either Fire type or Rock type Pokemon, this dancer was neither a Fire type nor a Rock type Pokemon. Actually… She was a Dragon type Pokemon…

"!" Claura's attention was focused at the white Dragon type Pokemon on the stage. It's very rare to find a Dragon type Pokemon on the continent of Symmetria… Actually, everywhere, as most Dragon type Pokemon lived together in their own realm. That 'realm' was also where Claura and Xavier came from… But now, a Dragon type Pokemon was in front of her, and this Dragon type Pokemon was also a fully evolved one…

She was a slime snail Pokemon with gooey light-violet skin and violet belly. Her slimy tail had a curled tip. She had two long horns on her head and several green spots on her body; three on each side of her tail and two on each side of her head. Her paws and her chin had a dripping green goo. She wore a beautiful and graceful white dress that was usually worn by a songstress or a dancer. She also carried a long, white ribbon made from silk. In other words, she was… a Goodra.

However, being a dragon type Pokemon wasn't the thing that attracted the attention of the Kingdra to the Goodra. It was the voice that suddenly echoed in Claura's head.

 _"…"_

"God it." Claura said and turned her attention to Xavier, who also had his attention at the Goodra who was dancing on the stage too. "Hey, Xavier. This dancer…"

"No, Claura." Xavier spoke up. "A dancer only dances, but she sings too, so she is a songstress, not a dancer."

"Whatever…" Claura said. "This Goodra songstress on the stage… Don't you think she—"

"Nope." Xavier answered. "Just because they are of the same specie doesn't mean that they would be the same being or related to each other."

"I knew that!" Claura said. "Even thought a Pokemon of the same species can be different from each other, such as my father and I. Both of us are Kingdra, but according to him, I look like our grandmother instead."

"And I don't look like my mother, yet I look like our grandfather…" Xavier said. "Well spoken, Claura."

"Back to our topic…" Claura said and turned her attention to the Goodra songstress on the stage.

"Lalala…" Unlike the other dancer, the Goodra on the stage didn't only dance, but she also sang a song while she danced too. Moreover, the song she sang, the movement of her dance, and the cloth she wore, were completely different from other dancers, as other dancers' dances were sultry and…aroused everyone, like a burning flame, but her dance was soothing and calming, like a stillness of water…

"Xavier…" Claura turned her attention back to the Dragonite. "…Did Zastra tell you anything?"

"Yes." Xavier said while he reached his paw to the Scale Brooch on his chest. "And I am sure that Vastria…" Xavier looked at the Feather Brooch on Claura's chest. "… Have already told you the very same thing that Zastra told me too."

"Well, what do you think about this, Xavier?" Claura asked.

"…"

"Right…" Claura said and turned her attention back to the Goodra songstress on the stage. It seemed like she was about to finish her show. "Well, then… I think I will go and ask her about this… Come with me too, Xavier."

"Fine…" Xavier mumbled.

After they finished speaking, the Goodra had already finished her show on the stage, and now, she was preparing to leave the stage. Claura and Xavier then left her seat and approached her. However, before the Kingdra and the Dragonite could approach the Goodra, several male Pokemon, mostly mercenaries, were able to get near the songstress first.

"Hey, lass! What's up with that show?" One of the mercenaries, who was a male Incineroar, spoke up.

"P…Pardon me?" The Goodra spoke up with a shaking yet gentle and serene voice.

"Don't you know how to dance for us?!" Another mercenary, who was a Magmortar, said.

"Right!" Another mercenary, who was a Barbaracle, said. "What we need is a strong and passionate dance that would arouse our soul, not the dance of yours!

"Yeah!" Another mercenary, who was a Magcargo, spoke up. "You danced as if we are a little baby who is needed for mommy's lullaby! Your dance isn't needed here!"

"I…I am sorry…" The Goodra apologized with a gentle and sincere voice. "Please accept my sincere apologize…"

"Well… We all would only forgive you…" The Magmortar spoke up. "…Only if you'd allow us to 'teach' you how to 'arouse' our soul with your body…"

"Teach?" The Goodra spoke with a confused voice.

"Yes." The Incineroar said and grabbed the Goodra's paw. "All of you have to do is coming with us. We will take you to where your kin belongs to, a bro—"

"T…Thank you for your offer… The Goodra said and quickly slip her paw out of the Incineroar's grasp. "But I think that I will pass."

"Hey! Come on!" The Magcargo spoke up. "It wasn't that bad! Once you know how to handle all of us, you will be easy with others too!"

"No…" The Goodra said as she tried to get away from the mercenaries, but she was surrounded by them!

"Hey… Come on, girl…" The Incineroar said and grabbed the Goodra's paw again. "Be a nice and easy girl and we will—OUCH!"

The Incineroar roared in pain as his head was whacked by something hard and heavy. It was an anchor that's attached to a long chain, and the other end of the chain was held by the owner of this weapon. The owner of this weapon was none other than Claura, who seemed to be very furious. Beside her was the Dragonite named Xavier, who seemed to act as if…

"You know what?" Xavier spoke with a voice as if the disaster was about to come. "You shouldn't have done that…"

"YOU WORTHLESS CREATURES!" Claura roared as she pulled the anchor back. "I WILL NEVER FORGIVE YOU!"

"What?!" The Incineroar said. "This is our business, not your— HEY!"

The Incineroar had to stop speaking as a blast of boiling water was fired at him from the angry Kingdra. He was able to dodge it, though.

"You want a fight?!" The Incineroar said, and he, as well as other mercenaries, equipped their weapon and got themselves into an offensive stance. "IT'S A FIGHT YOU WILL GET!"

"YAHH!"

All mercenaries (Except the Incineroar) attacked Claura at the same time, but the Kingdra was able to protect herself by creating a wave of water to cover her body from the attack!

"Xavier!" Claura said. "Grab your weapon and cover me!"

"Sigh… It was YOU who got yourself into a battle…" Xavier mumbled and grabbed his halberd. "But I never say no to a nice butchery anyway!"

"Scald!" Claura roared and blasted a stream of hot water at one of the mercenaries!

"YAH!" Another mercenary tried to attack Claura when she was using the move Scald, but he was stopped something that was rushed into him!

"Dragon Rush!" Xavier roared. It was he who cloaked himself with a navy aura before tackling the mercenary with his body!

"Ouch!" The mercenary said as he fell down onto the floor. "You will pay for this!"

* * *

 **-Meanwhile…**

While Claura and Xavier and a group of mercenaries were battling each other, none of them could notice that one of the mercenaries, the Incineroar, didn't join the brawl. Instead, he was approaching the Goodra songstress!

"You!" The Incineroar said as he grabbed the Goodra's arm. "Come with me, NOW!"

"No!" The Goodra said as she tried to struggle free, but the Incineroar was too powerful for her to oppose him. "Unhand me!"

"No way!" The Incineroar said. "You are coming with me!"

"No, please!" The Goodra pled.

"Your plea won't work with me." The Incineroar said. "Now be a nice little lass and—"

The Incineroar's word was cut off… Actually… The Incineroar's word wasn't the only thing that was cut off…

* * *

The attentions of everyone in the tavern, including Claura, Xavier and other mercenaries who were fighting with them, were drawn to three Pokemon at the corner of the tavern. The first Pokemon was the Goodra songstress, whose body was trembling. The second Pokemon was the Incineroar mercenary. However… The only part of his body that could be seen was his body, as his head was now rolling on the floor of the tavern!

"WHAT?!" All mercenaries spoke with a frightened voice after they realized that the Incineroar's head was cut off by the third Pokemon, who was now standing in front of the Goodra songstress…

"…" The Pokemon who was standing in front of the Goodra said nothing. It's impossible to tell what kind of Pokemon he was as he wore a black armor suit covered his body, including his tail, and his head was covered with a black horned helmet. His body also emitted a sinister aura that made everyone around here felt uneasy about him, like a prey that was at the mercy of the predator…

"W…Who are you?!" The Magmortar mercenaries spoke up with a shaking voice.

"…You don't have to know my name." A strong and intimidating voice echoed from the helmet of the Pokemon in the black armor suit.

"B…Brother…" The Goodra songstress spoke with a worried voice and looked at the Pokemon in front of her.

"…Stand back." The Pokemon in the black armor suit spoke with much-softer voice than the voice he used to speak to the mercenaries and raised his weapon, which were two long blades made of an unknown material within his paw, and those two blades were soaked with the blood of the Incineroar. "I will take care of these scums."

"Wha—" The Magmortar mercenary was about to say something, but his word was cut off at the same time his chest was pierced by one of the blades in the paw of the Pokemon in the black armor suit!

"WHAT?!" The rest mercenaries spoke with a frightened voice, as their bodies now were consumed by fear!

"I…I know you!" The Barbaracle mercenaries spoke up with a shaking voice. "You are THAT mercenary! You are the mercenary of DEATH!"

"R…Right!" The Magcargo mercenaries said with a shaking voice too. "Y…You are that infamous mercenary who betrays and kills many of your employers! Y…You are monster!"

"Monster, huh?" The Pokemon in the black armor suit spoke sarcastically. "Then… There's nothing for us to speak. DIE, YOU MISERABLE CREATURES!"

After he finished speaking, the Pokemon in the black armor suit readied his weapon, and all mercenaries did the same thing. They were now preparing for a real battle!

And then…

* * *

"SHIIIINGGG!"

"ARRGG!"

"SWASHHH!"

"RRRROAROAROAR!"

"CLLANNKKK!"

"UGGHHTGH!"

"CLIIINKK!"

"ARRRRRRGRGRG!"

* * *

The battle ended very quickly. It was no more than one minute, and right now, all mercenaries who tried to harass the Goodra songstress were now dead on the floor of the tavern, making the floor soaked with their blood. The Pokemon in the armor suit, on the other hand, only had a few scratches on his armor suit!

"Hm! Pathetic…" The Pokemon in the black armor suit mumbled as he sheathed his blades and walked up to the Goodra songstress, who was still trembling. "Are you alright?"

"Yes…" The Goodra songstress answered with a worried voice. "I am fine… But…"

"Good…" The Pokemon in the black armor suit spoke."Now, let's get out of here."

"Oh, wait a minute, brother." The Goodra songstress spoke before she approached Claura and Xavier, who were still in awe by the battle between a group of mercenaries and the Pokemon in the black armor suit. "Thank you so much for helping me back then."

"…It was nothing…" Claura spoke up. "Actually, we almost do NOTHING…"

"That's not true…" The Goodra spoke with a gentle voice. "If you didn't help me, those Pokemon would have got me. So, my deepest gratitude to both of you."

Claura and Xavier nodded, however, before either of them could say anything, the Pokemon in the black armor suit spoke up first.

"Enough." The Pokemon in the armor suit spoke as he walked up to Claura, Xavier and the Goodra. "We don't have enough time for this chitchat, ladies. Now let's—"

"Excuse me?!" Claura spoke up and looked at the Pokemon in the black armor suit. She seemed to be upset by his words.

"What's wrong, lass?" The Pokemon in the armor suit spoke up. "Unlike you, we don't have the whole day for the boondoggle. We still have works to do."

"WHAT?!" Claura roared. "Did you just say that we are out-of-work?!"

"I didn't say that…" The Pokemon in the black armor suit spoke. "But since you say it, I guess that both of you are really useless…"

"YOU!" Claura roared and glared at the Pokemon in the black armor suit. "How DARE you say something like that to us?! It was YOU who are useless!"

"WHAT?!" It seemed like Claura's words had got him, as the Pokemon in the black armor suit seemed to be agitated by the Kingdra's words, and once again, the sinister aura started emitting from his body and chilled the blood of everyone around here, but it seemed to have no effect on the raging Kingdra.

"Your sister almost got kidnapped by those mercenaries, and WHERE had you been?!" Claura spoke. "And I am sure that you, being a mercenary, are not different than them!"

"YOU!" The Pokemon in the black armor suit roared and glared at Claura. "What the hell is with you?!"

"I am just an ordinary Pokemon, but YOU!" Claura roared. "You are such a JERK!"

"DO YOU WANT TO GO TO HELL THAT MUCH, VIXEN?!" The Pokemon in the black armor suit roared angrily and glared at the Kingdra in front of him.

"YOU SAY AS IF YOU ARE ABLE TO DEFEAT ME, JERK!" Claura roared angrily and glared at the Pokemon in the black armor suit.

"YOU WANT TO FIGHT?!" The Pokemon in the black armor suit roared angrily. "I DON'T CARE IF YOU ARE FEMALE OR NOT! I WILL BEAT YOU UP!"

"OH, THAT'S IT?!" Claura roared. "I WILL SHOW YOU HOW STRONG I AM!"

"AND I WILL TEACH YOU NOT TO MESS WITH ME!" The Pokemon in the black armor suit roared.

"YOU JERK!" Claura roared.

"YOU VIXEN!" The Pokemon in the black armor suit roared.

Claura and the Pokemon in the black armor suit glared at each other with a bloody-looking on their face. It didn't seem like both of them would stop them quarrelling at any time soon, but neither of them had drawn their weapons out…

"B…Brother!" The Goodra songstress spoke up. She seemed to be restless when she saw both Pokemon quarrelling with each other.

"Heh?" Unlike others, Xavier seemed to be VERY interested in the quarrelling between his cousin and the Pokemon in the black armor suit, but all he did was just continue looking at both quarrelling Pokemon.

"YOU JERK!"

"YOU VIXEN!"

* * *

 **-Ten Minutes Later…**

"YOU JERK!"

"YOU VIXEN!"

"…" Xavier and the Goodra songstress facepalmed themselves. It was because, after a long period of arguing, both Claura and the Pokemon in the armor suit didn't seem to stop their arguing, and in the end, the owner of the tavern had to kick them out as their quarrelling was a nuisance to other Pokemon in the tavern, plus, they needed to clean up the mess after the brawl in the tavern too. This made them has to leave the tavern and went to the outskirt of the village, as both Claura and the Pokemon in the black armor suit didn't seem to end their quarrelling soon…

"…Hey." Xavier decided to speak up.

"WHAT?!" Claura and the Pokemon in the armor suit turned their attention to the Dragonite and spoke up at the same time, before they quickly returned to their quarrelling.

"HEY! HOW DARE YOU STOLE MY WORD?!" The Pokemon in the black armor suit roared.

"NO ONE IS THE OWNER OF THAT WORD, JERK!" Claura roared.

"Sigh…" Xavier mumbled. "I think I will just let them be…"

"Um…" The Goodra songstress approached the Dragonite and spoke up. "I am sorry that my elder brother is so rude to you and that Kingdra…"

"Oh…" Xavier turned his attention to the Goodra songstress. "It's nothing. It's just that my cousin really likes to get herself into troubles…"

"Oh! She is your cousin?" The Goodra songstress asked.

"Yes." Xavier answered, however, before he could say anything else, a creepy feeling had started crawling over his body, and he realized that the sound of quarrel had already stopped… And…

"YOU!" The Pokemon in the black armor suit pointed his swords at the Dragonite. "HOW DARE YOU TRY TO STEAL MY SISTER?!"

"YOU JERK!" Claura spoke. "MY COUSIN DIDN'T DO ANYTHING! STOP BEING SUCH A JERK HERE!"

Claura and the Pokemon in the black armor suit was about to continue their quarrel when the Goodra songstress spoke up first.

"Brother! Stop it!" The Goodra songstress spoke up. "Why did you have to be so rude?!"

"It was her…" The Pokemon in the black armor suit pointed one of his swords at Claura, who was being held back from attacking him by her cousin. "…who started ALL OF IT!"

"Brother! That's enough!" The Goodra songstress spoke. "Why did you have to be so mean to everyone you met?!"

"But Anastasia…" The Pokemon in the black armor suit put away his swords and continued speaking.

"Please… Keep your anger to yourself for now…" The Goodra songstress said and turned her attention to Claura and Xavier. "I am sorry again for my brother's rudeness…"

"Yes, he's r—Ouch!" Claura was about to say something when she was jabbed by Xavier's elbow to her back.

"It's nothing…" Xavier said. "By the way, my name is Xavier Stormwing the Dragonite."

"And I am Claura Pulsawhirl the Kingdra." Claura introduced herself.

"Xavier… Claura…" The Goodra spoke their names out. "Both of you have such nice names…"

"Do not be fooled by their outside appearance." The Pokemon in the black armor suit spoke up. "Their inner cores are very much more rotten that you think."

"WHAT?!" Claura roared and was about to get into another quarrel with him, but she was stopped by her cousin.

"What do you mean by that?" Xavier asked.

"You know it, don't you?" The Pokemon in the black armor suit continued speaking. "You had formed a pact with Legendary Pokemon, hadn't you?"

Claura and Xavier were shocked by the words they had just heard from the Pokemon in the black armor suit, and it seemed like the Goodra was as shock as them too…

"R…Really?!" The Goodra looked at Claura and Xavier.

"…You know what?" Xavier spoke up casually. Usually, he and Claura would be very shocked when someone found out about this, but for a certain reason, they were not as shocked as what would happen. "You have just spilled your secret out."

"What?!" The Pokemon in the black armor suit glared at Xavier, making the feeling of dread started crawling over all of his body.

"It takes one to know one." Xavier spoke up. "The Legendary Pokemon whom we formed a pact with could tell if someone around here had formed a pact with a Legendary Pokemon too. So, if you know that both Claura and I had formed a pact with the Legendary Pokemon, it means that… You also had formed one too, right?"

"…" The Pokemon in the black armor suit didn't say anything.

"Moreover…" Claura spoke up. "The Legendary Pokemon whom we had formed a pact with also detected this too."

"So…" The Goodra spoke up. "Not only my brother, but you also know about me too…"

"Right." Xavier said. "That's why Claura and I decided to check it out… But the brawl had broken out in that tavern before we couuld…"

"…I can't believe this…" The Goodra continued speaking. "I run into another Pokemon who had formed a pact with Legendary Pokemon…"

"…Please forgive me for being rude…" Claura spoke up. "But… Could you introduce yourself to us?"

"Oh!" The Goodra spoke. "I am so sorry for my lack of manner! Anyway, my name is **Anastasia Wyrmscale the Goodra**. It's nice to meet you."

 _'!'_ Claura was shocked after she heard the name of the Goodra, but she decided not to say anything about what she had in her mind right now and said something else.

"Anastasia… Very well…" Claura said and turned her attention to the Pokemon in the black armor suit, who didn't say anything. All he did was just glaring with an unfriendly looking at the Kingdra and the Dragonite.

"Come on, brother! Don't be so rude!" The Goodra named Anastasia spoke up. "Why don't you introduce yourself too?"

"No." The Pokemon in the black armor suit answered.

"What?!" Anastasia said. "Why?!"

"Because she…" The Pokemon in the black armor suit glared at Claura. "… Didn't ask me to say my name. If I did, she may say that I am being obtrusive."

"Oh, aren't you?" Claura spoke with a sarcastic voice.

"WHAT?!" The Pokemon in the black armor suit said. "YOU WERE THE ONE WHO'S BEING OBTRUSIVE!"

"SAY THAT TO MY FACE AGAIN, I DARE YOU!" Claura roared.

"P…Please…" Anastasia said. "N…Not now…"

"Hmp!" The Pokemon in the black armor suit grumbled. "Whatever!"

"Well, then…" Xavier spoke up. "Could you PLEASE tell us your name?"

"And…" Claura spoke up with a sarcastic voice. "PLEASE take off that helmet of yours too. I can't even tell what kind of Pokemon you are."

"Well… If you say so…"

The Pokemon in the black armor suit reached his paw to the helmet that concealed his face, before he slowly removed it out, revealing his face to everyone here…

"WHAT?!" Xavier and Claura spoke up without thinking. It was like a natural reflex as they saw the face of the Pokemon in the black armor suit… And the reason why the 'natural reflex' of them was this was because of what they had seen…

The head of this Pokemon was… black, except from the edge of two axe-like tusks that jutted out of each side of his head, which were red. From this little information, it was easy to tell that he was a Haxorus. However, he wasn't an ordinary Haxorus He was different…

"W…What happened to you?!" Xavier asked. It was because the Haxorus in front of her… didn't possess any flesh and skin on his head! The only thing he had on his head was his skull… Black and bare… Unlike an ordinary creature, who had flesh and skin covered their body, the skull of this Haxorus didn't have any flesh and skin to cover it. It was just a bare black skull. Two holes in his skull at where that was supposed to be his eyes were just black hollowed hole with a small blood red spot, which serve as his eye, on each of them. Moreover, his head was also cloaked with a sinister black aura that made him look eerie. And, thought unbelievably, it seemed like his whole body that was being covered with the black armor suit he wore right now was not very different than his head….

In conclusion, he was more-or-less a walking undead skeleton Haxorus that seemed like he was brought back from death with some kind of forbidden magic.

"H…How could this be?!" Claura said. "W…Who are you?!"

"… I am the black dragon who had committed a great crime of the world of Pokemon by guiding it to the path of destruction…" The skeleton Haxorus answered. "… As a punishment, I was thrown into the depth of the abyss, where I was cursed and damned for the rest of my life. My name is **Baromyteus Drawyvern the Shiny Haxorus**."

 **To Be Continued…**

* * *

 **Dragon of Vale: Sorry again for didn't update this story for some time. It wasn't because I was busy, but it was because this chapter is one of the hardest chapters I have written so far.**

 **Anyway, this tale is called 'Deception'… This can't be good… Not good at all…**

 **First, we finally have a chance to meet the protagonist of the sixth tail. He is none other than Baromyteus Drawyvern the Shiny Haxorus… However… He is more likely a Skeleton Haxorus… But… What happened to him? Why is he like that? Well… He is among the more mysterious characters in this story, but his back story will be revealed as the story proceeds. For now, we will have to focus on him…**

 **And… Where would this tail take place? Find out in the next chapter!**

 **P.S. He and his sister, Anastasia Wyrmscale the Goodra, had already appeared once in the first five tails of this story! Can you spot where?**


	52. Tail 6-2: The End of Crossroad

**A Dragon's Tail**

 **Tail 6: Baromyteus' Tail - Deception**

 **Tail 6-2: The End of Crossroad**

 **-A Few Days Later…**

"…There… Finished." A Mega Charizard X spoke as he stood up, holding several weapons in his paw. He then walked up to where three other Pokemon were, which was not very far from him, and handed over their weapons back to their owners.

"Took you long enough, Diego…" A Latios said as he received a chronicle back from the Mega Charizard X.

"Don't judge me, Richard." Diego said and handed over two other weapons, which were an Espurr doll and a pistol, back to their owners, who were a Latias and a Garchomp, while keeping the last weapon, which was a naginata, with him.

"Thanks!" Rachael said as she took an Espurr Doll back. "Welcome back, Cathy!"

"Yippy Ho!" The Espurr Doll in Rachael's paw smiled at its owner.

"…Welp!" Zetarus said as Diego gave his weapon back to him.

"…" Richard didn't say anything as he received his chronicle back from the Mega Charizard X.

It had been four days since when they left the Fireview City. This time, they were heading to the Dustorm Empire, the biggest nation on the continent of Symmetria. Normally, one could go to the Dustorm Empire from the Fireview Kingdom by either foot or ship. However, right now, the port of Fireview Kingdom was quite crowded as a result of being the end of the Prince Apollo's Coronation Ceremony, which was three days ago. While some guests, such as the Royal Children of Dustorm Empire and the representative from the Shadowlost Territory, were staying in the Fireview Kingdom for a bit longer (Rachael, Richard, Zetarus and Diego heard about this while they were at a village yesterday.), most guests, including Daimyo Augustine of the Principality of Leafburg, President Voltson of the Republic of Civilight, and the prince of the Theocracy of Venturnome, were going back to their nations. With this, it would be risky for the wanted criminals like Zetarus and Diego to leave the Fireview Kingdom via ship. So, the only choice they had left were going to Dustorm Empire by foot. And to prevent Zetarus and Diego from being seen and caught, all of them decided to enter Dustorm Empire via an unknown path.

'The unknown path' that they would use was actually a cave that was sealed long time ago for an unknown reason, which was discovered by Richard as he found its record within his chronicle, that this sealed cave would lead them across the border of Fireview Kingdom into the Dustorm Empire without being seen by anyone as this cave was known by no one. With the destination in their mind, four Pokemon decided to head to the sealed cave, which was located on the eastern part of Fireview Kingdom.

The eastern part of Fireview Kingdom, unlike its western counterpart, was mostly homed to the Rock type Pokemon was its area was almost entirely covered by a large ravine called Stone Ravine. This ravine was so vast that some settlements were located within the area of this ravine, including the place where Diego called 'hell', the Brawl Arena.

 _"…Do we have to pass the Brawl Arena?" Diego asked reluctantly two days ago, as they finally arrived at the entrance of the Stone Ravine._

 _"No." Richard answered. "The cave is located to the south, so we won't have to go to that place."_

 _"Good…" Diego seemed to be relieved after hearing the Latios' words._

However, in order to reach the location of the sealed cave, they would have to pass through many small settlements, which Rachael and Richard would stop by to buy some supplies while Zetarus and Diego waited outside the villages. (While there was a very little possibility for the villagers to recognize Zetarus' identity as a wanted criminal, he decided to to avoid the village for now.) And now, they had already passed through all settlements along the way, and the sealed cave was just a bit further ahead, so yesterday, they decided to call it a day right here, and Diego used this time to finish upgrading everyone's weapons, as he had been working in this for several days.

"With my skill right now, this is the most I can do…" Diego said and turned his attention to Richard, who was reading the content of the newly-upgraded chronicle. "Well… What do you think about this time, Richard?"

"Do not disturb me." Richard answered with a serious voice as his attention was still at the chronicle.

"What about you, Rachael?" Diego decided to turn his attention to the Latias instead.

"Cathy looks a lot stronger!" Rachael said. "Thank you so much, Diego!"

"…Not really…" Diego mumbled. "While your weapon is having high might power for someone who specializes in the special attack, your weapon actually has a quite low might power… But since you have very low attack stat, the lowest attack stat among us, actually… The sum of your physical damage output is the lowest among us…"

"Aww…" Rachael said.

"Hey, don't be sad…" Diego said. "Because your weapon is the only one among us that possesses its own mind, your weapon would be able to attack on their own free will without requiring you to use your paws to wield it of all time, unlike the rest of us that would have to use our paws to wield it."

"And what does that mean?" Rachael asked.

"It means that you can support us by using a potion or other stuff and so on while leaving the fighting to your weapon." Diego said. "It's basically that you are the only one can do two actions at the same time, while the rest of us could only do one at the time. And… You also don't have to worry about the enemy trying to attack you while your weapon is fighting, because I sense a bond between you and your weapon, meaning that your weapon will always come and protect you when the enemy tries to target you, Rachael."

"Right!" Rachael said and turned her attention to her Espurr Doll. "Okay! And since you are now stronger, you shall now be 'Cathy**' or 'Two-Stars Cathy'!"

"…You just add another star to the name of your weapon…" Diego mumbled and turned his attention to Zetarus. "What about you, Zetarus? How's your newly-upgraded weapon?"

"BANG!"

"HEY!" Diego said as two bullets that were shot out of Zetarus' pistol narrowly missing him. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING YOU BASTARD?!"

"I just test my weapon a bit…" Zetarus said.

"DON'T YOU KNOW HOW DANGEROUS YOUR WEAPON IS?!" Diego shouted. "WHAT IF IT HIT ME?!"

"Why are you so upset about this?" Zetarus asked.

"Because your newly-upgraded weapon is now having a perfect accuracy!" Diego roared.

"Oh… It is…" Zetarus looked at his pistol. "Don't worry about it. That shot earlier… I planned to make it narrowly miss you, not to hit you."

"That doesn't matter!" Diego roared.

"Sigh…" Zetarus said. "But even if it hit, I doubt it would damage you much as I think my weapon has a quite low might power…"

"True." Diego commented. "Despite being a weapon of someone who uses the physical attack, your weapon possesses a low might power, just a bit higher than Rachael's weapon thought… But it makes up for its low might power with its traits."

"Traits?" Zetarus said.

"Excluding its initial form, tour weapon possesses several special traits that makes it versatile." Diego said. "First, after the first upgrade, it gained a special trait of being able to shoot two bullets at once, which is equivalent to doubling its might power, making up for its low might power."

"Hey…" Zetarus mumbled. "Use the words that I can understand, or I will nom your tail again."

"W…WHAT?!" Diego quickly grabbed his tail before continued speaking. "A…Anyway, after this upgrade, your weapon gains a special trait of having a perfect accuracy, meaning that it will not miss its target… Unless you want to miss it on purpose."

"This will be useful…" Zetarus said and looked at his weapon. "Since now you can't miss the target, your name shall be 'Sniper's Eye'."

"Whatever…" Diego said and let go his tail he was holding.

"What about you, Diego?" Zetarus asked. "How's your weapon?"

"Hm? This?" Diego said and looked at his newly-upgraded weapon. Right now, its color was completely different than before. "Well… My weapon has the highest might power among us, much higher than your weapon, Zetarus."

"Does it have any special trait?" Zetarus asked.

"No. I prefer sheer power to special trait, so I didn't add any trait into it." Diego answered. "However, I modified my weapon a bit by adding this into its blade."

Diego picked something up and showed it to Zetarus, Rachael and Richard. (Who stopped reading the chronicle for a bit and turned his attention to the Mega Charizard X.) The object in the paw of the Mega Charizard X was a red sparkling gemstone that looked like a ruby. It also emitted a burning aura that made everyone feel warm as they looked at it.

"What is this? A candy for me? Thank you!" Zetarus quickly snatched the red gemstone from the Mega Charizard X and threw it into his mouth! However, before the gemstone could fall into the maw of the Garchomp, something else managed to do it first, and it was the flame-cloaked fist of an angry Mega Charizard X.

"YOU MXXXXXXXXXXR!" Diego roared angrily.

"Ouch…" Zetarus rubbed his cheek where he was punched by the angry Mega Charizard X. "What's the deal with you, Diego?"

"YOU FXXXXXG BASTARD!" Diego roared. "HOW DARE YOU TRY TO EAT SOMETHING LIKE THAT?! THIS ISN'T FOR YOU TO STUFF IT INTO YOUR FXXXXXG GUT!"

"So…I can't eat it… So…" Zetarus spoke with a sinister voice, and a crafty spark appeared in his eyes. "I will have to CHOMP DOWN SOMETHING ELSE!"  
"What are you— ARRGGGG!" Diego roared in pain as Zetarus quickly moved behind his body and buried his sharp fangs onto the Mega Charizard X's tail!

While Diego and Zetarus were 'busy', Richard picked the red gemstone that was dropped when Diego punched Zetarus' face, and looked at it. "…This must be the Fire Gem."

"Fire Gem?" Rachael said and looked at the red gemstone in Richard's paw. Upon looking at it closely, Rachael could see a burning flame inside this sparkling gemstone!

"It's one of eighteen gems that will boost the damage of elemental move." Richard explained. "Since this one is Fire Gem, it will boost the damage of fire type move, such as Ember and Flame Burst."

"Wow!" Rachael said.

"But…" Richard turned his attention to Diego, who was trying to get Zetarus away from his tail. "Diego, how did you get this Fire Gem?"

"What?!" Diego turned his attention to the Latios after he was finally able to get the Garchomp away from his tail and knocked him out. "Oh, Dinus gave me."

"Dinus?" Richard repeated the name he had never heard before.

"He's my twin brother I told you earlier." Diego said. "He gave me some Fire Gems that were found in the crater of Fireview Volcano and told me that they may make me live a little longer. So, I forged some of them into my Naginata too. With this, not only it has an increasing might power, but it also increases my special attack stat, as well as boosting my fire type move as long as I wield it."

"And…" Rachael reluctantly spoke up. "…What's the name of your new weapon?"

"Hm?" Diego looked at Rachael before he turned his attention back to his weapon, which was now extinguished. "Its name would be 'Silver Naginata'."

A moment of silence followed Diego's words, before Rachael spoke up and turned her attention to her elder brother.

"What about you, Onii-chan?" Rachael asked. "How's your chronicle?"

"…You know what?" Richard spoke up and looked at the chronicle in his paw. "Tonight, I will take care of the fire watch. Diego, Zetarus, both of you can sleep and leave the fire watch to me."

"What?!" Diego and Zetarus spoke out surprisingly at the same time. "S…Seriously?"

"Do I look like someone who makes a joke?" Richard said. "It's just that this upgrade had unlocked so many lost knowledge that I wasn't able to grasp them earlier. Not only the knowledge after the Daybreak Crisis, but it also unlocked the lost knowledge that happened beforehand too! It would require me the rest of my life to learn it all."

"… And…" Diego spoke up while Rachael was in awe, and Zetarus was in the confusion of being unable to comprehend the words of the Latios. "Does this upgrade unlock all knowledge in that chronicle of yours?"

"I am not sure." Richard answered. "I will need some time to study it before I can answer, but all I could say is that it covers the time of all War of the God, including the War of the God III that it didn't cover earlier."

"War of the God?" Rachael spoke before she realized something. "Ah! I remembered! You mentioned about this while we were in the Queendom of Riverbrine, right?"

"Right." Richard said. "Wars of the God are three biggest wars that were happening in the World of Pokemon. There were three of them, and the last one had just happened 147 years ago, which was 1,000 years after the Daybreak Crisis…"

"…So?" Diego said.

"All I can say right now is that the knowledge that was unlocked is at least 1,000 years after the Daybreak Crisis to the time of the War of the God III, which was 147 years ago…" Richard said. "But I haven't looked into the 147 years after the War of the God III yet…"

"Very well…" Diego mumbled. "By the way, Richard, since your weapon is a tome, it possesses the lowest might power among our weapons, but since you have higher attack stat than Rachael, it will deal a bit higher damage than Rachael's weapon. However, despite this flaw, it gives its holder an enormous boost in their stats, mostly special attack. With this, Richard, your speed stat is now quite high, and your special attack stat is skyrocketing. And since you almost never use a physical attack, this weapon actually makes you broken."

"…Is there anyone among us who doesn't have a broken weapon?" Richard asked. "I am a special attacker who have a weapon that drastically boosts my special attack and my speed. Rachael is a supportive member who has a weapon that can attack on their own will. Zetarus is a long-range attacker who has a never-miss weapon that attacks twice at once, and you, Diego, you are a mixed attacker who have a weapon with high might power that also boosts your special attack stat as well as increases the damage of your fire type move."

"Right." Rachael said. "Honestly, I don't think that anyone would have a weapon as nifty as us! Diego, you are really a great blacksmith!"

"It's nothing." Diego said. "You should thank Blancer and Noiria that you brought to me. Those two ores are the best ores that could be found on the continent of Symmetria. I doubt anyone could craft a better weapon than this… Not counting the legendary weapons and such…"

"Yes." Richard nodded to Diego's words. "There are still several more Pokemon who possess a stronger weapon than us, such as the Hero/ine of Legend. According to the record in the Chronicle of Darkside, their weapons are extremely strong, and are said to be the strongest weapons in the World of Pokemon."

"Wait…" Rachael spoke up. "Onii-chan, did you say… the Chronicle of Darkside?"

"It's the name of my newly-upgraded weapon, since its content is unlocked at least to the time of the War of the God III…"

"Why 'Darkside'?" Rachael asked.

"The name 'Darkside' came from the event that happened during the War of the God III." Richard answered. "I will tell you about it later, okay?"

"Okay!" Rachael said.

"Finished yet?" Diego asked impatiently. "Let's go, everyone. We don't have all day to boondoggle like this."

"There's no need for rushing, Diego." Rachael spoke up. "Onii-chan said that we should reach the entrance of the sealed cave to the Dustorm Empire within today!"

"Good." Zetarus said. "Let's go, then."

Everyone nodded to the Garchomp's words as they packed their belonging, and then they resumed their journey, and the sealed cave was now not too far from them, just only half a day to go…

* * *

 **-Meawhile…**

"YOU DRAGON JERKY!"

"YOU SALTY SEAHORSE!"

"ZZZ…"

"Sigh…"

Anastasia sighed as she looked at her brother and the Kingdra had gotten themselves into another quarrel, and it had only been three minutes since when she stopped them from this silly argument.

"Sigh…" Baromyteus mumbled. "Why do I even let you to travel with me?! I don't understand…"

"You spoke as if I want to!" Claura said. "I hate being with such a jerk like you!"

"Oh! You spoke as if most Pokemon would be able to stand with you more than ten minutes!" Baromyteus said.

"For you, one minute even!" Claura said.

"One second!" Baromyteus said.

"Half second!" Claura said.

"Sigh…" Xavier spoke up as he slowly woke up from his nap by the sound of argument. "Why don't both of you go somewhere else and—"

"AND LEAVE MY SISTER WITH YOU?!" Baromyteus roared. "I will be straight that I will never leave my sister alone with a spineless guy like you!"

"Oh! You say that my cousin is spineless?!" Claura said. "If he is spineless, then you are a single-celled creature!"

"WHAT?!" Baromyteus turned his attention back to the Kingdra. "If I am a single-celled creature, then you are Prokaryote!"

"Sigh…" Anastasia sighed again before turning her attention to the Dragonite. "I am sorry for my brother's rudeness, especially since I was the one who suggested that we should travel together…"

"Not really…" Xavier said. "It was Claura and I who asked you and your brother to help us with the power you two got from forming a pact, and then you convinced your brother and made him agree to help us…"

"It was nothing…" Anastasia said. "Actually, it's just that my brother and I are also interested in your mission…"

"…But I still don't understand…" Xavier said. "Why did you and your brother interest in our mission this much? We don't even know if we would find it or not."

"But I think we will…" Anastasia said. "My brother's Dragon Legend told us that he could sense the 'thing' you are trying to find to the south of here, and then we agreed to head there together…"

"… You still haven't answered my question yet…" Xavier said. "Moreover, there's one more thing that Claura and I want to ask you."

"W…What?" Anastasia looked at the Dragonite beside her.

"It was your brother and your surname…" Xavier said. "Let me ask you. Are you and your brother actually—"

"Hm?!"

Claura's voice interrupted the word of the Dragonite, and as he and Anastasia turned their attention to the owner of the voice, and then they realized that they had reached a crossroad. From here, there were four paths to the east, west, south and north. The eastern path, which was the path they came from, would lead them back to the Stonehill Village, so there were three possible ways for them to go.

"Well…" Claura spoke sarcastically as she turned her attention to Baromyteus. "Where should we go this time?"

"Do not bother me right now." Baromyteus said as his attention was on something he wore around his right wrist. It was a bracelet, but it wasn't an ordinary bracelet…

It was actually Baromyteus' Dragon Relic…

 _"…"_ The bracelet glowed a mysterious aura as Baromyteus stared at it. It seemed like he was communicating with the Legendary Pokemon he had formed a pact with.

"…I see… Thank you." Baromyteus said and put his wrist down, at the same time the bracelet stopped glowing.

"Well…" Anastasia spoke up. "What did he say?"

"It's just south of here." Baromyteus answered. "However, the path is sealed and well-hidden, so we must be extra careful while we search."

Everyone nodded to the Shiny Haxorus' words, and then they were about to head south, when they heard the voices of someone who was coming from the western path…

 _"Onii-chan, how long before we reach the sealed cave?"_

 _"Just a bit further, Rachael. We will then have to head south and go off the path."_

 _"Off the path?!"_

 _"Yes, unless you want to stay on the path and reach the Fireview-Dustorm checkpoint, Zetarus."_

 _"Geez… Fine…"_

 _"You have the exact location of the sealed cave, right, Richard?"_

 _"Trust me, Diego."_

The voices they heard indicated that a group of Pokemon were heading this way from the western path. However, the voices they heard also did something else…

 _'!'_

 _'!'_

While Claura, Xavier, Anastasia and Baromyteus didn't feel anything after hearing the conversation, someone else did.

"What's wrong, Vastria?" Claura spoke as she looked at her Dragon Relic, the Feather Brooch. "You are acting strange…"

"You too, Zastra." Xavier said as he looked at his Dragon Relic, the Scale Brooch.

 _'We can sense it…'_ Vastria answered.

 _'Yes…'_ Zastra said. _'HE is coming… We know…'_

"He?" Claura and Xavier spoke up at the same time. "Who are you—"

The word was cut off as Claura, Xavier, Anastasia and Baromyteus slowly turned their attention to the western path, and then realized that the owners of those voices were now standing there…

* * *

"!" The eyes of the Kingdra, Dragonite, Goodra and the Shiny Haxorus, who were all standing on the eastern path of the crossroad, met the eyes of the Latios, Latias, Garchomp and Mega Charizard X, who were all standing on the western path of the crossroad, and the silence followed…

Eight Pokemon stood at the crossroad without saying anything. All they did was just looking at four Pokemon in front of them. However, the silence was broken when the Pokemon in the black armor suit drew his double swords from its sheath and dashed up to the Mega Charizard X and the Garchomp, preparing to attack them!

"Wha?"

"CLANK!"

Zetarus was able to jump back to avoid getting damaged by the attack, and Diego was able to block the attack of the Pokemon in the black armor suit by using his Silver Naginata to block the attack!

"What are you doing, you bastard?!" Diego said and shoved the attacking Pokemon away by using his Naginata, making Baromyteus had to jump away from him.

"…You…" Baromyteus spoke up with a sinister voice. "…Die!"

After finished speaking, Baromyteus raised his swords and prepared for another attack, but he was stopped by the Goodra in a beautiful dress!

"Brother! Stop!" Anastasia said. "Why did you have to go and attack everyone you see?!"

"…" Baromyteus didn't say anything, but he still didn't sheath his blades.

"What the HELL is this guy?!" Diego mumbled.

And then…

 _'…Diego…'_

A voice echoed in the Mega Charizard X's mind. It was the voice of the Legendary Pokemon whom he had formed a pact with…

"What's it this time, Frostic?!" Diego mumbled with an irritated voice.

 _'Those two… '_ Frostic spoke. _'Diego, raise your Ring of Ruins and summon me!'_

"At a time like this?!" Diego said.

 _'JUST DO IT!'_ Frostic roared.

"Fine!" Diego said and raised his paw to show his Ring of Ruins, which was glowing with a sinister aura, and then a silhouette of a Legendary Pokemon was summoned from the ring and appeared in the middle of the crossroad, standing between both groups of Pokemon!

"!" Anastasia and Baromyteus seemed to be shocked after seeing the silhouette of the Kyurem who suddenly appeared before their eyes!

 _'Long time no see, Anastasia, Baromyteus.'_ Frostic spoke up.

"F…Frostic?!" Anastasia spoke up. "W… Why are you here?!"

 _'The one who should ask that question is me.'_ Frostic spoke. _'Why are you and Baromyteus here? It has already been 30 years…_

"Wait…" Baromyteus spoke up, and then he looked at Diego. "…I see… Frostic, you had form a pact with… Leonel."

"!" The Mega Charizard X was shocked after hearing the words of the Pokemon in the black armor suit. Did he just mention the name of his deceased father?!

"Wait…" Diego spoke up. "Did you just say the name of the Volcano Guardian?!"

"…You are not Leonel?" Baromyteus mumbled.

 _'He is not, Baromyteus.'_ Frostic said. _'And… I know what you are thinking. The Garchomp beside him isn't Garland either.'_

"What?!" Zetarus spoke up when he heard the name of his father from the mouth of the Kyurem, and then he looked at the Pokemon in the black armor suit. "Why you?!"

"…You are right." Baromyteus said and sheathed his blades. "I should know this. It has been 30 years… All of them would be much older than that time…"

"Wait a minute…" Diego spoke up and looked at the Dragon Legend of him. "Frostic, did you know these two?"

 _'It's a long story in the past…'_ Frostic said before he turned his attention back to Anastasia and Baromyteus. _'Anastasia, Baromyteus, I could sense that both of you had formed a pact with Legendary Pokemon too…'_

"…" Anastasia and Baromyteus didn't say anything.

 _'Not only both of you…'_ Frostic said and looked at the Kingdra and the Dragonite behind the Goodra and the Pokemon in the black armor suit, who seemed to be in awe after seeing the Kyurem before their eyes. _'But those two also had formed a pact with the Legendary Pokemon too… And if my sense is right…'_

 _'FROSTIC!'_

Two voices suddenly came out of Claura's Feather Brooch and Xavier's Scale Brooch, before two silhouettes of two Legendary Pokemon suddenly appeared from those Dragon Relics. This time, they were the silhouettes of a Reshiram and a Zekrom.

 _'I knew it…'_ Frostic said as he looked at the silhouette of the Reshiram and Zekrom. _'It's you two… Vastria… Zastra…'_

 _'Do not speak so casually, Frostic!'_ Vastria spoke up.

 _'Right!'_ Zastra said. _'Frostic, we have never thought that we would have to meet you again!'_

 _'Sadly… You two would never be able to escape from me…'_ Frostic said.

 _'Why you?!'_ Vastria and Zastra spoke.

"What's wrong with you, Vastria?" Claura spoke up. "Did you have anything against this Kyurem?"

"Yeah, you too, Zastra." Xavier spoke up.

 _'Yes, of course.'_ Zastra answered.

 _'However, we could leave it for later.'_ Vastria said as she shifted her attention to Zetarus, Rachael and Richard. _'You there, Garchomp, Latios and Latias'_

"Us?" Zetarus, Rachael and Richard said as they pointed their paws at themselves.

 _'You there… I could sense too…'_ Zastra spoke.

 _'You all also had formed a pact with Legendary Pokemon too?'_ Vastria said.

"…" Zetarus, Rachael and Richard didn't say anything for a moment, and then they gave a short answer.

"Yes."

* * *

After they finished speaking, the crossroad fell into a moment of silence, as everyone here had just realized something…

Normally, it's very rare of an ordinary Pokemon to have a chance to form a pact with Legendary Pokemon, and even if they did form a pact, they would make sure to avoid meeting other Pokemon, or else they will have to risk of others finding who they were, and they would be cursed and damned for eternity…

But now…

Was it fate? A tide of destiny? A guidance of the god? Or something else?

That had led eight Pokemon here… At the crossroad…

And they were all…

 _"All of us here are the Pokemon who had formed a pact with Legendary Pokemon…"_

 **To Be Continued…**

* * *

 **Dragon of Vale: I am sorry if this chapter didn't turn out very good, as it was very hard to write. (From what I have planned, the sixth tail is the hardest tail to write.)**

 **It could be said that this chapter is an important milestone, as it was the chapter that Rachael, Richard, Zetarus, Diego, Claura, Xavier, Anastasia and Baromyteus were brought to meet each others… But… What would follow this fated meeting? Or wouldn't it be a fate that brought them here? If that's so, then what brought them here?**


	53. Tail 6-3: Gods and Wars

**A Dragon's Tail**

 **Tail 6: Baromyteus' Tail - Deception**

 **Tail 6-3: Gods and Wars**

 _If someone told me that my sister and I would soon travel with a group of strangers whom I hadn't slice their heads off after our first ten minutes together earlier, I wouldn't totally believe them…_

 _But… My belief was soon proved to be wrong…_

 _As…_

 _A few days ago, we decided to travel with two Pokemon whom I had met for the first time in my life…_

 _I don't know why, but the story they told me about their mission really stirred me up…_

 _And now…_

 _I met up with four other Pokemon… Who were also like my sister and me…_

 _They were the one who had formed a pact with a Legendary Pokemon…_

 _Not only that, but, I don't know why, we also decided to travel together, since we were heading to the same place…_

 _Why did I agree with these? Sometimes, I didn't even understand myself…_

 _Was it because these sixth other Pokemon I met were also the Pokemon who had formed a pact with Legendary Pokemon?_

 _Was it because of a tide of fate?_

 _Or… Was it because of something else?_

 _I don't understand…_

* * *

"…Alright, let's camp here for a night." I said as we reached the spot that seemed to be the entrance of the sealed cave. I was sure that it was a right spot as my Dragon Legend said so, and that cocky Latios… What was his name again? Richard? Well… He also said that this was where the sealed cave that would lead to the Dustorm Empire located. However, because we wasted so much time dealing with those sxxxs, we will have to call it a day right here…

"Okay, then…" Rachael spoke up. "I will start preparing dinner for everyone!"

"Then, let me help you…" Anastasia said.

"Wow! Thanks!" Rachael said.

I looked at the Latias and the Goodra as they were both preparing to make dinner for all of us. Usually, it was Anastasia who would cook for both of us, as I sucked at cooking, and those two… Claura and Xavier, weren't they? They were not much better than me… But now, since we would travel in a group of 8, we would need at least two person to cook, and we were lucky that one of four Pokemon who had just joined us could cook too, so Anastasia wouldn't have to overwork.

And for now, since we didn't have anything to do until the time of dinner, I would just—

"Hey."

A voice was spoken up, and it was also directed to me. I turned my attention to the owner of the voice and saw a Mega Charizard X, along with the Garchomp, who had just joined up with us a while ago, standing right behind me.

"…What do you want?" I asked with a cold voice.

" Just a little question we both have." The Garchomp said. "First, let me reintroduce my name. I am—"

"Zetarus Quakersand the Garchomp, I remember." I answered. "And the Mega Charizard X beside you is Diego Pyrotorch the Mega Charizard X."

"…Is that the murderous feeling I sense toward us?" Diego said.

"Yes." I gave them a direct answer.

"Whatever…" Zetarus. "We came here just because we want to ask you about… our fathers."

"…So…" I said. "You two are really the sons of Garland and Leonel, after all…"

"That's what we want to talk about." Zetarus said. "How did you know about our fathers?"

"…" I didn't say anything in response.

"…The only connection I saw between Zetarus' father and my father is that both of them were the Hero of Legend who saved Symmetria from the Fallen Crisis 30 years ago…" Diego said. "However, from the outsider's point of view, my father and Zetarus' father have no connection with each other as most Pokemon would know my father in the name of 'The Volcano Guardian', not by his true name, so…"

"…Do you really expect me to tell you?" I asked and put a tone of intimidation into my voice.

"…No." Zetarus and Diego answered.

"Good." I said. Right now, I felt a bit more positive toward these two. "Since you are being honest with me, I will be honest with you too."

"What?!" Zetarus and Diegon looked at me.

"Your fathers… I am their enemy…" I answered. "And I will not be hesitate to slay them should I meet them again."

"… Are you serious?" Zetarus said.

"Do I look like someone who wouldn't be serious?" I said.

"Then, we would have to disappoint you." Diego said. "My father, Leonel Novaflare the Charizard, was already dead a few days ago, and Zetarus' father…"

"… I am going to be the one who killed him." Zetarus said.

"I see…" I said. "Well, if that's so, then we don't have anything more to discuss in this topic…"

"Then, we should get going…" Zetarus and Diego said and were about to walk away when I called them back.

"Actually…" I spoke up. "Since you asked me a question, I will ask you something too."

"…Go on." Diego said.

"If I remember correctly, the Hero/ine of Legend will pass on their title to their descendant…" I said. "And since you two are—"

"No." Zetarus answered. "None of us did receive the Power of Legend from our fathers, as it was my brother who got it instead."

"And it was my twin brother who got it in the place of me." Diego said.

"… That would make neither of you the Hero of Legend…" I said. "You know what? You two are lucky that you didn't receive the Power of Legend from your fathers, as it would immediately make both of you my sworn enemies."

"…You spoke as if you are some kind of Misotheism…" Diego spoke up.

"…" I didn't say anything.

"Whatever…" Diego said. "That's none of my business anyway, and I also don't want to fight you as I could sense that your power exceeds mine, and I don't want to die, so… Excuse us. Zetarus, let's go."

"Yeah…" Zetarus said as he and Diego started walking away from me. "By the way, Diego, what's the meaning of that word of yours? Miso? Meso? Masochi—"

"Shut up, Zetarus." Diego said.

As I looked at both Garchomp and Mega Charizard X, who were walking away from me, a strange feeling started to crawl over my body… It was a strange feeling I had toward both of them… It was a feeling that… If I met someone with a similar appearance and personality to both of them, I would be aggressive toward them, but not only I didn't become aggressive when I spoke to them, but I also found both of them… remarkable.

"…The descendant of Legend who defy their fate, hm?" I looked at Zetarus and Diego. "… Interesting."

* * *

 _"If that's so, then… Why don't all of us go together?"_

 _"Are you serious, Anastasia?! This is the second times you asked a group of strangers whom you had met for the first time to travel with us!"_

 _"Is that a problem, brother? We are all heading to the same destination, so we should travel together."_

 _"…Your logic is irrelevant, Anastasia."_

 _"But you let Claura and Xavier to come with too!"_

 _"It's more like we join them, Anastasia, and we join them because we are interesting in the thing they are trying to find."_

 _"What did you just say? About the thing you are trying to find…"_

 _"That's none of your business, Latios."_

 _"… Don't tell me that you four are heading to the 'Past'."_

 _"!"_

 _"From that reaction, I guess that my words were already proven to be true."_

 _"H… Hey! How did you know about this?! You don't look like some kind of Pokemon who would know something like this!"_

 _"Do not underestimate the Pokemon who had formed a pact with the Legendary Pokemon, especially since you are one too."_

 _"…"_

 _"Um… Onii-chan, what are you talking about?"_

 _"Well… Actually, the sealed cave we are heading, not only it has a path that would lead to the Dustorm Empire, but it also has a path to the past."_

 _"To the past? Is it possible to do it?"_

 _"…It's just a metaphor, Zetarus."_

 _"…"_

 _"So, what do you four think? If ONE of you really don't want us to travel with you, then we will go on our own way…"_

 _"…Why don't you just SAY the identity of that ONE of us?"_

 _"I don't know what kind of Pokemon you are, let along your name."_

 _"…"_

 _"A… Anyway, will all of us travel together?"_

 _"… I think you all are going to only be a nuisance to us."_

 _"You are a kind of Pokemon who speaks your thought out, right?"_

 _"Yes."_

 _"Then, I doubt we all could stand travelling with your for long."_

 _"T…That's not true! I really want all of us to travel together!"_

 _"What are you saying, Rachael? Don't tell me that you actually want to go with them?"_

 _"Yes. I could sense it. Plus, I don't think that they are bad Pokemon…"_

 _"!"_

 _"…What did you just say?"_

 _"I say that I know that you aren't bad Pokemon."_

 _"So ignorant…"_

 _"Rachael isn't ignorant. It's just because of her innocence that enables her to touch the heart of Pokemon."_

 _"…"_

 _"Moreover, now that I see all of you are heading to the 'Past', my curiosity started to get over myself too."_

 _"Onii-chan, what's the 'Past' you mentioned so many times?"_

 _"…I will tell you later about it, as it was a VERY long story."_

 _"Okay!"_

 _"Well, then, how about we travelling together? Are you agree with this, or not?"_

 _"…"_

 _"Plus, all of us are 'that', so wouldn't it be better for we to stick together?"_

 _"… Fine. Just don't get into my way."_

 _"Really?! Thank you!"_

 _"Sigh… Why did I agree with this? I don't understand…"_

 _"I don't understand…"_

* * *

"ONII-CHAN! STOP READING AND COMES TO HELP US HERE!" Rachael scolded her elder brother, who did nothing than reading his newly-upgraded Chronicle while other Pokemon were busy preparing for tonight's camp.

"Sigh…" Richard put away his Chronicle of Darkside and walked up to Rachael, who was preparing dinner with a female Goodra named Anastasia.

"Where're others?" Richard asked.

"Everyone else went out to hunt some food for dinner." Anastasia answered. "They all will be back soon."

"…And what do you expect me to do, Rachael? Don't tell me you want me to cook…"

"No, of course not!" Rachael said. "I made a mistake by letting you cook once, and I am not going to make the same mistake again!"

"That's good." Richard said. "Now, tell me what you want me to do."

"Can you light up the fire?" Rachael asked and turned her attention to a pile of dead firewood that someone gathered here earlier.

"Hm…" Richard pointed his paw at the firewood and released a small jolt of lightning from his paw to the firewood, igniting it up!

"Thank you, Onii-chan!" Rachael said.

"You two…" Anastasia said. "What a nice and cute pair of brother and sister you are!"

"Oh, now that you mentioned it…" Rachael spoke up. "Anastasia, you and… Baromyteus, you two are also sister and brother too, right?"

"Yes." Anastasia said. "Baromyteus may seem mean and aggressive outside, but he is actually good at heart."

"W… Well…" Rachael spoke up. "For me, he is so scary…"

"Scary?" Anastasia said. "O…Oh, I didn't mean to hurt your feeling, Anastasia." Rachael quickly apologized once she realized the meaning of her words.

"No, it's okay." Anastasia said. "I won't lie that he is really scary, even for me, his younger sister. Sometimes, even I do not understand what he is thinking."

"Okay…" Rachael said.

"Rachael, won't you do anything with the fire I had just lit?" Richard interrupted.

"W…What?!" Rachael quickly turned her attention back to the fire. "O…Okay, I got this."

Rachael quickly placed a pot of water for cooking above the fire. "Whew… I think this should do for tonight's soup."

"Soup?" Anastasia spoke up. "I am sorry, but I don't think that soup would be alright…"

"W..What?" Rachael asked. "W…Why?"

"It's just my brother…" Anastasia sighed. "He really hates watery food like soup or stew, so I doubt he would eat the soup you cook for him."

"Oh!" Rachael said. "T…Then, what kind of food would he prefer?"

"My brother like dry food with strong flavor. That's all." Anastasia said.

"That's no problem!" Rachael said. "What about you, Anastasia? What kind of food do you like?"

"Well… Unlike my brother, I like watery food with mild flavor." Anastasia answered.

"Okay!" Rachael said. "Let's see… I like sweet food… My brother like sour food… Zetarus likes gamey and salty food... Diego likes spicy food... Baromyteus likes dry food with strong flavor... And Anastasia, you like watery food with mild flavor. Got it!"

"But what about Claura and Xavier?" Richard spoke up.

"Oh! I haven't asked them yet!" Rachael said and looked around. "I will need to find them and—"

"Are you looking for us?"

A voice could be heard by the Latias, Latios and Goodra, and when they turned their attention to the source of the voice, they found a female Kingdra and a male Dragonite walking up to them. They were also carrying the meat that they had just hunted.

"Oh! Claura, Xavier." Anastasia greeted the Kingdra and the Dragonite. "How's the hunt going?"

"This part is quite barren, so there aren't many games for us to hunt." Xavier answered. "But we finally manage to get enough for all of us, thanks to that Garchomp and Charizard."

"Zetarus and Diego?" Richard asked.

"Yes. I must admit that their hunting skill is superb, especially the Garchomp." Claura said and placed the games beside the firewood. "Here are games for tonight's meal."

"Anyway…" Xavier said and looked at Rachael. "I heard that you are looking for us, what happens?"

"Oh, nothing!" Rachael said. "It's just that I want to know what kind of food do you two prefer, so I can cook it for you."

"Well… I like salt—" Claura answered, but was interrupted by her cousin.

"For Claura? Just get her a cup of salt water and it would be fine." Xavier answered.

"XAVIER!" Claura roared.

"Isn't my word true?" Xavier asked with a nonchalant voice. "You like salty and watery food, so salt water is ideal food for you, am I right?"

"ABSOLUTELY NOT!" Claura roared.

"Fine…" Xavier said. "Anyway, I am fine with any food I eat, as long as it was the normal food that a living creature can eat without dying."

"Okay!" Rachael said. "Now, let's start cooking!"

* * *

 _"Okay, then, let's introduce ourselves first! My name is Rachael Lustermist the Latias! I am just an ordinary apothecary, but nice to meet everyone here!"_

 _"… My name is Richard Lustermist the Latios. I am the elder brother of Rachael, as well as a scholar who's in search for the endless knowledge."_

 _"For me? I am Zetarus Quakersand the Garchomp, and I am a wanted criminal of the Dustorm Empi—Wait, why did I tell you this?! Well… Let's just say that I am a sniper, okay?"_

 _"… My name is Diego Pyrotorch the Char— No, Mega Charizard X. I was once a gladiator at the Brawl Arena, and now… Well… I think it would be alright to say that I am still a gladiator…"_

 _"I am Xavier Stormwing the Dragonite. While I was studying to be a tactician, I am more like an Aerial Warrior, but I don't do much aerial battle, but—"_

 _"Oh, shut up already, Xavier. Anyway, my name Claura Pulsawhirl the Kingdra. Some say that I look like a seafarer… But… Oh, well, I guess I am one too…"_

 _"Good day, everyone. My name is Anastasia Wyrmscale the Goodra. I am a songstress who is travelling around the continent of Symmetria with my brother right here."_

 _"…Which is none other than me. My name is Baromyteus Drawyvern the Shiny Haxorus. I am the cursed black dragon who was damned for eternity… Oh, well… Let's just say that I am some sort of a Dread Fighter."_

* * *

 **-Later… That night…**

After dinner, 8 Pokemon gathered around the campfire for a rest. Because it was the end of the day, there was not much for them to do before going to bed, so now, they all were spending their time quietly without saying anything.

"…Onii-chan." Rachael spoke up and looked at the Latios beside her, who was reading the Chronicle of Darkside.

"Yes?" Richard closed his Chronicle of Darkside and turned his attention to his younger sister.

"Could you tell me a story, like the usual?" Rachael asked.

"Very well…" Richard said. "What do you want to know this time?"

"There are two things I want to know." Rachael said. "First, about three Wars of the God, and second, about the 'past' you mentioned earlier today."

"Hm… Actually, I could tell both stories to you at the same time, since they are relevant to each other." Richard said. "However, I must warn you that it's a VERY long story that you will easily get bored to it."

"It's fine, Onii-chan!" Rachael said.

"Okay, then…" Richard said. "If you get bored, just skip the story I am going to tell to the end, okay?"

Richard reopened the Chronicle of Darkside and started telling a story to his younger sister…

* * *

 _Long ago, at the beginning of the World of Pokemon's existence, the World of Pokemon was just… nothing._

 _Until the birth of the God of Pokemon, Arceus…_

 _The God Arceus was responsible for the creation of many things in the World of Pokemon, including the ancestor of all Pokemon, Mew._

 _Because most Pokemon couldn't live in the world of nothing, the god Arceus created the land for us to live._

 _They first started with a small land first, then they expanded the size of the land until it became a very large continent, much larger than the continent of Symmetria, much larger than you can imagine. It was known as the 'Great Continent'._

 _On this very land, the Pokemon that were born from their ancestor, Mew, started living together in harmony, as the land was so vast, and the food was plenty, so there's no reason for them to fight…_

 _Except with… The existence of… the other god._

 _Unlike what most Pokemon believe, the World of Pokemon actually had two gods…_

 _One of them was Arceus, and the other… They were known by the name of 'Dark God' by most Pokemon, but from the record of the Chronicle of Darkside, their name was recorded as the 'Dragon God'._

 _Why Dragon God?_

 _Because… While most Pokemon worshiped Arceus as their God, the Dragon type Pokemon, on the other hand, worshiped the Dragon God as their god instead, as the Dragon God, unlike Arceus, was a Dragon type Pokemon…_

 _And this… This is the start of the first conflict… That would chanced the World of Pokemon…_

 _Forever…_

 _Soon, not too long after the continent was created, both gods had got themselves into a conflict…_

 _The God Arceus believed that every Pokemon should live together in the peace and harmony, while the Dragon God believed that every Pokemon should follow their ambition to seek for what they want, be power, wisdom, authority, and so on…_

 _At the end, this resulted in the split of the Pokemon's unity…_

 _Unable to withstand the ideal of Arceus, the Dragon God left, and all Dragon type Pokemon followed them…_

 _They headed to the north of the Great Continent, to the abandoned wasteland currently inhabited by none due to its harsh climate and landscape._

 _At this very place, the Dragon God created his own realm, where he lived with the Dragon type Pokemon who chose to follow him here…_

 _This place was known as the realm of the dragon, the Kingdom of the Dragonking…_

* * *

"Kingdom of the Dragonking?" Rachael asked.

"Yes." Richard said. "It was the realm inhabited only by the Dragon type Pokemon, and no other Pokemon could live there."

"Why?" Rachael asked.

"At that time, there was a rule that any Pokemon that was neither a Dragon type Pokemon nor a part of Dragon type Pokemon Evolution Tree who entered the Kingdom of the Dragonking will be immediately sentenced to death."

"What?!" Rachael said. "W… Why?! Why must they be so cruel?!"

"…There's one thing that you should remember, Rachael." Richard said. "We could not judge the action of the people in the past with our thought, which is the thought of the Pokemon who lived in a very different time and space."

"B…But…" Rachael said.

"Now, let me continue the story…" Richard said and turned his attention back to the Chronicle of Darkside. However, he was unaware that Rachael wasn't the only one who was now listening to his story…

* * *

 _While Kingdom of the Dragonking was, comparing to the area of the Great Continent, a very small territory, it soon became the most powerful region of the Great Continent, with the Dragon God as the ruler of the kingdom._

 _However, the grudge of the Dragon God against the God Arceus hadn't gone yet… On the contrary, it grew stronger and stronger as the days went by…_

 _And soon, the time of the direful moment that no one had ever wanted it to lay upon the World of Pokemon had arrived…_

 _It was… the war…_

 _The Dragon God started the war against the God Arceus and all kinds of Pokemon with his army of the Dragon type Pokemon. This was the beginning of one of three greatest wars that had ever happened on the continent of Pokemon…_

 _It was later known as… the War of the God I._

 _Clearly, with the way of their living before the war, no Pokemon could stand a chance against the mighty army of Dragon type Pokemon, and the war was soon turned into the one-sided slaughter…_

 _So many Pokemon were killed in the war… So many lives were lost… So many lands were trampled by the Dragon type Pokemon…_

 _Even for the God Arceus, they couldn't prevail over the Dragon God, as both of them were both equal in the term of everything, be strength, wisdom, and so on…_

 _With this, most Pokemon lost their will to fight, and fled for their life, but anywhere they fled, the army of Dragon type Pokemon would soon find and kill them…_

 _Until… There's only one more place left…_

 _It was… a city that was built as a shrine to worship the God Arceus, and was considered to be the 'Capital' of the Great Continent by all non-dragon type Pokemon._

 _It was… the Mytherel City… The City of Legend…_

 _Why it was known as the City of Legend?_

 _Because during the darkest moment of the war, where the army of Dragon type Pokemon surrounded the Mytherel City and prepared to crush it with their mighty force, and all Pokemon hid in the city wall with none other than despair and nightmare within their heart._

 _The God of Arceus appeared… And descended toward the shrine of the Mytherel City…_

 _However, they were heavily injured after a never-ending battle with the Dragon God, and they were prepared their defeat… If not everyone's defeat…_

 _Using some of their remaining power, the God Arceus bestowed some of their power to 18 Pokemon of each type. The power they received had given them an extraordinary power that none could ever hope to obtain, as well as gave them a boost in their moral and will. With the power they received, their hope of victory had returned…_

 _They were known as… the first generation of the Hero/ine of Legend…_

 _With the power of legend within their veins, the Hero/ine of Legend led the remnant of the Pokemon in the Mytherel City into another fight against the army of the Dragon type Pokemon. However, this time, with the Power of Legend flowing through their veins, the battle had been turned into their favor, and, for the first time in the War of the God I, they won._

 _They continued to lead the army of non-dragon Pokemon into the fight to reclaim their lost land back from the Dragon type Pokemon, and the Dragon type Pokemon were driven back as the day passed…_

 _And finally… All lands that were conquered by the Dragon type Pokemon were reclaimed again, and the army of the Dragon type retreated back into the Kingdom of the Dragonking…_

 _However, the war wasn't over yet…_

 _If they left the war like this, the Dragon type Pokemon would surely return to conquer their lands again. So, they only had one choice…_

 _It's to defeat the Dragon God and ended everything, once and for all…_

 _With this thought in their mind, the Hero/ine of Legend marched into the Kingdom of the Dragonking, with only one intention within their mind, to defeat the Dragon God…_

 _But this time, the situation had become different…_

 _The only one that the Hero/ine of Legend had to defeat was the Dragon God. However, because of the rage over what the Dragon type Pokemon did to their lands, the rage turned into a flaming storm of wrath and hatred… That started destroying everything within their path…_

 _The Hero/ine of Legend destroyed everything within their path in the Kingdom of the Dragonking, killing every Dragon type Pokemon they met along the way, be an innocent one or not…_

 _The battle for the peace would soon turn into a battle for vengeance, and the word 'battle' turned into the word 'slaughter', and then into 'massacre'…_

 _Was there any justice in their action?_

 _And in the end, the Hero/ine of Legend was able to defeat the Dragon God, and the Dragon God was punished by the recovered Arceus by being sealed into the hollow between time and space, in hope that they would never return to the World of Pokemon to cause the war once again…_

 _But the War of the God hadn't ended yet…_

 _Even without the Dragon God, Kingdom of the Dragonking still refused to give up, and they continued the war, under the lead of the Renegade Pokemon who was once a servant of the god Arceus, but the struggle was soon proved to be futile, as in the end, the army of Dragon type Pokemon couldn't triumph over the Hero/ine of Legend, so Kingdom of the Dragonking lost the battle once again, and the new leader of the Dragon type Pokemon army was banished to the world of distortion as a punishment of their atrocity…_

 _With no one to lead them, the Dragon type Pokemon finally gave up on the war, and thus, the cruel War of the God I had come to the end with the victory of the Hero/ine of Legend and the lost of the Dragon type Pokemon…_

 _…Or not?_

* * *

"Yawn…" Rachael started yawning as the story had come to this part.

"Hm? It seems like you was bored with my story already…" Richard said. "We haven't reached the most important part of this story yet…"

"Oh, not that, Onii-chan." Rachael said. "It's just that… It was so long…"

"Not as long as when did the War of the God I occurred." Richard said. "It happened at a VERY long time ago. So long that you could never imagine of."

"Well then…" Rachael said. "Why don't you continue the story? I want to know what happened to the Hero/ine of Legend after the war, as well as what happened to the Kingdom of the Dragonking too."

"Well then…" Richard said and turned his attention back to the Chronicle of Darkside. "After the war, the Hero/ine of Legend were greatly praised for their courage and bravery during the war. The God Arceus then decided to permanently leave their power to the Hero/ine of Legend, as an exchange for them to be the 'Guardians' of the World of Pokemon in the place of him. They also blessed them that their descendant shall carry on the Power of Legend and became the next Hero/ine of Legend should they fall, so the World of Pokemon would never go without its guardians."

"Then…" Rachael started realizing something. "Jasper, Zenpai, Viola and Grimlock…"

"Right." Richard nodded. "They are the descendants of the first Hero/ine of Legend of their respective type…"

"You know them?"

A voice of a female Kingdra was spoken up, turning the attention of the Latios and the Latias to the owner of the voice, who was having her attention at them!

"Claura?" Rachael said. "Did you listen to our story the whole time?"

"Not only her…" Richard said and looked at everyone else, whose attentions were on him too! And it seemed like he had caught their attention for quite some time…

"You haven't answered my question yet." Claura said.

"Well… Yes, we know them." Rachael said. "We were travelling with them before we were separated as when we were leaving Republic of Civilight. We don't even know where they are right now, and how are they doing…"

"…So, that's what happened before they came…" Claura mumbled. "While Xavier and I were in the Riverbrine Archipelago, we… met them."

"R…Really?!" Rachael said. "A…. Are they alright?"

"At least they were still alive as we parted." Xavier said. "It seemed like they, along with the new Hero of Water type, were heading to Theocracy of Venturnome right now…"

"Aww…" Rachael seemed to be disappointed after hearing the words of the Dragonite. "Well… At least, it's good to know that they were still alive and fine. Thank you very much, Claura, Xavier!"

"…" Claura and Xavier didn't say anything. All they did was nodding their head in response.

"…That reminded me of something…" Richard said before turning his attention to Zetarus and Diego. "Zetarus, Diego, you are the sons of Garland and Leonel respectively, who were also the Heroes of Legend too, right? This would mean…"

"Oh! Right!" Rachael said. "Zetarus! Diego! You two are also the descendant of the first Hero/ine of Legend too!"

"I guess so…" Zetarus said. "But it was my brother who has become the Hero of Ground type, not me."

"So do I." Diego said.

"Then… Let me continue…" Richard turned his attention back to the Chronicle of Darkside. "However, because of the War, the Great Continent was heavily damaged, and most parts of the realm were turned into ruins. So, the God Arceus decided to give their blessing upon the barren land, and turned it into a fertile soil once again."

"That's great!" Rachael said.

"…But what about Kingdom of the Dragonking?" Xavier asked with a cold voice.

"Like the whole Great Continent, Kingdom of the Dragonking was also heavily damaged. However, because of their atrocity during the War of the God, Kingdom of the Dragonking was the only land that didn't receive the blessing from the God Arceus, making the once-gloried realm of Dragon type Pokemon being turned into the kingdom of ruins within a blink…"

"…" Claura, Xavier, Anastasia and Baromyteus didn't say anything after hearing the story from the Latios. All they did was lowers their face to hide their eyes from everyone.

"That's terrible…" Rachael said. "Losing the war was harsh enough. They didn't have to punish Kingdom of the Dragonking any further…"

"… Are you sure that Kingdom of the Dragonking was the side who lost the war?" Richard spoke up.

"HM?!" Not only Rachael, but Claura, Xavier, Anastasia and Baromyteus also had their fullest attention on the Latios as they heard the question from him.

"… What are you talking about?" Claura asked.

"… Before War of the God I, the Great Continent, other than Kingdom of the Dragonking, was actually a single 'nation' where every Pokemon lived together in a complete harmony without any fight or division, but after the war, the once-united Great Continent started to be divided into several lands, and the Pokemon on the Great Continent started fighting over the conquest of the land, loot and so on. Kingdom of the Dragonking, on the other hand, had become much more peaceful as, being in the state of ruins, the residents within the kingdom needed to help each others in order to survive. With all of this, could we really say that Kingdom of the Dragonking lost the war while the Hero/ine of Legend won the war?"

"…" Rachael, Zetarus, Diego, Claura, Xavier and Anastasia didn't say anything after hearing what the Latios said. All they did was just stay in silence… But…

"…Are you sure that that story is actually valid?"

It was Baromyteus, who, unlike everyone else, spoke up after the Latios finished speaking.

"It was recorded within this chronicle." Richard said and showed everyone the Chronicle of Darkside. "This chronicle has recorded everything that had been happening in the world and every knowledge that had borne, both discovered and uncovered, and the Chronicle would never record a false particular. If you still have any doubt in my words, ask Zetarus' Dragon Legend."

After Richard finished speaking, Zetarus' Dragon Relic started glowing a mysterious green aura, and then a silhouette of a Zygarde suddenly appeared in the middle of everyone.

"Zygarde?" Zetarus spoke up and looked at the silhouette of his Dragon Legend.

 _'I can say that this Latios' words are true, everyone.'_ Zygarde said. _'Countless years ago, I was once the king who ruled over Kingdom of the Dragonking too. The period that I ruled over the nation of the Dragon type Pokemon was right just after the end of the War of the God I, so I had witnessed everything that this Latios had just told, and I confirmed that what happened to the Great Continent and the Kingdom of the Dragonking was just as this Latios said.'_

After finished speaking, the silhouette of the Zygarde disappeared back into the Ring of Balance, ending his words right here.

"… Very well…" Baromyteus nodded before turning his attention back to Richard. "…Go on."

"Okay." Richard said. "After War of the God I, the Great Continent was split into several lands, like what Symmetria is today, and they sought to conquer over each others due to their ambition and pride that were planted after the war. However, every time the conflicts had almost reached the breaking point, the Hero/ine of Legend would appear to save the day, so the Great Continent could still exist… Until several thousand years later…"

* * *

 _Several thousand years had passed…_

 _Kingdom of the Dragonking had gradually returned to its former glory…_

 _And now, like other lands on the Great Continent, it sought more power…_

 _The nation of the Dragon type then started invading other nations again…_

 _However, this time, the invasion was much less drastic than its counterpart during War of the God I. To be honest, it was more like a normal invasion that other lands on the Great Continent. Sometimes they won, sometimes they lost, so their action wasn't taken seriously by other nations._

 _Until…_

* * *

"Onii-chan?" Rachael spoke up and looked at the Latios, as she realized that her elder brother had just closed the Chronicle of Darkside.

"Why don't you continue the story?" Diego asked.

"…It would be better if I let you tell this part." Richard spoke without looking at anyone.

"What are you talking about?" Zetarus asked.

"You know what I am talking about." Richard continued speaking, still looking at no one. "This is the most important part of tonight's story, so, instead of telling it from the record in the Chronicle, I want everyone, as well as myself, to hear it from someone who had been living since that event."

 _'…Fine.'_

A cold and creepy voice was heard by everyone, and not before long, a Dragon Relic started glowing again, but this time, it was Diego's.

"Frostic?!" Diego said as a silhouette of the Kyurem appeared from his Ring of Ruins and stood in the middle of everyone. "Why you?"

 _'… Because I was the cause of the catastrophe that followed the War of the God I.'_ Frostic answered.

"Catastrophe?" Rachael said.

 _'… It was War of the God II.'_ Frostic said.

* * *

 _I couldn't remember how long after the end of War of the God I…_

 _But here… After a period of countless years, the catastrophe that no one ever wished to witness again had come back to haunt the World of Pokemon…_

 _It was known as… War of the God II…_

 _And the cause of this catastrophe was me, Frostic the Kyurem._

 _Before the War of the God II occurred, I was chosen to become the king of the Kingdom of the Dragonking._

 _However, at that time, I was a faithful servant… No, I was a SLAVE of the Dragon God, who, while still being sealed within the rift of time and space, tried to manipulate the World of Pokemon into another war by using me as their surrogate…_

 _And they succeeded…_

 _With me in the power, I succeeded in starting another war on the Great Continent, which was later known as the War of the God II, as it was another war between the Pokemon of the Great Continent, led by the Hero/ine of Legend who served under the god Arceus, and the Dragon type Pokemon, led by me, who served under the Dragon God._

 _Using the knowledge of what happened during the War of the God I, I carefully crafted a plan to counterattack the Hero/ine of Legend in order to conquer the victory of this war…_

 _And in the end… I failed…_

 _Regardless of what happened during the war, the result of War of the God II was the same as the result of its former counterpart…_

 _The triumph belonged to the Hero/ine of Legend… And Kingdom of the Dragonking lost the war once again…_

* * *

"Again…" Xavier mumbled.

"Then…" Rachael spoke up and looked at the silhouette of the Kyurem.

 _'…As the one who started the war, I, like the Dragon God, received a harsh punishment from the god Arceus. Unlike them, I wasn't sealed within time and space. Instead…'_ Frostic paused here for a bit, before he continued speaking. _'They removed an ability to… feel the emotion out of my body before banishing me to another world…'_

"T…That's even worse!" Rachael said. "How could someone continue living while unable to feel anything?! Why must Arceus do something so cruel like this?!"

 _'…I don't want to speak about it.'_ Frostic said. _'However, just over a thou— No, a hundred years ago, I was forgiven by Arceus, and I regained an ability to feel emotion once again.'_

"Thanks goodness…" Rachael said. "I can't even imagine how painful for someone who must continue living without feeling anything…"

"… And here come the most important part of tonight's story." Richard spoke up and looked at the silhouette of the Kyurem. "Frostic, what happened to Kingdom of the Dragonking and the Great Continent after the War of the God II?"

 _'…For Kingdom of the Dragonking…'_ Frostic slowly spoke up. _'Like the first War of the God, it was completely ruined by the wrath of the Hero/ine of Legend, but now, since we had started another great war with them, the Hero/ine of Legend had grown their mistrust toward us. In the end, in order to prevent us Dragon type Pokemon from invading the Great Continent again, the Hero/ine of Legend used their Power of Legend to… banish the whole kingdom.'_

"WHAT?!" Rachael spoke up. "B… Banish the whole kingdom?!"

 _'Yes.'_ Frostic nodded. _'Kingdom of the Dragonking was banished into the realm of nowhere within time and space, as well as being cursed that it shall not return to the World of Pokemon once again…'_

"…This is true." Xavier suddenly spoke up. "Until today, Kingdom of the Dragonking is still located within the realm of nowhere within time and space. In order to travel between the World of Pokemon and Kingdom of the Dragonking, we will need to use a special portal that allowed us to travel between time and space."

"…How did you know all of this?" Richard asked.

"… It may be a bit late for us to say this…" Claura spoke up. "Xavier and I actually came from Kingdom of the Dragonking."

"Really?!" Rachael said.

"Right." Xavier nodded and yawned. "We were sent here to dis— OUCH!" Xavier cried out in pain as his side was headbutted by the Kingdra's head.

"It's just that we received a little mission to accomplish. That's all you need to know." Claura said.

"If that's so…" Richard said and turned his attention back to Frostic. "Well then, Frostic, you may continue."

 _'…And so, Kingdom of the Dragonking was banished into the realm between time and space…'_ Frostic said. _'But for the Great Continent…'_

"Did something terrible happen to the Great Continent, like what happened after War of the God I?" Anastasia asked.

 _'No, Anastasia.'_ Frostic answered. _'But the thing that happened to the Great Continent after War of the God II is MUCH worse that what happened to it after War of the God I. It was so terrible that I doubt any of you would have any idea about this.'_

"What are you talking—" Rachael tried to ask the Kyurem a question, but was interrupted by a question from her elder brother.

"Rachael, do you want some night snack?" Richard spoke up and reached his paw into his bag before he picked a small package that contained a single piece of big chocolate chip cookie out.

"Hey…" Diego spoke up. "Isn't this a bad time for this knick-knack? We are in the most important part of this story, isn't it?"

"I didn't ask you, Diego." Richard answered and turned his attention to his younger sister. "I saved some after we left the last village. Do you want it? I can share it with you."

"Onii-chan!" Rachael said. "This isn't a time for night snack!"

"So, you don't want it?" Richard said. "Fine, then I would have to eat it all by myself…"

"W… Wait!" Rachael said. "Come on! Share with me or I will pout at you!"

"Okay, here you go." Richard quickly handed over the package of cookie to the Latias. "You can have a small portion of it."

"Just small portion?!" Rachael said.

"… Don't you want to spare it for other days?" Richard asked.

"Fine." Rachael said and picked the cookie out of its package, and then she tried to break off a small portion of the cookie out for herself, but she broke it too fast and drastic, making the rest portion of the cookie break into several small pieces!

"Oh! Sorry, Onii-chan!" Rachael apologized. "I just want to break off a small portion, but it also broke the large portion too…"

"!" Rachael's words shocked everyone else in the camp. They all immediately looked at the broken cookie on Rachael's paw, before turning their attention to the Latios.

"Richard…" Baromyteus spoke up. "Don't tell me that…"

"…" Richard didn't say anything.

 _'…Clever, young Latios.'_ Frostic spoke up. _'Like what happened after War of the God I, we couldn't wholly say that Kingdom of the Dragonking lost the war and the rest of the Great Continent won the war, as the result of the war actually brought Kingdom of the Dragonking to the path of glory, while dragging the rest of the Great Continent to the path of ruins. The Hero/ine of Legend thought that banishing Kingdom of the Dragonking away would benefit the whole world, but it actually beckoned the end of the Great Continent…'_

* * *

 _In order for something to exist, it needed to be balanced…_

 _If the balance was lost, so do the thing…_

 _The Hero/ine of Legend made a grave mistake by neglecting this fate and proceeded to banish the Kingdom of the Dragonking away from the Great Continent, from the World of Pokemon…_

 _And the result of their action was the destruction of the whole Great Continent…_

 _Without the land of the Dragon type Pokemon, the Great Continent itself started losing its balance, and without its balance, it started to crumble…_

 _The land was twisted, the sea was boiled, the sky was torn apart… And the lives were lost…_

 _If there's a word to describe the event of that day, there's only one…_

 _It's the Apocalypse…_

* * *

"…" The camp fell into silence after hearing the story from the Kyurem. Everyone here, including Richard who had already known this, was shocked by the event that happened long time ago…

 _'Ironic, isn't it?'_ Frostic continued speaking. _'The Hero/ine of Legend tried to protect the Great Continent by banishing Kingdom of the Dragonking away, but it turned out that they protected Kingdom of the Dragonking from the apocalypse and brought destruction upon the Great Continent…'_

"…What happened to the Great Continent afterward?" Anastasia spoke up with a worried voice. "And what about the Pokemon on the Great Continent? Did they…"

 _'… The apocalypse had brought a great calamity upon the Great Continent. The massive land of the Great Continent that was once in unity started breaking… Several small portions of the Great Continent were broken from the Great Continent and being drifted away from its origin'_ Frostic answered.

"The land… splits?" Zetarus said.

 _'Correct.'_ Frostic said. _'The splitting lands would later become a new land on the vast ocean of nothing. Among them was the land that was once the location of the capital city of the Great Continent, the Mytherel City.'_

"Mytherel City too?" Rachael asked.

 _'Yes. The Mytherel City and some nearby kingdoms around there was broken from the Great Continent and drifted away, becoming a new continent known by the name of 'Mytherel', or 'Land of Legend', as it was the location of the Mytherel City, the city where the Hero/ine of Legend were born with the power from Arceus.'_ Frostic said.

"…What about the Pokemon on the Mytherel Continent?" Anastasia asked.

 _'They survived.'_ Frostic answered. _'It was Arceus who protected the Pokemon and the Mytherel Continent from the Apocalypse. Nevertheless, the Apocalypse had destroyed the Mytherel City, making it become no more than the ruins of once-gloried capital, so the Pokemon on the Mytherel Continent abandoned the capital and started living everywhere else on the Mytherel Continent.'_

"That's quite a relief to know…" Anastasia sighed.

"… Other than the Mytherel Continent, are there any more land that was broken off the Great Continent?" Baromyteus asked.

 _'There was a portion of land with no important that was broken off the Great Continent. It was voided with any Pokemon as a result of the Apocalypse…'_ Frostic said. _'And this land would later crash with the south of the Mytherel Continent. As a result of this, this land was merged into the northern land and become a part of the Mytherel Continent, and the Pokemon from the northern part of the Mytherel Continent started moving south to live there too…'_

"Okay…" Baromyteus nodded. "Anything else?"

 _'There are several more lands that were broken off the Great Continent like the Mytherel Continent.'_ Frostic answered. _'But most of them were either a very small portion of land, which later became a more-or-less deserting island in the vast continent, or a portion of land with no important that wasn't as lucky as the land that crashed into the Mytherel Continent, which soon became a forgotten land within the vast sea… Well, except some…'_

"Some?" Rachael asked.

 _'Yes…'_ Frostic said. _'Other than the Mytherel Continent, there were two more noteworthy lands that were broken off the Great Continent. The first one is the Luminus Continent.'_

"Luminus Continent?" Diego spoke up.

 _'Luminus Continent was another land that was spared from the Apocalypse, as it was homed to several Hero/ine of Legend, who used their power to protect their home during the Apocalypse. As a result of this, the land that was once filled with despair was lit with the light of hope once again, dubbed its another name as the 'Land of Light'.'_

"… What about the last one?" Claura asked.

 _'It's the Continent of Origia.'_ Frostic answered. _'Origia, while being a part of the Great Continent, was the very first portion of the land that was created by the God Arceus, dubbed its title the 'Land of Origin'. Because it was the first land that was created, it was said to hold some sort of 'special power', which was also the reason why did Origia and its people survive the Apocalypse.'_

"…So, there were three major continents that were broken of the Great Continent, the Mytherel Continent, the Luminus Continent and the Origia Continent, right?" Baromyteus said.

"Yes." Instead of Frostic, it was Richard who answered this question. "Despite everything, these three continents are actually quite close to each others, so the Pokemon on those continents could travel to other continents without much trouble, and everyone continued living on those three continents for a few thousand years. Some major events of the World of Pokemon actually occurred on these lands, such as the Twilight Crisis that was occurring on the Mytherel Continent, and the Daybreak Crisis that was occurring on the Luminus Continent."

"But…" Zetarus spoke up. "Where are these three continents right now?"

"This detail is regarded to what happened during War of the God III, which was occurring just 147 years before the present year." Richard said. "Okay, then. I will resume my story here at the time of War of the God III—"

 _'… Richard, let me tell this part.'_

A voice suddenly came out of Richard's Luster Pendant, and then a silhouette of the Mega Latios appeared from the Dragon Relic and stood in the middle of everyone and beside Frostic.

"Lord of Blindness?" Richard spoke up as he saw the appearance of his Dragon Legend. "Why did you have to show your useless form of ethereal around here? Now be a good dragon and go back to sleep."

 _'I would do it if I am such a jerk who didn't want to show mercy by sharing the vast amount of knowledge I have, as I am now the most intelligent and the cleverest creature in the World of Pokemon.'_ Holmer answered.

"I didn't ask you to come and help me, by the way, Lord of Blindness." Richard said.

 _'And I didn't ask you to split your foul words at me while I am being merciful.'_ Holmer said.

"P…Please… Stop your nonsense argument." Rachael spoke up when she realized that none of them were ready to stop their quarrel.

 _'Right.'_ A voice echoed from Rachael's Mist Pendant, and then a silhouette of a Mega Latias appeared from the Dragon Relic and stopped beside the silhouette of the Mega Latios. _'It won't do anything good if both of you keep this for the whole night.'_

"Sigh… _Fine…'_ Holmer and Richard sighed and mumbled at the same time.

"…Look at these two…" Xavier mumbled to his cousin. "After forming the pact with Legendary Pokemon, we would most likely to try not to piss them off, but look at this Latios…"

"Yeah." Claura mumbled. "I wouldn't do that to my Dragon Legend either…"

 _'However…'_ Holmer spoke up again. _'I am going to tell my story either way, because I, as the most intelligent and—'_

"Are you going to tell us the story or keep rambling for the whole night?" Richard interrupted Holmer's words.

 _'Fine, then…'_ Holmer mumbled. _'The story was started about 900 years after the end of the Twilight Crisis and the Daybreak Crisis…'_

* * *

 _After the Twilight Crisis and the Daybreak Crisis, the World of Pokemon, which now only had three lands left, the Land of Legend, Mytherel, the Land of Light, Luminus, and the Land of Origin, Origia. While both crises had taken a great toll on both Mytherel and Luminus and almost destroyed both of them, they were able to endure it and continued to exist for 900 years…_

 _But…_

 _I could not fathom how… foolish the non-Dragon type Pokemon were…_

 _Sure, after War of the God II, Kingdom of the Dragonking was sent into a dimension between time and space with no connection with the World of Pokemon, basically being trapped there. However, near the end of the Twilight Crisis, the passage of time and space was opened, enabled everyone to freely travel between these three continents and Kingdom of the Dragonking…_

 _With this, some Dragon type Pokemon started travelling from Kingdom of the Dragonking to these three continents, myself and my sister included._

 _Because a few thousand years had already passed since the end of War of the God II, most Pokemon had already forgotten what happened to their world and their continents, so they didn't think much of the Dragon type Pokemon and lived without any conflict with them…_

 _Until… They found the record about what happened to the World of Pokemon… From a few thousand years ago… To about a ten thousand years ago…_

 _They discovered the truth of War of the God I and War of the God II…_

 _About the invasion of the Dragon type Pokemon over their land, about the countless lives that were lost in the war…_

 _About the existence of the Dragon God…_

 _The truth greatly enraged them, and the rage within their fragile body of mortal sought revenge against the Dragon type Pokemon…_

 _And then… Instead of undoing the mistake that their ancestors had made, they chose to repeat it…_

 _They branded the Dragon God as the 'Dark God', and the Dragon type Pokemon as the 'sin' of the Dark God…_

 _But it was not enough…_

 _They decided to start another war, which was later known as… War of the God III…_

 _Unlike its former counterparts, War of the God III was started by the non-Dragon type Pokemon, instead of the Dragon type Pokemon…_

 _And in the end… Once again, they succeeded…_

 _Despite the Hero/ine of Legend didn't join the war, they successfully gained the victory of the war…_

 _How pathetic…_

 _The main reason why Kingdom of the Dragonking lost this war, despite the absence of the Hero/ine of Legend was none other than the failure of the Pokemon who was the ruler of Kingdom of the Dragonking at that time…_

 _Which was none other than… myself…_

* * *

"You were… the king of Kingdom of the Dragonking?" Zetarus spoke up.

 _'Right.'_ Holmer nodded. _'I became the ruler of Kingdom of the Dragonking since a bit before the Twilight Crisis, and I was still one until the War of the God III. As the king, I had witnessed the event of War of the God III with my very own eyes… Before I lost my life after Kingdom of the Dragonking lost the war…'_

"…" Everyone fell into silence after hearing Holmer's words.

 _'When Kingdom of the Dragonking lost, and my broth_ er and I were killed, the rage of the non-Dragon type still hadn't subsided yet _…'_ Ilia spoke up. _'So, they decided that the Dragon type Pokemon shouldn't exist within the World of Pokemon, and then they started… the genocide of the Dragon type Pokemon…'_

"OH!" Some of the group suddenly cried out as they heard the word 'Genocide'.

 _'During the war, they killed every Dragon type they met and spared no single one.'_ Ilia spoke and closed her eyes. _'It was the most painful memory of me to witness such a tragic event like this…'_

"…" Everyone said nothing after hearing the words of the Mega Latias.

 _'However…'_ Holmer spoke up again. _'I already sensed that they would do something like this, so, as a last resort as I laid dying alongside my sister, I achieved the forbidden magic that was sealed within the Chronicle and created a barrier and immediately repelled every invaders of Kingdom of the Dragonking, as well as putting the whole kingdom in the hibernate state— Which was making every remaining Dragon type Pokemon within the border of Kingdom of the Dragonking fell unconscious, and their mortal form, as well as the whole kingdom, was sealed within the rift of time and space for a century…'_

"What?!" Diego spoke up. "Is something like this even possible?!"

"But it's true."

The voice of the Dragonite that was suddenly spoken out turned the attention of everyone to the owner of the voice, and before anyone could say anything, Xavier continued speaking. "Kingdom of the Dragonking was, once again, voided of any access, and everyone in Kingdom of the Dragonking fell asleep for a whole century. They fell asleep in the very day that Kingdom of the Dragonking lost the war, and woke up one hundred years later, while still feeling that only a single night had passed…"

"…How did you know something like this?" Baromyteus asked.

"Our grandfather and grandmother told us." This time, it was the Kingdra who spoke up. "They were among the Dragon type Pokemon that were put into a hibernation state, and woke up one hundred years later, and they told us about the event that happened at that time too."

 _'Make sense…'_ Holmer spoke up. _'Your grandfather and grandmother once served under me as my trusted general, and they were alive during those events…'_

"You know our grandparents?!" Claura and Xavier spoke up.

 _'Right.'_ Ilia spoke. _'Moreover…'_ Ilia and Holmer turned their attention to Anastasia and Baromyteus, before they shook their head. _'… Never mind. It's not important... right now._ _Let's resume the story of War of the God III…'_

* * *

 _The destruction of Kingdom of the Dragonking 900 years after the Twilight Crisis and Daybreak Crisis, or should I say, 247 years before the present year, marked the end of the first half of the war…_

 _With no more Dragon type Pokemon existed, or so what everyone believed, the continent of Mytherel, Luminus and Origia went into a state of peace and harmony for another century. However, the century of peace and harmony was also the century of guilt and regret, as they had just realized their mistake of killing every Dragon type Pokemon, and they started to regret what they had done, but it was too late. They could not go back through time to correct their mistake, so they had to continue living in the life of guilt for a century…_

 _And then… A century had passed… And…_

 _The second half of War of the God III was erupted…_

 _Who was the cause of the second half of War of the God III?_

 _It was… the Demon from the Twilight Crisis…_

 _Despite being sealed by the Hero/ine of Legend at the end of the Twilight Crisis, the demon successfully broke free, and he started to corrupt the World of Pokemon once again. Knowing this, the Hero/ine of Legend had to rise up and stood within his path of conquest…_

 _However, this time, the demon was much more powerful than the time of the Twilight Crisis, as he had received an enormous power from his thousand-year slumber, and the power he received made him even rivaled Arceus…_

 _At this moment, Arceus realized that their power, as well as the power of the Hero/ine of Legend was not enough to defeat this demon…_

 _They needed someone else… Whose power rivaled themselves and the demon…_

 _Without any other choice, Arceus decided to release the Dragon God from the seal, at a condition that the Dragon God must help him and the Hero/ine of Legend in defeating this Demon._

 _The Dragon God accepted, so they were unsealed and returned to the World of Pokemon once again…_

 _Also…_

 _During the war, the Hero/ine of Legend had discovered another portal that led them to the Kingdom of the Dragonking, the kingdom of the Dragon type Pokemon that everyone had thought that they were already gone… Moreover, with the Dragon God helping them, the Dragon type Pokemon agreed to help the Hero/ine of Legend in defeating the demon…_

 _With the aid of two gods and the Dragon of Kingdom of the Dragonking, the Hero/ine of Legend were able to successfully defeat the demon. This time, the demon was completely obliterated from the World of Pokemon, so he wouldn't be able to return again…_

 _And finally, War of the God III had come to the end…_

 _However… Like its former counterparts, the World of Pokemon suffered greatly after the end of the war. For Kingdom of the Dragonking, their suffering mostly came from what happened during the war's first half, but for the continent of Mytherel, Luminus and Origia, they suffered greatly during the second half of the war…_

 _Because during the second half of the war, with the twisted chaos power of the demon, several phenomena that were against the law of nature had occurred…_

 _Among them was… The Distortion of Time and Space…_

 _The Distortion of Time and Space had greatly affected the continent of Mytherel, Luminus and Origia, mostly Origia was it was where the war mostly took place off. This phenomenon had caused all three continents to lose their equivalence…_

 _And if this continued, another Apocalypse would surely happen…_

 _However, thanks to the Hero/ine of Legend being able to defeat the demon before the World of Pokemon had completely lost its balance, the three continents were saved from the total destruction, if not for the destruction…_

 _The Distortion of Time and Space had brought the Destruction of Earth, Sea and Sky upon the three continents, and in the end, the continent of Mytherel, Luminus and Origia had merged into a single continent…_

 _With the combination of three continents, the balance had returned to the World of Pokemon once again. So, now with a single continent instead of three continents, the newly-formed was given a new name…_

 _Because of its foundation that kept the World of Pokemon in the balance, the newly-formed continent was given a name of 'Land of Equivalence', or the continent of… Symmetria._

* * *

"…So…" Baromyteus spoke up. "The continent of Symmetria is actually a merge of the continent of Mytherel, Luminus and Origia…"

"Right."Richard spoke up. "Some areas on the continent of Symmetria today are actually the area that once existed on the continent of Mytherel, Luminus and Origia, such as Gamma City, the capital of Republic of Civilight, was once the capital of the continent of Origia, Venturnome City, the capital of Theocracy of Venturnome, was once the capital of the continent of Luminus, and the area we are in, the Stone Ravine of Fireview Kingdom, was once the area of the Mytherel City of the continent of Mytherel."

"W…What?!" Rachael said. "T…Then…"

"… Somewhere within this Stone Ravine, the ruins of the ancient city of Mytherel is located…" Richard said.

"That's incredible!" Rachael said. "I couldn't believe that we are actually in the area with the historical important like this!"

"…However…" Anastasia spoke up. "… The continent of Symmetria wasn't like this 30 years ago…"

"What?" Everyone's attention was shifted to the Goodra instead.

"…The Symmetria you see today is actually formed recently." Instead of the Goodra, it was the Shiny Haxorus who spoke up. "After the end of War of the God III, the continent of Symmetria was actually in a difference shape, such as the area that's now the Shadowlost Territory was once an isle to the south of the mainland while the area that's now Theocracy of Venturnome was once located on the eastern region of Symmetria."

"Then…" Diego spoke up. "What caused Symmetria to change its shape?"

"The Fallen Crisis." Baromyteus answered and closed his eyes.

"The Fallen Crisis?" Rachael spoke up. She remembered that she had heard about this some time ago… "What happened during the Fallen Crisis that caused Symmetria to change like this?"

"… I will not say anything more." Baromyteus spoke up with a sinister voice.

"What?!" Rachael said. "Come on!"

"… It was just the action of the Fallen Dragon that turned Symmetria into what you see today." Richard decided to answer his sister's question instead.

"Okay." Rachael nodded after receiving the answer from her brother.

"Then…" Richard spoke up again. "This is the end of the story of the War of the God. What do you think about it? It's a very long story, isn't it?"

"But…" Rachael continued speaking. "I still have some question left about the War of the God…"

"Go on." Richard said.

"First, what happened to Kingdom of the Dragonking and the Dragon God after War of the God III?" Rachael asked.

"Let me answer this one for you…" Claura spoke up. "After War of the God III, the Dragon God was allowed to continue living, in a condition that they must not invade the World of Pokemon again. So, they returned to Kingdom of the Dragonking and continued living there as the God of Dragon type Pokemon."

"Does that mean that the Dragon God is in Kingdom of the Dragonking right now?" Rachael asked.

"That's what everyone in my kingdom says." Xavier answered. "But I have never met the Dragon God, so I don't know the valid answer of your question."

"Okay…" Rachael nodded.

"As for Kingdom of the Dragonking…" Xavier continued speaking. "It continued to exist and gradually returned to its former glory, and because of the creation of the portal between the continent of Symmetria and Kingdom of the Dragonking, it was now possible to travel between both places."

"However…" Claura spoke up. "Because of what happened during the first half of War of the God III, the Dragon type Pokemon now hold a great prejudice over all non-Dragon type Pokemon, and I would be lying if I say that I do not think so too."

"So do I." Xavier said.

"So…" Rachael looked at Claura and Xavier with a sad face. "You two really hate the non-Dragon type Pokemon, right?"

"It couldn't be helped…" Xavier said. "After everything they had done during the first half of War of the God III, there's no way for us to think like this…"

"Also…" Claura mumbled. "Our hatred toward the non-Dragon type Pokemon didn't solely come from War of the God III…"

"I am sorry?" Rachael looked at the Kingdra, as she didn't hear what she said.

"… Never mind." Claura said. "Okay, here's the end of your first answer, Rachael."

"Do you have any more questions?" Richard asked.

"Of course…" Rachael said. "Onii-chan, you said that the continent of Mytherel, Luminus and Origia were broken off the Great Continent, right?"

"Right." Richard nodded. "Even thought, the areas of those three continents combined is just a very small portion of the Great Continent."

"But then…" Rachael continued speaking. "… What about the rest of the Great Continent?"

"… Frostic, I will leave this to you." Richard said as he shifted his attention from his sister to the silhouette of the Kyurem.

 _'… The Great Continent… It didn't survive the Apocalypse...'_ Frostic answered. _'Another ironic thing regarding this event is that the very small lands, comparing to the Great Continent, that were broken of the Great Continent were actually the things that 'survived' the Apocalypse, but for the Great Continent… It was totally destroyed by the unbalanced force of nature, resulting in the death of… everyone on the Great Continent.'_

"What?!" Rachael said. "E… Everyone?!"

 _'Right.'_ Frostic said. _'The number of Pokemon that was still on the Great Continent during the Apocalypse was ten… no… hundred… no… thousand… no… million times of the number of the Pokemon who survived the Apocalypse by being on the Continent of Mytherel, Luminus and Origia combined, and this was the very same number of the lives that were lost during the Apocalypse…'_

"…Terrible…" Rachael mumbled.

 _'… As for the Great Continent…'_ Frostic continued speaking. _'With the Apocalypse, it was now no more than a barren land of living hell that's void of any life form, so the Great Continent was abandoned and forgotten in the end…'_

"Such a tragic story of the land that was once a mighty continent of the World of Pokemon…" Anastasia commented.

"But this means that the Great Continent is still exist somewhere in the World of Pokemon, right?" Zetarus spoke up.

"Yes." Richard answered. "However, while the existence of the Great Continent was discovered at the same time that everyone discovered about the War of the God I and War of the God II, none were able to discover this lost continent. All they knew is that the once-known-as-Great-Continent existed somewhere to the north of today's continent of Symmetria, but they still didn't discover one. So, in the end, they abandoned the search for the Great Continent and continued living on this land, and the Great Continent is now known by another name of 'Irtha', dubbed the 'Land of Sorrow' from what happened to it during the Apocalypse."

"Irtha… The Land of Sorrow…" Anastasia mumbled. "Such a sad name…"

"Well then…" Richard spoke up again. "Rachael, anymore questions?"

"Just one more…" Rachael said. "This one is regarding to War of the God I."

"What is it?" Richard asked.

"Did you say that there were 18 Pokemon who received the power from the God Arceus and became the Hero/ine of Legend during War of the God I, right?" Rachael asked.

"Yes, Rachael." Richard said. "18 Pokemon… Each Pokemon for each type…"

"Then…" Rachael said. "If there were 18 Pokemon who became 18 Hero/ine of Legend, but you said that ALL Dragon type Pokemon were siding with the Dragon God, then… Who was the Pokemon who became the Hero/ine of Dragon type at that time?"

"!" While the question didn't give much impact to the Latios, it gave an enormous shock to the Goodra and the Shiny Haxorus who were also listening to their story!

"…I must admit that I haven't read this part yet…" Richard admitted. "I will tell you once I have read about this, okay?"

"Fine…" Rachael said.

"…" Anastasia and Baromyteus secretly made a small sigh of relief after hearing the answer from the Latios.

"And thus, the story of War of the God has finally come to the end…" Richard said. "Now let's go to sleep before—"

"Oh! Everyone, look!"

Anastasia spoke up and pointed her paw to the east. From there was a small but bright circle on the sky that's gradually raised up, lighting the darkness-covered sky up…

"It's already dawn?!" Zetarus spoke.

"I guess I got myself ahead a bit…" Richard said.

"A bit?!" Diego said. "Are you serious?!"

"But it was you who decided to listen to my story for a whole night, not me who forced you to stay up for the whole night…" Richard said.

"I guess so…" Diego said.

"Whatever…" Baromyteus spoke and stood up. "Since it's already dawn, I will go out to hunt something for breakfast."

"Let us go with you too." Zetarus and Diego spoke and stood up. (And at the same time, the silhouette of the Kyurem disappeared back into Diego's Ring of Ruins while the silhouette of the Mega Latias and Mega Latios disappeared into Rachael's Mist Pendant and Richard's Luster Pendant respectively.)

"Whatever…" Baromyteus said. "Again, don't get yourself in my way, and I will spare your life."

"For us…" Claura and Xavier stood up. "We will go to find some more firewood."

"Then…" Rachael said and stood up. "I will prepare breakfast!"

"Let me help you too…" Anastasia said.

"Thank you, Anastasia!" Rachael said.

"… Will you force me to help you again?" Richard asked.

"NO!" Rachael said. "I won't let you help me in cooking again! Don't you remember what happened last night?! You almost put the whole piece of rock salt into the soup instead of breaking it into several small pieces first!"

"Whatever…" Richard mumbled. "Then, I will plan for today's route, okay?"

"Okay!" Rachael said. "Let's do our best for another day! I can already sense that today would be a great day!"

* * *

 **-Meanwhile…**

"Ah… Another day of morning patrol…"

An energetic voice of a young man was spoke out as the owner of the voice was walking around a place that looked like a bottom of a deep valley. However, other than the wild Pokemon, there was no one else in this place.

"Sigh… Why did grandpa have to make me patrolling around this empty valley?" The owner of the voice mumbled as he walked around the valley. "Other than us, there's NO ONE else in this place. No one ever comes and no one ever leaves this place, so it's pointless for me to wander around here…"

The owner of the voice continued walking around this place for a few more minutes, before he spoke up again.

"I think this would be enough for today's morning patrol. It's time for me to go back for… another patrol in the afternoon… Well, at least… This time, I won't be alone…"

After finished speaking, the owner of the voice turned back and was about to leave when he noticed something…

"Hm?"

The owner of the voice noticed something not too far from him. It looked like a strange 'object' that he had never seen before.

'…I choose check this out.' He thought to himself before deciding to approach it to see what it was, only to find that…

"W…WHAT IS THIS?!"

The owner of the voice yelled in a surprising manner as he finally reached the 'object' that he saw from afar. However, this wasn't an 'object'. It was…

"W… What kind of Pokemon is this?!" The owner of the voice said. "I… I haven't seen any creature like this before in my life… Well, I actually haven't seen many kinds of Pokemon in my life… But… THIS! I couldn't even tell if this is a creature or not!"

The owner of the voice had his attention fixed on the creature in front of him for several minutes, before he spoke up again.

"It's not moving… Is it dead?"

The owner of the voice reached his paw forward to touch the creature in front of him, and found that…

"It's still alive!" The owner of the voice said and quickly moved his paw away from the creature in front of him. "W… What should I do with this?! Should I leave it here, or should I…"

The owner of the voice closed his eyes for a few minutes, and then he opened his eyes again.

"No, I must help this creature…" The owner of the voice looked at the creature in front of him again. "Every life in this world matter and every life in this world are equal to each others, so I must not treat them with prejudice. I must act everything in the name of the equivalence!"

The owner of the voice then approached the creature in front him and carefully picked it up and carried it on his back, before he started walking toward the exit of this place.

"Don't worry…" The owner of the voice spoke gently to the creature that he was carrying on his back. "Every life matter, so I will help you as much as I can, no matter what…"

 **To Be Continued…**

* * *

 **Dragon of Vale: The only thing I have to say to everyone who has made it to the end of this chapter is, Richard didn't lie, right?**

 **Anyway, sorry again for a bit of pausing, but I promised that I will try to upload the next chapter sooner…**

 **Oh, one more thing, I want you to focus on the content of the sixth tail, be a lore or an event, as it will be VERY important for the whole story…**


	54. Tail 6-4: A Path to the Past

**A Dragon's Tail**

 **Tail 6: Baromyteus' Tail - Deception**

 **Tail 6-4: A Path to the Past**

"Here we are…"

After finishing their morning activities such as breakfast and packing, eight Pokemon were now standing in front of a stone wall that's a part of a mountain range that divided Fireview Kingdom from Dustorm Empire. This stone wall was the location of the sealed cave that would lead them into a hidden path into the desert nation, however, the entrance of the cave was sealed and block by a giant boulder that seemed to be impossible to destroy with a power of an ordinary Pokemon…

"Not only the boulder, but the entrance of this cave was sealed by a very strong magic barrier…" Richard spoke up. "We won't be able to destroy it by using our power alone."

"I guess that's your method of saying what should we do…" Claura said. She then reached her paw to the Feather Brooch on her chest. "And I guess that I will do it myself…"

"I don't think so…" Richard spoke up again. "In order to effectively destroy the seal, we would need more than the power of a Legendary Pokemon…"

"… Are you suggesting that ALL of us should attack this seal at once?" Xavier asked.

"You guess it." Richard said. "Don't worry about the side effect of our action. I have calculated that there was no one around here to witness our decisive action, so we should be fine."

"Whatever…" Baromyteus spoke and reached his paw to the bracelet on his wrist. "Let's do it."

Everyone nodded to the words of the Shiny Haxorus, and then they touched their Dragon Relic, making them start glowing with a mysterious aura!

"I will go first!" Baromyteus said and drew out a mysterious purple light of draconic energy from his Dragon Relic and cloaked it around his swords, and then he picked his swords up, preparing for an assault!

"SPECIAL REND!" Baromyteus roared as he slashed his blades in front of him, creating two purple draconic energy waves that were emitting from the purple light that was cloaking his swords to attack the stone wall in front of him!

"Our turns! FUSION FLARE/FUSION BOLT!" Claura and Xavier roared as they summoned a ring of flame and a black cloud below and above the stone wall from their Feather Brooch and Scale Brooch respectively, and then the silhouettes of a Reshiram and Zekrom appeared from the ring and the cloud, respectively, creating a vortex of burning flame and a blast of clapping thunder that crashed with each other at the wall! "

"Zygarde, get your axs up! LAND WRATH!" Zetarus raised his claw with the Ring of Balance being worn upward and created several beams of green light that appeared beneath the stone wall and crumbled it!

"Frostic! I summon you! GLACIATE!" Diego roared as he raised his paw with the Ring of Ruins being worn upward and created several icicles that immediately pierced the stone wall!

"I need your help, Ilia! MIST BALL!" Rachael said, and the Mist Pendant started glowing with a misty aura and soon compressed into a single ball of mist before being launched at the stone wall!

"Make yourself useful for once, Lord of Blindness! LUSTER PERGE!" Richard said, and the Luster Pendant started glowing with a very bright aura and soon being launched at the stone wall!

"Please lend me your strength…" Anastasia prayed to her Dragon Relic, which, like Baromyteus' Dragon Relic, was a bracelet on her wrist, which was now glowing with an indigo aura. "ROAR OF TIME!" Anastasia released a huge beam of draconic energy at the stone wall!

"CRACCKKKKKK!"

Being assaulted by eight powerful, the stone wall, as well as the magical barrier, that blocked the entrance to the sealed cave was immediately destroyed and exploded into several piles of rubbish!

"WOOOHOOO!" Zetarus said. "That's one BIG explosion!"

"Anastasia, are you alright?" After finished using the power of the Legendary Pokemon, Baromyteus immediately turned his attention to his younger sister, who seemed not to be in a good condition. "You shouldn't do this and leave everyone to us…"

"N… No… D… Don't worry, brother…" Anastasia spoke with a shaking voice as she tried to catch her breath. "I will b… be fine…"

"What's wrong, Anastasia?" Rachael spoke up once she noticed that the Goodra didn't seem to be in a good condition. "W… Woah! What happened to you? Your face is pale! W… Wait a minute, I got this…"

"It's the side effect of her using the power of her Dragon Legend." Baromyteus answered as Rachael quickly grabbed a bottle of Stamina Potion and gave it to the exhausting Goodra. "Anastasia's Dragon Legend is a very powerful being, and when the power they lent to Anastasia was much more powerful than everyone else here. However, every time she summoned her Dragon Legend, she will suffer like this…" Baromyteus ended his speech with a small glance at his younger sister, who seemed to be much better after she consumed the potion that the Latias gave her.

"Thank you very much, Rachael…" Anastasia said as she handed over the empty bottle back to the Latias.

"That's not a problem at all!" Rachael said as she received the empty bottle back.

"Then…" Claura spoke up and turned her attention to the sealed cave, which was now wasn't sealed anymore. "Let's go, everyone. We will not going to the past."

"To the… past?" Diego spoke.

"You will understand soon." Xavier said. "Now, come on."

After finished speaking, Xavier and Claura entered the cave that was just unsealed, followed by Rachael and Richard. Once being assured that his sister was alright, Baromyteus and Anastasia followed the first four Pokemon into the cave too, leaving the Garchomp and the Mega Charizard X in front of the cave…

"Sigh…" Zetarus mumbled with his arms crossed. "How did I get myself into this sxxt?"

"Yeah, my feeling too." Diego nodded to Zetarus' words. "A few days ago, we were only a small group of wanderers which consisted of Rachael, Richard, you and me, and now, we have four more Pokemon, which made all of us a group of Pokemon who had formed a pact with Legendary Pokemon…"

"And I don't understand why we agreed to travel with them too…" Zetarus said. "We just want to get our butts into Dustorm Empire, but they didn't seem to do the same thing."

"Nevertheless, we agreed to travel with them… for the time being…" Diego said and started walking into the cave. "Come on, Zetarus."

"Hm." Zetarus nodded to the Mega Charizard X before he followed the Mega Charizard X into the cave. However, just before he entered the cave…

"?" Zetarus suddenly stopped walking and turned his head back, as if he was trying to find something or something caught his attention…

"What's wrong, Zetarus?" Diego asked.

"I think I felt that… someone is around here…" Zetarus said as he tried to look around, but other than Diego and six other Pokemon inside the cave, he couldn't find anyone else around here.

"What?" Diego said and looked around, but, like the Garchomp, he couldn't see anyone else around here too. "… Must be your imagination, Zetarus."

"What's the 'in-mage-jin-nation' thing? A nation where several mages live?" Zetarus asked.

"… Forget it." Diego said and headed into the cave.

"H… Hey! Wait for me!" Zetarus said and quickly followed the Mega Charizard X into the cave, leaving no one else around here…

Or not?

After everyone had entered the cave, a Pokemon who was hiding behind a rock not too far from the entrance of the cave slowly appeared from their hiding place. Their attention was now focused at the cave that everyone had just entered.

"…They…" The Pokemon mumbled with a soft and gentle voice. "… They must be…"

After standing still for several minutes, the Pokemon here decided to approach the entrance of the cave. They stopped a bit as they reached the entrance of the cave, which was almost impossible to see the inside of the cave…

"…" The Pokemon nodded to themselves before they started walking into the cave…

* * *

 **-Inside the Cave…**

 _"This place is so dark! I can't see anything around here!"_

 _"Watch out, everyone! Don't wander off and get yourself lost in this cave!"_

 _"Right! I won't be responsible if any of us being left to wander in this darkness forever!"_

 _"EEAGH!"_

 _"Rachael, what happened?!"_

 _"Something squishy touched my leg!"_

 _"But you don't have legs…"_

 _"EHAAAH!"_

 _"Ouch! Stop clinking on me!"_

 _"Oh! Sorry, Claura! EAHHH!"_

 _"What's it this time?!"_

 _"I saw it! A demon with red glowing eyes in front of me! AHHH! It's coming toward us!"_

 _"… That's me."_

 _"Oh! Sorry, Baromyteus!"_

 _"Sigh…"_

 _"HEY! Did someone touch my—ZETARUS!"_

 _"What's wrong, Diego? Is this not enough for you? Do you want me to keep going until you—"_

 _"GET THE FXXK OFF ME YOU FXXXXXG AXXXXXE BEFORE I FXXXXXG STAB YOU IN YOUR—"_

 _"Stab me? I'd love to! Now let me turn around and—"_

 _"FIRE PUNCH!"_

 _"OUCH!"_

 _"Sigh… Here we go…"_

Suddenly, a ball of light was summoned from the Chronicle of Darkside, lightening up the cave. Despite the size of the ball, its light was enough for everyone to see their surroundings inside the cave.

"Thank you, Richard..." Anastasia sighed in relief after seeing the cave being illuminated. "Everyone alright?"

"Yeah, we are fine." Claura and Xavier said, and Baromyteus, who was standing beside the owner of the question, slightly nodded in response.

"Whew! That's was so scary…" Rachael sighed in relief too. She was right now standing next to her elder brother.

"Thank you SO MUCH for ending this bxxxxxxt…" Diego spoke with his arms crossed. He was right now standing next to someone who was collapsing on the floor of the cave, who was none other than Zetarus.

"Um… Zetarus, are you alright?" Rachael spoke and looked at the Garchomp, who seemed to be knocked out not too long ago.

"Aurrr…. So… painful…" Zetarus mumbled.

"That's what you got for messing up with me!" Diego spoke.

"What did Zetarus do to you, Diego?" Rachael asked innocently. "You say that he touched you somewhere on your body…"

"T… That's not…" Diego spoke with a shaking voice, and it anyone paid enough attention to the Mega Charizard X, they would see a red trail of blushing in his face.

"Did he try to bite your tail again?" Rachael asked.

"No! I mean—Y… Yes!" Diego answered, but he didn't look into anyone's eyes.

"What's wrong with you, Diego?" Rachael spoke. "You don't look so well…"

"I… I am fine, of course!" Diego said.

"Really?" Rachael said. "But I think that there's something strange about you…"

"W…WHAT?!" Diego said.

"That's right!" Rachael said. "Before Onii-chan lighted up the cave, I didn't see you anywhere, despite you having a flaming tail, and you also breathed two flames out of the sides of your mouth too!"

"That's because of the color of the flame, Rachael." Instead of the Mega Charizard X, it was the elder brother of the owner of the question who answered. "The flame of Mega Charizard X is blue because of the increasing heat, making the spectrum of light being—"

"I'm leaving." Baromyteus spoke and headed deeper into the cave, followed by the Goodra, Dragonite and Kingdra.

"H… Hey! Wait for us!" Rachael said and quickly dragged her elder brother (Who was still rambling about the spectrum of flame.) along with all of them.

"Come on, Zetarus." Diego spoke to the Garchomp, who was slowly standing up. "And no more that 'thing' again."

"Nope, sorry!" Zetarus spoke with a crafty voice. "You'd better watch yourself!"

"F…. Fxxk off!" Diego said before he followed everyone else deeper into the cave, with the Garchomp following him.

* * *

Now with the cave being illuminated, the journey into the cave was much easier and more convenient. However, despite being a cave that was sealed for the longest time, this cave was full with many baneful wild Pokemon, so everyone had to fight their way into the cave.

"Ugh! Why there are so many wild Pokemon here?!" Diego grumbled as he slashed a wild Golbat that tried to attack him with his Silver Naginata.

"Poor creature…" Anastasia said after she finished singing for Richard, who was tired after drawing many moves from the Chronicle of Darkside to attack the wild Pokemon. "Living here forever and unable to see the life…"

"Are you feeling sympathy?! YAH!" Claura said as she knocked out an Onix with her anchor, Niadni. "They are wild Pokemon! Your sympathy would be useless for them! All they need is a good strike on their skull!"

"DIG!" Zetarus roared and suddenly appeared from the floor of the cave to strike down the Onix in one hit.

"YAH!" Baromyteus slashed the head of the wild Steelix that tried to bite him apart from its body in a single slice with his blades. "I think this' all."

"This should be enough… for now." Richard said and closed the Chronicle of Darkside. "I couldn't sense any living creature within our range, so we should be fine for a time being."

"Hm!" Baromyteus grumbled and put his double blades back into his sheath.

"Hey, Baromyteus…" Diego spoke up and looked at the Pokemon in the black armor suit in front of him.

"What?" Baromyteus said with an unfriendly voice, as if to tell 'If you gonna ask me a stupid question, I'm gonna rip your body in half.'

"Your swords… were exceptional…" Diego said as he pointed at the sheathed blades of the Shiny Haxorus. "I have never seen the swords like that before in my life, especially since I am a gladiator who had a date with these things seven days a week."

"These things?" Baromyteus drew his weapons from their sheath again. It was a dual-swords that the Shiny Haxorus dual-wielded it as he sliced the body of his enemy apart. The handles of this dual-swords were made of sturdy material, and the blades seemed very sharp, as if they could cut through anything. However, unlike other swords that their blades were made of sturdy and inorganic material such as iron or steel, the blades of these dual-swords seemed to made of… bone?!

"Yes." Diego said. "What's the name of your weapon?"

"It's the Dragon Horn Swords." Baromyteus answered.

"Dragon Horn Sword? What a fitting name…" Zetarus spoke up. "The blades of these swords sure look like the horn of a dragon thought… despite most of us having none."

"But it looks a bit scary…" Rachael said and looked at Baromyteus' Dragon Horn Swords. "They seemed like they were made of bones…"

"You got it." Baromyteus said.

"W… What?!" Rachael quickly got away from the Shiny Haxorus. "A… Are you serious?! Are those swords really made of bones?!"

"Do I look like some kind of Pokemon who's going to joke around?" Baromyteus asked with a sinister voice.

"EEEHA!" Rachael quickly hid behind her elder brother. Luckily, she was saved when the Shiny Haxorus was asked another question by the Mega Charizard X.

"I see…" Diego spoke up. "It's quite fascinating to see a weapon being made of the bones. But… where did you get your weapons?"

"And what if I don't answer?" Baromyteus replied with another question.

"At least tell me what kind of bone this swords were made of." Diego said.

"Dragon Bones." Baromuyteus answered as he sheathed his swords again. "No more question. We must go now."

"R… Right…" Rachael said. "Let's go, Onii-chan… Onii-chan?!" Rachael turned her attention to her elder brother and realized that he seemed not to hear her words, as his attention was on something else…

"…" Richard was staring at the wall of the cave. With the light ball that illuminated the surroundings, it was now revealed that there was something on the wall of the cave!

"W… What is this?" Xavier said as he approached the wall of the cave, and then he realized that the thing on the wall of the cave was…

"Ancient Wall Painting?" Claura said.

That's right. There was an old painting on the wall. The tone of the color of the painting indicated that it had been painted for a very long time ago, but it was still possible to recognize the picture that was painted!

The picture that was painted on the wall was of a very large continent that was painted in the color of blood, as if the land was in the state of turmoil. However, the northern part of this continent was painted in the color of darkness, and in the shape of 'void'. Moreover, everyone could see a few pieces of that land being broken off the mainland. Thus, combining with the story last night, this indicated that the painting on the wall was the picture of…

"The Great Continent?" Anastasia said as she and everyone else approached the wall.

"Not just the Great Continent…" Diego spoke up. "It seemed like this was the Great Continent during… the Apocalypse…"

"Right." Richard spoke up. "The picture on this wall completely matched the event of the Apocalypse after War of the God II."

"Hey! Look there!" Rachael pointed her paw at something on the lower right corner of the painting. As everyone approached that spot, they could see that they were actually several words that were written in a very strange language that seemed like no one would be able to interpret it. However, for some reason, everyone here was able to understand those words…

 _'Follow the historical records of legend and it shall lead you back to the past.'_

"What does that mean?" Anastasia said.

"… I think I know what does it mean…" Richard said and turned his attention to somewhere to the left of the painting of the Great Continent during the Apocalypse. Right there was another ancient painting!

"Another painting?" Everyone approached the second painting to the left of the first painting and realized that it was the painting of…

"War of the God II?!" Baromyteus said.

It was the painting of the clash between the army of non-dragon type Pokemon and the army of Dragon type Pokemon. Right above this painting was another painting, which indicated a clash between 18 Pokemon and a Dragon type Legendary Pokemon, which was non-other than…

"…Frostic, is that you?" Diego said.

 _'… If this is the painting of War of the God II, the Dragon type Legendary Pokemon there would most likely to be me, as I was the ruler of Kingdom of the Dragonking at that time, and 18 Pokemon that were fighting against me must be the Hero/ine of Legend…'_ Frostic answered via the Ring of Ruins.

"Fascinating…" Richard said. "It seemed like this was a series of ancient painting that indicated the event that had been happening in the past…"

As he spoke, Richard looked at somewhere to the left of the picture of War of the God II, and when everyone looked there, they saw another ancient painting!

"I understand now…" Claura spoke up. "Follow the historical record and it shall lead you to the past… This is what it mean…"

"So, it means that we should follow these painting, and it may lead us to the exit of this cave…" Baromyteus said.

Everyone nodded to the Shiny Haxorus' words, and then they decided to follow the series of ancient painting of the events in the past…

* * *

As they followed the series of ancient painting, they realized that most paintings here were mostly focused on Kingdom of the Dragonking, such as what happened to it, as well as its ruler in the past.

"… And this must be the picture of the 5th ruler of Kingdom of the Dragonking and his wife, which would later become the 6th ruler of the very same kingdom." Richard explained as they reached another painting. "The age of the 5th ruler of Kingdom of the Dragonking was also known as the Golden Age, as it was the age when Kingdom of the Dragonking was raised to its apex of prosperity and—"

"Spare your detail for later." Claura interrupted Richard's words. "Where's the next painting?"

The next painting was right to the left of the current painting. It was a picture of… pure black.

"No painting?!" Rachael said. "What does this mean?! Why there's nothing here except black?!"

"… Never mind this one." Baromyteus spoke, and then he walked to the left of the black painting, which then he found another ancient painting. It was the painting of…

"… I think you look too good in this painting, Zygarde." Zetarus spoke as he spot a painting of a Zygarde on the wall.

 _'…I will pretend that I hear none of your insulting words.'_ Zygarde answered via the Ring of Balance.

"So, this is the picture of Zygarde, who was the 3rd ruler of Kingdom of the Dragonking…" Richard spoke up.

"3rd? Wait a minute…" Diego spoke up. "We have just passed the painting of 5th and 6th ruler, but here we found the painting of the 3rd ruler of Kingdom of the Dragonking. I think that there's something missing—"

"Why did you have to waste your time with these nonsense stuffs?" Baromyteus interrupted Diego's words. "Drop it. We don't have the whole day for this thing."

After he finished speaking, Baromyteus walked toward the left of the painting of the Zygarde to the next painting, and Anastasia then hurriedly followed him.

"What's wrong with them?" Rachael said. "It's as if they are hiding something and don't want us to find out…"

"… Everyone has their own secret that they don't wish to share it with others…" Richard spoke. "Come on, Rachael. We're almost there…"

"Okay…" Rachael said as she and everyone else followed Anastasia and Baromyteus to the next painting.

* * *

"Wow!"

After passing following the series of ancient painting, everyone had made it to the painting that seemed to be the last one. It was, like the very first painting, the painting of the Great Continent. However, unlike its former counterpart, the Great Continent here was painted with the color of verdant, indicating that…

"… This must be the Great Continent when it was first created…" Anastasia said. "It seemed like a nice place for living…"

"… And it soon was ruined by them." Richard pointed his paw to something to the northeast and northwest of the painting of the Great Continent. In both places were the painting of two Legendary Pokemon, one to the northeast and one to the northwest. However, the painting of the Legendary Pokemon on the northwest was very faded, making it impossible to see which kind of Pokemon there. The painting of the Legendary Pokemon on the northeast corner, on the other hand, was still existed, and it was the painting of…

"… That must be the painting of Arceus." Diego spoke.

The painting to the northeast of the Great Continent painting was the painting of the Legendary Pokemon that looked like a four-legged creature with mostly-white fur except some parts such as their chest, tail, mane and face which all are striped black. Their feet have a golden strip along their legs. Their eyes are green with red pupil. The most outstanding feature they have is a golden cross-like wheel attached to their body by their abdomen.

 _'Yes…'_ Frostic spoke up. _'And, while almost impossible to be seen, the painting to the northwest must be the painting of the Dragon God for sure… And this was the time when they cooperated with each other in creating the World of Pokemon and the Great Continent…'_

"And this would make it the last painting…" Claura spoke. "Which mean that the exit is not too far away…"

"…You are right." Xavier spoke up. "I can hear the sound of the wind, which told me that the exit is right here to the next corner!"

"Let's go…" Baromyteus said as he walked toward the exit of the cave, followed by Anastasia, Claura, Xavier, Zetarus and Diego respectively, leaving only…

"Onii-chan, let's go…" Rachael was about to follow everyone when she noticed that her brother didn't come with her. As she turned her attention back to the Latios, she realized that her brother seemed to be… lost in his own thought.

"Onii-chan, what's wrong?" Rachael approached her elder brother and asked a question. "It seemed like you are having something on your mind…"

"… It's not that a big deal…" Richard said. "I am just curious of something…"

"Curious? Something?" Rachael asked.

"First, while the last painting..." Richard looked at the painting of the Great Continent at its point of origin. "… is located right here next to the exit of the cave, why did the last painting is located in the middle of the cave instead of its entrance?"

"Now that you mention it, it's really strange…" Rachael agreed with Richard's question.

"Moreover…" Richard looked at the corner that would lead them to the exit of the cave. "… Is that really the exit of this cave?"

"What?!" Rachael said. "Don't tell me that this is a false exit?!"

"I didn't say that." Richard said. "What I said is that… Is this the exit of this cave… or the entrance of this cave? And the path we used to enter this cave… Is that truly the entrance of this cave? Or is it… the exit of this cave?"

"What do you mean?" Rachael asked.

"Rachael, when you start writing something on a paper…" Richard said. "Did you start it at the top of the paper, the middle of the paper, or the bottom of the paper?"

"Hm? What's with that question?" Rachael said. "At the top of the paper, of course? Why would I start writing something at the end of the paper… Wait!"

"You understand it, right?" Richard said.

"But this thing…" Rachael looked at the painting of the Great Continent. "It's the painting, not a writing, isn't it?"

"… Every picture conceals a hidden story within ifselves…" Richard said. "… And the words on the first painting we met proved it so."

"Those words? _'Follow the historical records of legend and it shall lead you back to the past.'?"_ Rachael said.

"I think it could be interpreted as if the writer of those words want the reader to find out about the past by following the series of events, from the latest event to the first event, like walking from the present to the past…" Richard said.

"But if that's so…" Rachael continued speaking. "Why did the one who drew those paintings on the wall had to draw the last painting in the middle of the cave? Shouldn't they draw the last painting near the entrance of the cave from the Stone Ravine?"

"… If I have to guess…" Richard spoke. "I would say that the painting of the Great Continent during the Apocalypse isn't the last painting of this series…"

"What?!" Rachael said. "Are there more paintings out there in this cave?"

"I don't think so." Richard said. "I guess that there should be more paintings of the event after the Apocalypse since it was already several thousand years since the time of the Apocalypse, but why didn't those paintings being drawn? I couldn't fathom…"

"…" Rachael didn't say anything after hearing her brother's words.

"And… one more thing…" Richard spoke up again. "At the first painting we met, there were the words _'Follow the historical records of legend and it shall lead you back to the past.'_ But here… Rachael, look over here."

Richard pointed his paw at something that was hidden in the lower left corner of the painting of the Great Continent. However, unlike other things on the very same wall, the things on the lower left corner were several words that were written in the very same handwriting as the words on the very first painting, and the words here could be read as…

 _'Follow the historical records of legend and it shall lead you into the future.'_

* * *

 **-Meanwhile…**

"Wow…"

Six Pokemon stood just outside the exit of the cave, looking at the scenery in front of their very eyes…

"I really have no word to describe this…" Xavier said.

What that had unfolded before their eyes truly made all of them speechless, as it was a vast and deep valley that spanned within a range that mountain that surrounded it and formed incomplete roofing above the valley. Moreover, the opening on the roofing of this valley was also covered with a strange gray mist. Overall, this valley was trapped by the range of mountain from the outside world, as it was completely inaccessible by any mean, except using a cave that linked it to the outside world…

"I have heard about the valley that existed in the western region of Dustorm Empire that's completely inaccessible due to it being surrounded by a range of mountain and an impregnable mist…" Diego spoke up. "Looking at the mist above the valley! We couldn't even see the sun from here!"

"But at least the sunlight was able to shine into here…" Anastasia said. "… Or else it would be almost impossible for them to live here…"

"Hm?!" Zetarus and Diego turned their attention to the Goodra. "Then? Live here? What do you mean? Is there someone living here, in this inaccessible place?"

"You will know soon." Instead of the Goodra, it was the Kingdra who answered their question. "And now, let's get going… Hm? Where're those Latios and Latias?"

"We are here." Rachael and Richard suddenly appeared from within the cave.

"What took you two so long?" Xavier asked.

"Onii-chan just wanted to study the ancient paintings a bit more, that's all…" Rachael answered.

"Why did you have to seek more knowledge? Especially since you already have the Chronicle that records everything in this world" Baromyteus asked.

"I know that…" Richard answered. "But my hunger for knowledge knows no bound, so I always seek to obtain every knowledge that's possible for me to learn, even in the different ways."

"Whatever…" Baromyteus said. "Cut it for now, you two. Let's go. We still have a way to go."

* * *

Eight Pokemon walked along a natural road into the 'Inaccessible Valley' of Dustorm Empire. Because this place was a natural valley that's void of any civil inhabitants, the path was very arduous and dangerous. A single misstep could lead any of them into the abyss below the path, so everyone must be extra careful during this journey. Luckily, over half of them were capable of flying, so they could proceed much easier than the rest that weren't capable of flying.

"Help yourself, Claura." Xavier spoke as they walked across a narrow path. "I am not going to help you since you are too heavy for me to carry you."

"WHAT?!" Claura roared. "You say that I am fat?!"

"Yes." Xavier answered with a nonchalant voice as he slowly flew away from the raging Kingdra.

"COME BACK HERE YOU LITTLE PUNK!" Claura roared and started chasing after her cousin, which was impossible for her to do as Xavier was now flying over the deep valley without any solid ground for her to stand.

"Sigh…" Baromyteus mumbled. "Couldn't you shut your good-for-nothing mouth for just a minute, Kingdra? I am so tired to you…"

"YOU SAY THAT I AM WORTHLESS?!" Claura quickly turned her attention to the Shiny Haxorus after she heard his words. She seemed to be consumed by a much greater rage than when she tried to chase after her own cousin.

"THAT'S RIGHT YOU SALTY SEAHORSE!" Baromyteus roared.

"SAY THAT AGAIN, I DARE YOU, YOU DRAGON JERKY!" Claura roared.

"Sigh…" Xavier mumbled as he safely landed on the solid ground beside Anastasia, who seemed to be worried after seeing her brother getting himself into another quarrel. "Isn't there any single day that both of them wouldn't act like a married couple?"

"MARRIED COUPLE?!" Baromyteus and Claura roared out at the same time after hearing Xavier's words, before they quickly got themselves back into their quarrel.

"DID YOU JUST ASSUME THAT WE ARE A MARRIED COUPLE?!" Baromyteus roared.

"WHO WOULD WANT TO GET MARRIED WITH A DRAGON JERKY LIKE YOU?!" Claura roared.

A SALTY SEAHOURSE LIKE YOU TOO! I BET THAT YOU WOULD BE SINGLE FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE!" Baromyteus roared.

"JINX YOURSELF, YOU JERK!" Claura roared.

Claura and Baromyteus continued their pointless quarrel as they continued walking along the natural path, with Xavier and Anastasia who tried their hardest to stop both of them. (Actually, only Anastasia since Xavier didn't try very hard to stop their quarrel.) Meanwhile, Rachael and Richard were hovering above the valley and indulged themselves with the majestic scenery of this inaccessible valley.

"This place is so grandeur!" Rachael said. "I thought that Stone Ravine was majestic enough, but it was NOTHING compared to this one!"

"Agreed." Richard nodded. "A hidden valley that no one had set their foot in for several thousand years… I could spend at least five years studying this place.

"Several hundred years?" Rachael looked at her elder brother. "How did you know about this?"

"Because of this…" Richard showed Rachael his Chronicle of Darkside. "This area was among several areas that were broken off the Great Continent. At first, this area was known as 'Omega Mountain' that was located at the center of the continent of Origia. Like this one, the Omega Mountain on the continent of Origia was completely inaccessible as it was surrounded by a range of mountain, as well as the eternal mist that covered its area, making it the most mysterious place on the continent of Origia. And, like the rest of the continent of Origia, it was merged with the continent of Mytherel and Luminus at the end of War of the God III and became an inaccessible part of the 'Brownhill Mountain', an area that later became the Stone Ravine following the end of the Fallen Crisis, and the area of old Omega Mountain became the inaccessible valley right here."

"Omega Mountain?" Rachael rephrased the former name of this location. "This made me think of… Gamma City."

"That's right." Richard said. "According to the Chronicle, the continent of Origia divided its area into several provinces that's name after the ancient alphabet. The Gamma City got this name as it was located in the part that was named 'Gamma' during its time on the continent of Origia. Of course, other than Gamma and Omega, there were several places that were named after the ancient alphabet, such as Alpha, Beta and Delta…"

"Alpha… Beta… Gamma… Delta…" Rachael rephrased four of five notable words that her brother said. "All of these… It reminded me… Of…"

Richard closed his eyes after hearing his sister's words. He knew what she was talking about, as he was also a part of them too… back there…

"Hey, you two."

The voice of the Garchomp snapped both Rachael and Richard. Both of them then quickly approached the owner of the voice, who was walking along the narrow path beside the Mega Charizard X.

"What's up, Zetarus?" Richard asked.

"Nothing. I am just… curious of something…" Zetarus said.

"Curious? You?" Richard spoke with a sarcastic voice.

"Just shut up and listen." Zetarus said. "You said that the cave we have just passed through is the cave that would lead us to the Dustorm Empire…"

"And it did." Richard said.

"Yes, it did." Zetarus said. "However, we ended up in the inaccessible area of the Dustorm Empire, not the desert area. So…"

"… I must admit that it was my mistake." Richard said. "Like all of you, I didn't know that that cave would lead us into the inaccessible area like this, as the Chronicle wasn't upgraded yet by the time I discovered about this cave, so I did not find out until Diego upgraded my Chronicle. Are you mad about this, Zetarus?"

"Not really…" Zetarus answered. "Despite that, if we want to go to the other area of Dustorm Empire, we would have to exit this place back to Fireview Kingdom and then find a new way to enter the Dustorm Empire…"

"But for now…" Diego spoke up and looked at Xavier and Anastasia, as well as Baromyteus and Claura, who was still in the middle of a quarrel. "Let's stick with these four. I have a feeling that this will lead us to something… eccentric."

"What's the meaning of that word? Ex-cen-tig?" Zetarus asked.

"…Forget it." Diego mumbled and followed Baromyteus, Anastasia, Claura and Xavier along the path, making Zetarus has to follow him, leaving Rachael and Richard behind.

"Onii-chan…" Rachael spoke up. "Can I ask you one more thing?"

"Go on." Richard said.

"You said that this area, as well as its former counterpart, the Omega Mountain, was completely inaccessible from the outside world, making no one know what's in this area…" Rachael said. "And now, since we are in this area, do you know what's hidden within this area for several thousand years?"

"… I don't know." Richard answered.

"What?! You don't know?!" Rachael was surprised by her brother's answer. "But didn't you have the Chronicle that has the record of everything in this world?"

 _"…Sometimes, it is better not to know something, as it would lead to a huge calamity…"_ Richard answered.

"Onii-chan?" Rachael looked at her elder brother.

"Those are the words that Lord of Blindness warned me when I formed a pact with him." Richard said. "He said that he indulged himself too far into the knowledge of the Chronicle, making him lost everything in the end, and he warned me not to follow the same mistake, or I may end up losing everything…"

"That's…" Rachael said, but her words were interrupted by a voice from Richard's Luster Amulet.

 _'Don't get yourself a wrong idea, Rachael'_ Holmer spoke up. _'I said that just because, if your brother indulging himself too far with the knowledge of the Chronicle, he will have his soul sealed within the Chronicle, just like me, and I will have to stay with this bastard for the rest of this Chronicle's existence.'_

"And that's also enough for me to restrain myself from learning too much from this chronicle." Richard said. "Moreover, since we are right here, in the inaccessible area, we would be able to find out what's in this place soon, so I don't have to learn it in advance."

"That's true." Rachael said. "Oh! Everyone has already go that far! Hurry, Onii-chan, or we will miss them!"

Richard nodded to his younger sister's words, and then both of them followed everyone else along the path. Luckily, they were able to easily locate where they were, as the sound of Shiny Haxorus and Kingdra's quarrel was still echoed through the valley, making it easy for everyone to locate where the owners of those voices were…

And by 'everyone', it didn't limit to both Rachael and Richard…

* * *

After walking across the valley for a few hours, everyone had finally found themselves on a small plain that's located at the bottom of the valley. While the valley was very deep, everyone managed to find a pathway that safely led them to the bottom of the valley at last.

"… So, this is what the bottom of the valley looks like…" Claura said as she looked around the small plain at the bottom of the valley. (She stopped quarrelling with Baromyteus not too long before they reached the bottom of the valley.)

"This place is very dim, much dimmer than the area above…" Diego commended.

"Let's go, everyone." Baromyteus spoke up.

Everyone nodded to the Shiny Haxorus' words, and then they started walking across this plain…

However, just as they reached the middle of this plain…

"STOP RIGHT THERE! INTRUDERS!"

A voice suddenly echoed through the plain that Baromyteus, Anastasia, Claura, Xavier, Zetarus, Diego, Rachael and Richard were in. However, the owner of that voice wasn't the one among them, but it was…

"!"

Before everyone could act or say anything, a group of five Pokemon suddenly appeared from the hidden channel along the valley and surrounded everyone. All of them were wearing decent clothing and were equipped with weapons that were directed at everyone, indicating that none of them were either a wild Pokemon or an outlaw…

Moreover, other than not being a wild Pokemon, all five Pokemon that surrounded everyone also shared something in common…

All of them were the Dragon type Pokemon…

 **To Be Continued…**

* * *

 **Dragon of Vale: I really like how this chapter turns out. To be honest, I am very satisfied with how every chapter in the sixth tail turns out…**

 **And here… Everyone was surrounded by a group of Dragon type Pokemon! Who are they?! Why are they here in this inaccessible place? And what do they want from everyone?**


	55. Tail 6-5: Hidden Village of Dragon

**A Dragon's Tail**

 **Tail 6: Baromyteus' Tail - Deception**

 **Tail 6-5: Hidden Village of Dragon**

A group of eight Pokemon stood in the middle of a small plain within the bottom of the inaccessible valley. This group consisted of a Latias who dressed in an exotic dress that showed her innocent personality to everyone she met, a Latios who dressed in a carefree teenage cloth for boy that he didn't choose it for himself, a Garchomp in a khaki jacket and a cowboy hat, a Mega Charizard X in a red armor suit that looked like a blazing flame with a dragonhead-shaped helmet, a Kingdra in a blue light armor suit that sparked as if it was cloaked by the waves of the ocean, a Dragonite in a white heavy armor suit that covered almost his entire body exclude his face that was covered with an open-faced white helmet, a Goodra in a beautiful and graceful dress that a dancer or a songstress usually wore, and a Shiny Haxorus in a black armor suit that covered his entire body, including a horned demon helmet that covered his face, giving him an appearance of a reincarnation of a demon from hell…

Moreover, all of them were also carried their own weapons with them, which consisted of an Espurr PokeDoll for the Latias, a book of chronicle for the Latios, a modificated pistol for the Garchomp, a well-tempered Naginata for the Mega Charizard X, an anchor with a long chain attached to its head for the Kingdra, a heavy but sturdy and sharp halberd for the Dragonite, a dual-swords that were made of the bone of the dragon for the Shiny Haxorus, and something for the Goodra…

While their outside appearance gave them an impression that they were forces to reckon with, or at least they were not amateurs, they all possessed a forbidden power that was obtained from forming a pact with Legendary Pokemon, giving them an extraordinary ability that exceeded an ordinary Pokemon…

And now, all of them were surrounded by a group that consisted of 5 Dragon type Pokemon, which were… a Fraxure, a Deino, an Altaria, a Noibat and a Hakamo-o.

"… What?" Xavier was the one who spoke the first word after him and everyone were surrounded by a group of Dragon type Pokemon.

"You all are the intruders of our homeland!" The Fraxure spoke up and pointed his paw at the group of eight Pokemon in front of him, which, coincident or not, the tip of his finger was pointed at the most frightening Pokemon of the group.

"…So what?" Baromyteus spoke with a sinister voice.

"Um…" The Fraxure retreated his finger back from pointing at the Pokemon in the black armor in front of him, and turned his attention to the Noibat who stood beside him. "Noctus, what should we do next?"

"I… I don't know, Dimitri…" The Noibat answered. "T… They are the first outsiders that we met…"

"Right." The Altaria spoke up. " Actually, I think they are the first Pokemon that had passed through Cave of Ages since—"

"Please, not now, Lyzia!" The Hakamo-o suddenly interrupted the Noibat's words. "But now, I think we should honor the elder's words by following his order."

"R… Right." The Deino spoke up. "B… But what if t… they don't c… come with us?!"

"Then I will do anything in order to make them come with us!" The Hakamo-o said. "After all, everyone in this world is equal to each others, and I will do anything in order to preserve this within our world!"

"!" Despite being seen by almost no one, a mark of anger had appeared on the face of the Shiny Haxorus. While no one was able to see through the horned helmet he wore on his head, one of them was able to grasp what happen to the Shiny Haxorus as she saw that her brother suddenly tightened his grip after hearing the words of the Hakamo-o.

"…You there." Baromyteus spoke up, with his attention directed at the Hakamo-o. "I don't like you."

"W… What?!" The Hakamo-o was clearly shocked after seeing the action of the Shiny Haxorus, despite him trying his hardest to hide it.

"Don't you hear what I say?" Baromyteus spoke, and a sinister aura started emitting from his armor suit. "I said that I don't like you."

"W… What is that?!" The Hakamo-o slowly stepped back as the Shiny Haxorus gradually stepped up to him.

"I don't like you, but it will be too pathetic for me to kill you with a single strike…" Baromyteus said, and his paws were gripped around the handle of his blades. "So, I challenge you to a duel to the death."

"W… WHAT?!" The Hakamo-o could no more hide his expression of shock after hearing the words of the Pokemon in the black armor suit in front of him. It was very clear that he was frightened by everything about the Pokemon in front of him.

"Draw your weapon, boy." Baromyteus said as he drew his Dragon Horn Swords out of their scabbards and pointed one of them at the Hakamo-o. "And then we shall engage in a one-on-one battle until one of us falls into the oblivion."

"W…Wait a minute!" The Hakamo-o spoke up with a shaking voice. "W… What kind of madness this is?!"

"No madness. This is just a way of warriors." Baromyteus spoke. "You want to become a strong warrior, right? So you will not hesitate to face any opponent, as you won't be able to choose your opponent in your life."

"W… Wait a minute…" The Hakamo-o spoke up again. "H… How did you know that I want to become a strong warrior?!"

"… Enough talking." Baromyteus said as he tightened his grip on the handle of his weapon. "Now, we fight!"

After finished speaking, Baromyteus was about to dash up to the Hakamo-o to battle him, if it was not for someone who stopped him.

"Stop, brother!" Anastasia said as she stepped between her brother and the Hakamo-o.

"Anastasia, step back!" Baromyteus said. "This is a battle between me and that boy! Now, step away!"

"Brother! Why did you have to start a fight with any Pokemon you met?!" Anastasia asked. "Moreover, this Pokemon didn't do anything wrong, and why did you have to focus your wrath only onto him?!"

"It's because that boy is dangerous, especially to you, Anastasia!" Baromyteus said. "He will bring a great pain to you if we allow him to continue living! I am sure of it!"

"You just say that because this boy reminds you of R—" Anastasia continued speaking, but her word was cut off by a roar of the Shiny Haxorus!

"DO NOT SPEAK HIS NAME!" Baromyteus roared at his younger sister.

"B… Brother…" Anastasia took one step away from her angry brother. "Y… You…"

"… Ah!" Baromyteus shook his head. It was noticeable that wrath had conquered over his body for a minute, and he had just returned to his self. "… I am sorry, Anastasia…"

"Brother…" Anastasia looked at her brother, who then sheathed his blades. Meanwhile, the other four Pokemon quickly approached the Hakamo-o after seeing that the serious situation had already passed.

"K… Korben, a… are you alright?!" The Noibat asked.

"I… I am fine, Noctus." The Hakamo-o spoke with a relieved voice, but his body still couldn't stop shaking.

"T… They are so dangerous!" The Altaria spoke up. "E… Everyone was right! The outside world and everyone there are very dangerous to us!"

"T… Then, what should we do with them?!" The Deino asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" The Fraxure spoke up with a serious voice. "The elder ordered us to patrol this Valley of No Return, and should we encounter any Pokemon from the outside world, we must take them to meet the elder immediately."

"Are you serious, Dimitri?!" The Deino spoke up. "Don't you see how dangerous they are?! And they almost killed Korben!"

"M… Moreover…" The Altaria spoke up. "W… What if they refuse to come with us?! What should we do then?!"

"… Then I will have no choice but to... Well…" The Fraxure answered. "But for now…"

The Fraxure then turned his attention to a group of eight Pokemon in front him and slowly approached them, and then he spoke up again.

"All of you." The Fraxure spoke up with a proud voice. "Come with us."

"Okay." Xavier answered immediately.

"WHAT?!" The Noibat, Altaria, Deino and Hakamo-o were shocked by the answer of the Dragonite. "Seriously?! This easy?!"

"Do you want us to come with you all or not?" Claura asked impatiently. "We don't have a whole day for you."

"Yes, I want all of you to come with us." The Fraxure spoke up. "This way, strangers, and don't wander too far or you may get lost in this valley."

After finished speaking, the Fraxure started leading a group of eight Pokemon toward the other side of this plain, with the Noibat, Deino and Altaria closely followed him, and the Hakamo-o came last…

* * *

After passing through the small plain and another narrow path of the valley, a group of eight Pokemon from the world outside the valley, as well as a group of five Pokemon whom they had just met on the plain, had arrived at a middle-sized plateau located on the other side of the valley, which was located in the southern region of the valley. This plateau was like other plateaus on the continent of Symmetria, such as the Windsky Plateau in the very same nation, being a highland with a modestly rocky terrain. However, this plateau was also surrounded by a river that originated from the valley that everyone had just passed. The valley had surrounded the whole area of this plateau, making it look a bit like a very large island in the middle of a lake…

Moreover, there's one more thing that this plateau and the Windsky Plateau had in common…

This thing… For the Windsky Plateau and other plateaus, it was no more than a common thing that some plateaus actually possessed… But for this plateau, it was the thing that shouldn't be here, in a plateau and valley that was surrounded and secluded from the 'Outside World' for the longest time…

"W… WHAT?!"

What belied in front of their very own eyes was the cause of their shocking expression, as it was the thing that half of them weren't expected to be here, and the other half of them was still shocked after making a huge discovery like this…

"A… A village?!" Rachael spoke up.

What they saw on this plateau within the inaccessible area on the continent of Symmetria was a small settlement that's inhabitable by quite a few Pokemon.

"W… Why is there a village here? Of all places?!" Diego said with a shocked voice.

"I have never thought that we would actually discover this place…" Claura mumbled.

"Right…" Xavier mumbled.

"Wait a minute…" Richard, Rachael, Zetarus and Diego turned their attention to Claura and Xavier. "Did you two already know that there's a village right here, in this place?!"

"Well… It's a long story…" Xavier answered with a nonchalant voice. "But we will need to talk about this later, okay?"

"Right." Baromyteus spoke up. "For now, we have a thing to do, right?" Baromyteus ended his words by turning his attention to the group of a Fraxure, a Noibat, a Deino, an Altaria and a Hakamo-o who led them here.

"Yes." The Fraxure nodded to Baromyteus' words. "Let's meet the elder of our village first. Korben, lead the way."

"Alright." The Hakamo-o nodded to the Fraxure's words before he started walking toward the entrance of the village, and everyone else then followed him.

* * *

13 Pokemon, five natives and eight outsiders, walked into a small village located within the inaccessible valley at the center of the continent of Symmetria. As they walked into the village, they could notice that all houses in this village were built in a primitive way, only be built using woods in a very simple method. The same went to the clothing of every villager, including five Pokemon who were escorting them into the village, as their cloth were simple and plain, compared to the eight outsiders. (Especially Rachael and Anastasia who wore a 'sophisticated cloth'.) Some male Pokemon here didn't even wear a shirt, including the Fraxure, Noibat, Deino and Hakamo-o that led them into this village.

As everyone walked into this village, most villagers stopped doing what they did before and turned their attention to them. For them, it was quite understandable as they were the outsiders who came from outside this inaccessible place and the 8 outsiders who had just entered this village all wore a cloth that's considered 'bizarre' for the villagers,

"Onii-chan…" Rachael mumbled as she and everyone else followed the lead of the five Pokemon into the village, and the attention of every villager here was in them. "Why there are the Pokemon living here? I thought this place was inaccessible from the outside world, so how could they come and live here?"

"… I think I have an idea of what happened here…" Richard spoke up.

"Really? Tell me!" Rachael said.

"… Don't you notice something about the residents of this village?" Richard said and looked around the village.

Rachael turned her attention to see the villagers of this village. She could spot a Dragonair, a Shelgon, a Gabite, a Hydreigon, a Dragonite, a Turtonator, a Vibrava, a Noivern, a Tyrunt, a Zweilous, a Kingdra, a Garchomp, a Salamence, a Dratini, a Sliggoo, a Dragalge, an Alolan Exeggutor, and many other Pokemon…

But…

"Wait a minute…" Rachael spoke up after a bit of observation. "Aren't they all…"

"Yes." Richard nodded. "Everyone who lives here is a Dragon type Pokemon."

* * *

"Here we are"

The Fraxure, Noibat, Altaria, Deino and Hakamo-o stopped in front of a big house located at the other side of the village, which was the opposite side of the village's entrance. This house, while being built in a primitive way, just like other houses in this village, was much bigger than other houses in this village, indicating that it must be either a house of a rich Pokemon or a Pokemon of a great importance of this village.

"This is the house of our village's elder…" The Fraxure explained. "Let's go."

The Fraxure walked up to the door of the house and knocked it a few times.

 _"Who's there?"_ A voice came out of inside the house.

"It's me, Dimitri the Fraxure." The Fraxure answered. "We have a very important business with you, elder. Can we come in?"

 _"Ah! Sure. Come on in!"_

After finishing, the Fraxure turned his attention to Baromyteus, Anastasia, Claura, Xavier, Zetarus, Diego, Rachael and Richard, and spoke up. "This way, please. The elder is waiting."

Everyone nodded to the Fraxure's words, and then they entered the house together.

* * *

While being a house of the elder of the village, inside this house was modestly decorated. There was not much house ornaments here except a few trinkets, which seemed to be at least a few hundred years old. The interior of this house was also bare of any decorations, which was actually enable anyone who had stepped into this house to see that this place must be among the oldest homestead in this secluded village…

And when the eight Pokemon from the outside world were led into the living room of this house, they realized that this house wasn't only the owner of 'oldest in the village' title…

"Ho! Ho! Ho!"

Sitting on the couch in the living room of this house was an old Dragon type Pokemon. They were a Pokemon that looked like a cross between a dragon and an old man, Drampa.

"Good morning, Elder Baldr." The Hakamo-o spoke up after everyone had already gotten themselves into the living room of this house.

"Ho! Ho! Ho! Welcome back, Dimitri, Noctus, Lyzia, Unos and Korben." The Drampa spoke up with a hoarse voice. "Did you come back to hear my stories again? I have a LOT to tell all of you about my young day when I was just—"

"Not now, elder." The Fraxure spoke up with a voice that concealed a feeling of pique. "We have a very important thing to report, regarding our patrol at the Valley of No Return."

"Ah! Valley of No Return!" The Drampa spoke up once again. "That reminds me of when I was at your age. I remember that I soared above a vast valley—"

"…Hey, old man." Baromyteus suddenly spoke up as he stepped forward, turning the attention of everyone to him!

"Hm? That voice?" The Drampa asked after his attention was shifted to the Pokemon in the black armor suit. "Damos? Did you come to take your son back? And why do you have to wear that armor suit? Don't tell me that you are going to leave our village to find your sister? But it has already been more than 50 years since she left our village, didn't she?"

"… What are you talking about?" Baromyteus asked.

"Elder!" The Fraxure spoke up with a flustered voice. "This guy isn't my father! He is one of the Pokemon from the outside!"

A moment of silence did occur following the end of the Fraxure's words. The Drampa didn't act or say anything as he slowly examined the Pokemon in the black armor suit in front of him, and then he shifted his attention to seven other Pokemon behind the Pokemon in the black armor suit.

"… You…" The Drampa slowly spoke up with a nonchalant voice. "You all… come from the outside…"

"…" Eight Pokemon from the outside slowly nodded their head. They were unsure of what this Drampa was going to do next after seeing a group of eight Pokemon from the world outside this valley.

"... Ho! Ho! Ho! You all must be very tired after travelling so far to get here!" The Drampa suddenly spoke up with a cheerful voice. "Would I interest you all with a nice cup of tea?"

The sound that followed the end of the Drampa's words was the sound of 13 Pokemon fell down onto the floor in a comical way of the house as they couldn't adjust to the Drampa's sudden change of mood…

* * *

"So, can anyone tell me about this place?!" Diego asked up as he, Zetarus, Rachael, Richard, Claura, Xavier, Anastasia and Baromyteus sat down on the cushion that the Altaria and Hakamo-o brought for them, and now, the Drampa, Fraxure, Noibat, Altaria, Deino and Hakamo-o had gone into the kitchen to brew tea for them, leaving eight Pokemon from the outside alone in the living room. "Why there is a village and some civil Pokemon living here?! I don't understand anything!"

"Right." Zetarus said and turned his attention to Claura and Xavier. "And I think that you two could give us the answer of this question, since you two seem to already know that there's a village here."

"Okay…" Claura spoke up. "First, did you remember last night's tale about War of the God?"

Rachael, Richard, Zetarus and Diego nodded to the Kingdra's words.

"But what does it have anything to do with this place?" Zetarus asked.

"… What happened at the end of War of the God II?" Instead of answering the question, Xavier asked them yet another question.

"Kingdom of the Dragonking was banished into the realm between time and space." Richard answered the question. "And then the Great Continent—"

"That's enough." Claura interrupted. "Do you see what we are trying to tell you?"

"No." Zetarus immediately answered. "I don't see any sxxt that you want to tell us."

"Your head has more ash than I thought…" Claura mumbled. "What I tried to say is—"

"—While Kingdom of the Dragonking and its Dragon type residence were banished into the realm between time and space, there were some Dragon type Pokemon left on the Great Continent." Instead of belonging to the Kingdra, this part of explanation belonged to the Latios instead.

"Richard?" Everyone's attention was at the Latios.

"I have just found the record of this within the Chronicle of Darkside." Richard continued speaking. "During the event of War of the God II, while the Dragon type Pokemon from Kingdom of the Dragonking had engaged in a war with other Pokemon from the Great Continent, there were some Dragon type Pokemon who didn't participate in this war. In fact, they didn't even live in Kingdom of the Dragonking, instead, they lived somewhere else on the Great Continent."

"Oh!" Rachael spoke up. "I understand now! When Kingdom of the Dragonking was banished, it may seem like all Dragon type Pokemon were gone from the Great Continent, but in the truth, there were some Dragon type Pokemon left on the Great Continent!"

"Right." Richard nodded to his younger sister's words. "And I am sure that you can guess the rest of the story."

A moment of silence followed the Latios' words, and it was destroyed by the voice of the Latios.

"After that, you know what comes next, the Apocalypse." Richard spoke up again. "War of the Gods II and the Apocalypse, with two catastrophe events in a row, the hatred of the non-Dragon type Pokemon toward the Dragon type Pokemon had been drastically increased…"

"And then they started hunting the remaining Dragon type Pokemon, whether on the continent of Mytherel, Luminus and Origia, just like what happened during the first part of War of the God III." Claura spoke up. "Their very intention at that time was to exterminate any remaining Dragon type Pokemon on the tri-continent."

"T… That's terrible!" Rachael said.

"Yes. It was terrible." Claura closed her eyes. "Some Dragon type fought back and… got themselves killed by the wrath of their slayer. However, there were some Dragon type Pokemon who chose not to fight. Instead, they retreated into the inaccessible area of Omega Mountain on the continent of Origia and continued living there quietly without associate themselves with the outside world."

"And then, when the continent of Origia was merged with the continent of Mytherel and Luminus, the area of Omega Mountain had become the inaccessible part of the area called 'Brownhill Mountain' on the old continent of Symmetria, which later be changed after the Fallen Crisis 30 years ago and become this place, the inaccessible valley on the continent of Symmetria…"

Everyone nodded to the Latios' words. They now understood about what this village was…

"…In the summary…" Xavier spoke up. "This is the Hidden Village of Dragon type Pokemon who had been living on the Great Continent and survived the Apocalypse instead of being banished with Kingdom of the Dragonking. Here, they live within the inaccessible area without associating with the outside world since the Apocalypse until today…"

* * *

 **-A Few Minutes Later…**

"… And that's how we end up here."

Xavier finished explaining their journey through the sealed cave and the inaccessible valley to the Drampa, Fraxure, Noibat, Altaria, Deino and Hakamo-o after they all had come out of the kitchen with several cups of tea. They then sat down and passed the teacups to their guests.

"I see…" The Drampa said as he finished passing the last cup of tea to all of his guests. "You all had journeyed through the Cave of Ages and Valley of No Return before meeting our village's patrol group."

"Patrol Group?" Rachael spoke up.

"That's us!" The Fraxure spoke up. "We are a band of fighters who patrolled the Valley of No Return everyday for the sake of our village!"

"Whatever…" Diego spoke up. "So, this is really the village of the Dragon type Pokemon who survived the Apocalypse…"

"Not really, young man." The Drampa spoke up. "Every Dragon type Pokemon who survived the Apocalypse and found this village had already been dead, and everyone here is just their descendants."

"Make sense." Zetarus nodded. "It was a very long time ago. I don't think there would be any non-Legendary Pokemon who had been living at the time of War of the God II and the Apocalypse and is still alive until today."

Unnoticed by anyone, after hearing the words of the Garchomp, Anastasia and Baromyteus unconsciously looked at each other, but they didn't say anything.

"Anyway, I don't remember that I have already introduced myself to all of you yet!" The Drampa continued speaking. "My name is **Baldr the Drampa** , and as you can see, I am the elder of this Hidden Village of Dragon."

After finished introducing himself, Elder Baldr the Drampa turned his attention to the Fraxure, Noibat, Altaria, Deino and Hakamo-o. "Now then, my children, why don't you all introduce yourself too?"

"Okay…" The Hakamo-o spoke up first. "My name is **Korben Forcenter the Hakamo-o**. I am the member, as well as the vice-leader, of our patrol group."

"I… I am **Noctus Sonicwave the Noibat**." The Noibat introduced himself.

"My name is **Lyzia Cottonshroud the Altaria**." The Altaria introduced herself.

"I am **Unos Gloomdrastic the Deino** …" The Deino introduced himself.

"And my name is **Dimitri Drawyvern the Fraxure**." The Fraxure introduced himself. "And I am the leader of this patrol group."

Hearing the introduction of these five Pokemon clearly surprised the eight Pokemon from the outside, especially for the part of Dimitri's introduction.

 _'This Fraxure… He has the same surname as Baromyteus…'_

"… Then, let's introduce ourselves too." Xavier decided to speak up. "My name is Xavier Stormwing the Dragonite."

"… My name is Claura Pulsawhirl the Kingdra." Claura spoke up.

"My name is Rachael Lustermist the Latias!" Rachael said.

"… My name is Richard Lustermist the Latios." Richard said.

"I am Zetarus Quakersand the Garchomp." Zetarus said.

"I am Diego Pyrotorch the Mega Charizard X." Diego said.

"I… I am Anastasia Wyrmscale the Goodra…" Anastasia spoke.

"…And I am Baromyteus Drawyvern the Shiny Haxorus." Baromyteus spoke.

Hearing the introduction also caused a shocking expression to appear on the other six dragon's faces too, especially for Dimitri after he heard the name of the Pokemon in the black armor suit.

"Ah…" Elder Baldr slowly spoke up. "Your surname… I could recognize most of them… So you all must be…"

"If I may, Elder Baldr…" Claura spoke up. "You can ask us your question regarding our surnames later. But for now, we have something that we must tell you."

"Go on." Elder Baldr nodded to the Kingdra.

Claura and Xavier then turned their faces to meet each other for a few second, before they turned their attention back to Elder Baldr, and then Claura continued speaking. "Xavier and I… We both came from Kingdom of the Dragonking... We are here under the order of the Dragonqueen to find this village."

"!" Elder Baldr was clearly shocked by the words he had just heard, but he still remained calm.

"I see…" Elder Baldr slowly spoke up. "Tell me, when Kingdom of the Dragonking was sent to the realm between time and space, the one who ruled over the realm of dragon was the 10th Dragonking, and now, who is the current ruler of Kingdom of the Dragonking?"

"… Kingdom of the Dragonking is now under the rule of the 15th Dragonqueen." Claura answered. She then was about to continue saying something, but Elder Baldr spoke up first.

"And… She ordered both of you… to find our village?" Elder Baldr asked. "… May I ask you the Dragonqueen's reason behind this action? What does she want to do with the humble village of us?"

"… All she wants…" Xavier spoke up. "… Is invite the residents of this village to go to live with other Dragon type Pokemon in Kingdom of the Dragonking."

"!"

A shocking expression appeared on everyone's face. Rachael, Richard, Zetarus and Diego were shocked as they didn't know about this before. Anastasia and Baromyteus, unlike the other four, weren't as shock as them as they already knew about this since when they agreed to travel with the Kingdra and the Dragonite. For everyone else, they were shocked because…

"Y… You would say that the queen of Kingdom of the Dragonking wants EVERYONE in this village to leave their home and goes to live in Kingdom of the Dragonking instead?!" Dimitri spoke up with a panick voice.

"Not really…" Xavier said with a laid back voice. "Surely, what you said is her will, but she wouldn't force you to leave this place if you don't want to."

"Right." Claura nodded to the Dragonite's words. "In you want to, you all can refuse the request of the Dragonqueen, without any consequence."

"…" Elder Baldr didn't say anything after hearing the words of the Kingdra and the Dragonite.

"The Dragonqueen had acknowledged the existence of the place where the remnants of the Dragon type Pokemon gathered after the end of War of the God II and the Apocalypse, and she always wants everyone there to go back to a place where the Dragon type Pokemon called home, Kingdom of the Dragonking." Claura spoke.

"…" Elder Baldr still said nothing.

"This is a request, not an order." Xavier said. "You can accept or refuse the Dragonqueen's request. If you don't want to leave this place, we will not force you."

"… Ho! Ho! Ho! Ho! Ho!" Elder Baldr suddenly laughed after being silenced for several minutes, surprising everyone in this room!

"W… What's wrong, elder?" Lyzia asked.

"It's already lunch time!" Elder Baldr continued speaking with an old but cheerful voice. "Since you all are my guests, why don't you join us too?"

Once again, the Elder's sudden change of mood made everyone in this room, including five young native Dragon type Pokemon, fell down onto the floor in a comical way due to them unable to adjust themselves fast enough to this sudden mood…

* * *

Unable to refuse the Drampa's kindness, eight Pokemon from the outside world and five young Pokemon from the village decided to join the elder for a lunch.

At the start of the meal, the dining room where 14 Pokemon stayed for lunch was low on the voices and most Pokemon exclude Elder Baldr didn't say anything as some of them were either too shy or too afraid to speak with others Pokemon who joined them in the meal. However, as the time passed, combining with the Drampa's ice breaking, the 8 Pokemon from the outside world and 5 native Pokemon gradually started to warm up to each others.

"The food here…" Xavier spoke up as he looked at the dish in front of him. It was a grilled Magikarp in a simple manner, but the way it was grilled, as well as the way it was flavored, was unique…

"This is the way we cook our dish here." Unos, who sat across the Dragonite, spoke up. "We are almost completely cut off from the outside world, so the materials and ingredients we use for our food are either from the field of crop that we cultivate, the river that surrounds this village, or the wilderness of the Valley of No Return."

"Right." Lyzia nodded to the Deino's words. "Sure, it's quite boring to eat the same kind of food for all of our lives, but I bet that you haven't eaten any food like this before!"

"…No." Xavier shook his head. "…I have eaten food like this before."

"Hm?!" Not only Unos and Lyzia, but Noctus, Korben and Dimitri also turned their attention to the Dragonite too.

"Right." Claura nodded to her cousin's words. "We had eaten food like this before. Our grandparents used to cook it for us… When they were still alive."

"Really?!" Unos, Lyzia, Noctus, Korben and Dimitri said with an unbelievable feeling toward the words of the Kingdra.

"Do I look like I was lying?" Claura spoke with a serious voice, which made the five young Dragon type Pokemon decided not to say anything more.

"Ho! Ho! Ho!" Elder Baldr laughed. "Tell me, young Kingdra. Who are your grandparents? Can you tell me your name?"

Claura seemed to be disturbed when the Drampa called her 'Young Kingdra', but she still answered his question. "They are **Pridra Pulsawhirl the Kingdra** and **Slaynith Stormwing the Dragonite.** "

"Pridra? Slaynith? Oh! I remember them!" Elder Baldr nodded. "They were once living here too, long time ago!"

The words of Elder Baldr shocked everyone in this room, except Claura and Xavier. However, both of them seemed to be skeptical of the Drampa's words.

"You know them?" Claura said. "But they told us that they left this place… Around the same time of the Daybreak Crisis."

"WHAT?!" Rachael, Zetarus and Diego spoke up with a shocking voice. "I… It was already 1147 years after the Daybreak Crisis. Y… Your grandparents really live that long?!" Rachael asked.

"Well… There's two things that you three seem not to know…" Claura sighed and spoke up. "First, a Dragon type Pokemon, being a sacred and the superior type of all Pokemon, live a much longer lifespan than most Pokemon. And, of course, this also applies to three of you."

"Okay…" Rachael, Diego and Zetarus mumbled.

"And next…" Xavier spoke up. "Kingdom of the Dragonking, the place where we came from, is located in a realm between time and space, so the time and space of that place don't synchronize with the time of the World of Pokemon, making the time there flow in a different speed from the time of World of Pokemon, and the speed of time in Kingdom of the Dragonking are also quite erratic due to being located in a realm with no stable ground to support the land, making there's no specific speed of time in Kingdom of the Dragonking comparing to the time of the World of Pokemon."

"… Do you have an easier explanation of this sxxt?" Zetarus asked with his arms crossed.

"Then, allow me…" Richard spoke up and was about to open the Chronicle of Darkside and started his explanation, but his voice was immediately cut off when Diego stuffed a Watmel Berry into the Latios' mouth.

"URRGGGG!" Richard groaned as his mouth was stuffed with a large berry, so his sister had to turn his attention to help him, while the Garchomp and the Mega Charizard X acted as if they didn't do anything wrong.

"Sigh…" Cluara sighed after seeing the action of the Mega Charizard X and the Garchomp. "Anyway, Xavier said that the time in Kingdom of the Dragonking flows at a different speed from the time of the World of Pokemon, and speed of time in Kingdom of the Dragonking is unstable. So, sometimes, one day on the continent of Symmetria may equal to ten years in Kingdom of the Dragonking while sometimes, one year on the continent of Symmetria may equal to ten minutes in Kingdom of the Dragonking… Not that it's really matter to the Pokemon who live in Kingdom of the Dragonking as they has a very long lifespan, so one decade for a non-dragon type Pokemon is merely a tiny part of the time when compares to the lifespan of the Dragon type Pokemon…"

"…So…" Diego sighed. "You two want to say that your grandparents lived a very long life because they are Dragon type Pokemon, and they lived in Kingdom of the Dragonking, right?"

"Correct." Xavier said.

"Sigh…" Zetarus mumbled while Claura and Xavier turned their attention back to Elder Baldr. "So did you say that you know our grandparents?"

"Right." Elder Baldr said. "I remember sipping tea from my cup and looking at both of them playing with other children of this village. Ah… Such a memory…"

"… Are you seriously that old?" Xavier asked. "According to them, they left this place at the age comparable to Claura and my age right now, so they must be born about two decades before the Twilight Crisis, which is three years before the Daybreak Crisis, AND THEN YOU ARE ALREADY AN OLD MAN BY THAT TIME?!"

"Ho! Ho! Ho! That's right!" Elder Baldr laughed. "You are very sharp, grandson!"

"Sigh…" Claura sighed. "And then I thought that our grandparents are among the oldest non-Legendary Pokemon…"

"I am not that old!" Elder Baldr said. "I am just about 2,000 years old!"

A moment of silent suddenly overcame the dining room, following by a sound of sighing from every other Pokemon in this room.

"Anyway, I would say that I am as old as this village…" Elder Baldr said. "I remember that I was just a young child when this village was built."

"Really?" Richard spoke up. He seemed to be curious in the Drampa's tale.

"Of course!" Elder Baldr said. "At that time, all Dragon type Pokemon who were still living in the World of Pokemon gathered together in a mountain that's almost inaccessible from the outside world. There, we built a village and lived peacefully with each others until the present years, despite there were some Pokemon who decided to leave this village, including the little Pridra and Slaynith! Ho! Ho! Ho! This explained why both of you know about the existence of this place! Little Pridra and little Slaynith must have told both of you so much! Ho! Ho! Ho!"

Again, Claura and Xavier didn't agree with the Drampa calling their grandparents 'little', but they decided not to say anything about this.

"Anyway, I am sad too to hear that little Pridra and little Slaynith had already passed away…" Elder Baldr continued speaking with a sad voice.

"Yes." Claura spoke with an indifferent voice. "They were harshly injured and left to die… by the hands of 'them'."

"Them?" Elder Baldr looked at the Kingdra.

"Um…" Claura and Xavier looked at each other. Both of them aren't sure what to say next.

"Ho! Ho! Ho! Anyway…" As if knowing what they were thinking, Elder Baldr suddenly changed the topic of conversation. "I remember that little Pridra and little Slaynith left this village with five other Pokemon… If I remember correctly… Their names were…"

"… Wratus, Glutton, Lusia, Hydread and Enavan, right?" Claura spoke up.

"Ah! Yes!" Elder Baldr said. "But… How did you know?"

"Well… They lived in Kingdom of the Dragonking with our grandparents too…" Claura and Xavier said. "Along with our grandparents, all seven of them were the high-ranked general of Kingdom of the Dragonking, known as the 'Dragon General'."

"Oh! I see…" Elder Baldr said. "Anyway, how about them? Are they still alive? Or…"

"… Of all seven Dragon Generals, only one is still alive, as the other six were harshly injured by 'them'." Claura answered. "However, like the other six, the last of them were harshly injured too, and it would be only a matter of time before he succumbed to his injury, so he decided to retire from his duty as the Dragon General…"

"That's sad to hear…" Elder Baldr said. "Anyway, other than Pridra and Slaynith, did any of the rest five have any child?"

"Well… I think **Wratus Scorchraze the Salamence** , who was already dead, has a child and a grandchild, who's at the same age as both of us…" Xavier said. "But for the rest four…" Xavier finished his words by glancing at Unos and Lyzia.

"Us?" Unos and Lyzia spoke up. "What's wrong?"

"… The full names of two of them were **Lusia Cottonshroud** the Altaria and **Hydread Gloomdrastic the Hydreigon**." Claura said.

"What?!" Lyzia and Unos were shocked by the words of the Kingdra, because the names that Claura mentioned had the same surnames as both of them!

"Oh! That reminded me…" Elder Baldr spoke up and turned his attention to Unos the Deino and Lyzia the Altaria. "Lusia and Hydread relate to both of you respectively. If I remember correctly… Lusia is the younger sister of your grandmother, Lyzia, while Hydread is the elder brother of your grandfather, Unos."

"Wow… I can't believe it…" Lyzia and Unos spoke up. "… That we have a relative who lives in the world outside this place…"

"Sadly, you two will never meet them…" Xavier said. "Because both of them are also already dead, with no descendant…"

"That's too bad…" Lyzia and Unos mumbled.

"Anyway." Elder Baldr spoke up again. "How about Glutton and Enavan?"

"For **Glutton Scaroyld the Druddion** , he doesn't have any child, and he is also already dead…" Xavier answered. "And for the last one…"

"I see…" Elder Baldr nodded. "So, Enavan is the only one that's still alive, right?"

"Yes." Claura nodded. "However, I heard that he doesn't have any child, and his injury ensures that he won't live much longer…"

"That's so sad to hear…" Elder Baldr said.

"Despite leaving this place, all seven Dragon Generals had never forgotten this place." Claura said. "They always tried their hardest to get the attention of the Dragonqueen on this matter of discovering the village where the Dragon type Pokemon who survived the Apocalypse live."

"I see… So it was them…" Elder Baldr said. "What thoughtful children…"

* * *

While Claura, Xavier, Lyzia, Unos and Elder Baldr were speaking with each others, the rest 9 Pokemon were also having a chat with each others too. Rachael, Richard, Zetarus and Diego were having a heartwarming conversation with Noctus the Noibat, as the little Noibat seemed to be very curious about the world outside the Valley of No Return, much like how Richard was curious about the knowledge of the World of Pokemon. This left only four Pokemon…

"Hey, you." Dimitri spoke up as he fixed his gaze at the Pokemon in the black armor suit, who sat across him.

"…" Baromyteus didn't say anything, but he had his attention on his pre-evolution.

"Why did you have the same surname as me?!" Dimitri asked.

"… How the hell should I know?" Baromyteus answered with a stern voice. "All I did was just being born and being given this name!"

"I guess I set my hope too high by asking you this…" Dimitri spoke with a sarcastic voice.

"You little daredevil…" Baromyteus spoke with a creepy voice. "Your words made me really want to stab you with my swords…"

"And why wouldn't you?" Dimitri asked.

"…Whatever!" Baromyteus mumbled.

"You know what?" Dimitri spoke up again. "You are so much like my father."

"… Just because I am a Haxorus doesn't make me your father…" Baromyteus spoke with his arms crossed.

"Heh?" Dimitri let out a sarcastic laugh. "Do you see me as some kind of Pokemon who goes around and names any Pokemon I meet my father?"

"… More or less…" Baromyteus answered.

"You overgrown…" Dimitri mumbled. "You! After we finish this meal, how about you and I have a duel to death?! I really want to smash the face of yours!"

"… To tell the truth, I really want to accept your challenge." Baromyteus said. "But… Killing the Pokemon of this village won't do anything good for me… Except getting rid of a little pest out of my way, of course."

"Hm! Coward!" Dimitri commented.

"…" Baromyteus didn't say anything. Instead, he continued glaring at Dimitri with an intense look in his eyes, and the Fraxure also did the same thing back to him. If anyone looked closely, they could notice a little spark in the way between their gaze…

"Sigh…" Anastasia sighed. "That's so like you, brother… You always have a special ability of starting a fight with the Pokemon whom you had met for the first time…"

"Yeah…" Korben spoke up. "Dimitri has been always a battle-loving freak, but I don't understand why did he decide to start a fight with… him."

"Really?" Anastasia turned her attention to the Hakamo-o.

"Yes." Korben nodded. "I have never seen Dimitri acts like this before… And… It seems he really enjoy doing this…"

"My brother too…" Anastasia said. "Now when I look again, these two… They both really look like father and son, right?"

"Right…" Korben said.

"NEVER!" Baromyteus and Dimitri quickly turned their attention to the Goodra and the Hakamo-o and spoke out at the same time.

"Sigh…" Anastasia and Korben sighed.

"And…" Baromyteus glared at Korben with a bloody-looking in his eyes. "You… I will say this only once. STAY. AWAY. FROM. MY. SISTER. IF. YOU. DON'T. WANT. ME. TO. CUT. PART. OF. YOUR. BODY. OFF."

"!" Korben quickly got away from Anastasia and Baromyteus.

"Brother!" Anastasia spoke up. "Why did you have to be so mean to anyone you met?!"

"…Look, I will behave like a happy-go-lucky Pokemon who goes around and befriends anyone, if you want." Baromyteus spoke. "But there's no way I will let this Pokemon get near you and repeat the mistake I made 30 years ago!"

"…" Anastasia turned her attention away from her brother and didn't say anything more, same went for the Hakamo-o and the Fraxure…

* * *

 **-A Few Minutes Later…**

After having a meal, everyone gathered together again in the living room of the house, at the request of the Drampa.

"Thank you for a meal, elder." Anastasia thanked with a gentle voice.

"Ho! Ho! Ho! It's nothing, young Goodra!" Elder Baldr said and laughed. "Anyway, what would you all do next?"

"… For my cousin and I…" Claura spoke up. "We will need to hear the answer of the request we gave you."

"Hm… I will need sometimes to ask other residents of this village, and I am sure that most of them, myself includes, would need sometime to decide, so I would say that it would be quite a while before we could give the answer to you." Elder Baldr answered. "Is that acceptable to you?"

"Of course." Xavier said. "Please do not feel pressured. Take your time as much as you want."

"And then…" Elder Baldr continued speaking. "Why don't all of you stay with us in this village for a while?"

"…Are you serious?!" Claura asked.

"Of course!" Elder Baldr said. "Well… I know that our village isn't a very comfortable place to live—"

"No, I didn't mean that!" Claura said. "It's just that… Is it okay for we, a group of Pokemon from the outside world, to stay here?"

"No! Of course not!" Elder Baldr said. "Actually, I would be very happy if you decide to stay, as it would be nice to have a company of a Pokemon whom I wouldn't met every day. And you can stay with me in this house too! This house is big enough for everyone to stay! And I ensure you that you all wouldn't be a burden to me!"

"… What do you think, Xavier?" Claura asked her cousin.

"Well… Walking through the valley back and fourth would be too much of a pain…" Xavier said. "Moreover, we should be around here in the case if anyone want to know about Kingdom of the Dragonking…"

"Okay…" Claura said and turned her attention to the Drampa. "Elder Drampa, if you want, we would like to stay here for a time being."

"Ho! Ho! Ho! Great answer!" Elder Baldr laughed. "I am so glad that you decided to stay here! I am sure that everyone in this village would be glad to have a company of the Pokemon from the outside world too!"

"However…" Claura continued speaking. "I don't want to be a freeloader to you, so, if there's anything that we can do, you can always ask my cousin and I to help you."

"Ho! Ho! Ho! What diligent children!" Elder Baldr said before he turned his attention to six other Pokemon who stood next to the Kingdra and Dragonite. "How about the rest of you? You all are also welcomed to stay here too! Think of this as a little vacation of yours, if you want!"

"… If that's so…" Baromyteus glanced at his sister, who nodded to him, and continued speaking. "Then my sister would like to stay too."

"Ho! Ho! Ho!" Elder Baldr laughed before turning his attention to Rachael, Richard, Zetarus and Diego. "What about you four? Will you stay here too?"

"… What do you think, Zetarus, Rachael, Richard?" Diego asked three Pokemon who stood beside him.

"I want to stay here." Richard quickly answered. "This place is the settlement that exists in the isolation from the outside world for two millenniums, so there would be much for me to discover."

"Well…" Rachael said. "This place also looks like a nice little place, so I think I would stay too!"

"Well… If that's your thought…" Diego said before turning his attention to Zetarus. "Zetarus, since I don't have anything else to do, I will let you decide this for us. Whatever you want, I will follow you."

"Then…" Zetarus spoke up with a crafty voice. "I want to bite your tail."

"Not this sxxt." Diego said and knocked the Garchomp with a fist on his head.

"Aww…." Zetarus gently rubbed his head at where Diego's fist landed. "Well, then… I think… We could use a little vacation here too."

"Really?" Diego said. "What about our little 'task'?"

"That can wait. That bastard won't go anywhere soon." Zetarus said.

"Well, then…" Diego turned his attention back to the Drampa. This time, he had an answer for him. "Then, all of us will stay here too."

"Excellent!" Elder Baldr said. "I am so glad to have a company of all of you! Anyway, the next thing that I must do is announcing this request, as well as introducing you all to everyone in this village."

"W… Wouldn't it be too much?" Rachael asked.

"Don't worry, lass. Everyone in this village knows each others, so, why don't let them know you too?" Elder Baldr said before turning his attention to four young Pokemon who stood beside him. "Now, then… Hm?" The Drampa had just noticed that there was one Pokemon missing from the group. "Where's Korben? I think he was with us when we finished our meal…"

"Oh, he already left." Dimitri answered. "Korben said that, because he didn't do a full morning patrol, he would take an extra afternoon patrol as he needs to be equal to everyone, and he already left for Valley of No Return."

"That's so like him…" Elder Baldr sighed. "Anyway, Unos and Lyzia, could you tell everyone to gather at the village's plaza tonight?"

"Sure." The Deino and the Altaria nodded to the Drampa's words before they left the house.

"Okay…" Elder Baldr turned his attention back to a group of Pokemon from the outside world. "There is still a few hours before sunset. So, what do you all want to do next? You can look around the village, stay here, or go back to Village of No Return, if you want! The choice is yours! Ho! Ho! Ho!"

"Then, I want to stay here…" Anastasia answered. "I will do dish washing for you as a thank for the meal."

"Ho! Ho! Ho! Thank you so much for offering, young Goodra!" Elder Baldr said.

"Then, I will stay here and help my sister—" Baromyteus said, but his words were cut off by his own younger sister.

"You can stay, brother…" Anastasia said. "But do not help me in this! The last time you try to help me, you broke almost every dish!"

"G… Give me a break, Anastasia!" Baromyteus spoke.

"What a loser…" Claura mumbled.

"WHAT?!" Baromyteus turned his attention to the Kingdra! "YOU SAY AS IF YOU CAN DO BETTER THAN ME!"

"AT LEAST I WON'T BREAK EVERY DISH I WASH!" Claura said.

"Yes, not every, but at least half…" Xavier mumbled.

"XAVIER!" Claura roared at her cousin.

"See? You are no better than me. What a waste…" Baromyteus said.

"SAY THAT AGAIN TO MY FACE, YOU DRAGON JERKY!" Claura roared at the Shiny Haxorus.

"HOW DARE YOU SPEAK LIKE THIS TO ME, YOU SALTY SEAHORSE!" Baromyteus roared at the Kingdra.

"Sigh…" Xavier sighed after seeing his cousin started another fight with the Shiny Haxorus again. He then grabbed the Kingdra's tail and dragged her away with him. "Then, my cousin and I would take a little stroll around this village. See you soon."

After finished speaking, Xavier dragged his cousin with him as he left the house, but everyone could still hear the Kingdra's voice as they left…

"HEY! COME BACK HERE, YOU SALTY SEAHORSE!" Baromyteus roared and tried to follow the Kingdra, but he was stopped by his sister.

"That's enough, brother." Anastasia said before turning her attention to the Drampa. "I am sorry that my brother's being so rude…"

"Ho! Ho! Ho! Not at all!" Elder Baldr laughed again. "I would say that your brother and the little Kingdra are both indeed very peppy!"

"Thank you…" Anastasia said. "Then, please excuse us…"

After finished speaking, Anastasia walked toward the kitchen of the house to wash the dish, dragging the Pokemon in the black armor suit with her too.

"Well then…" Elder Baldr turned his attention to the remaining four Pokemon. "How about you four? What would you like to do?"

"Hm… I think I would go to Valley of No Return…" Zetarus said.

"Why there?" Rachael asked.

"So that I could hunt something for tonight's meal…" Zetarus said before he realized something. "… If hunting the wild Pokemon is permitted in this village."

"Of course!" Elder Baldr answered. "We all need to eat to survive, so you could hunt any wild Pokemon, pick any wild plant you find, or catch any wild Pokemon in the river! You can hunt as much as you want!"

"B… But…" Rachael continued speaking. "Wouldn't overhunt make the wild Pokemon in Valley of No Return become extince, and then we wouldn't have anything to hunt in the future?"

"Don't worry about this, young Latias." Elder Baldr answered. "Wild Pokemon of Valley of No Return reproduced at a faster rate than we could hunt, so we wouldn't have to worry about overhunting. Moreover, not only to be our food, but hunting them also ensures the safety of this village too! Ho! Ho! Ho!"

"Okay…" Rachael nodded.

"Then…" Elder Baldr turned his attention to the Fraxure who stood beside him. "Dimitri, why don't you go and guide them?"

"… I could use a little brawl with the wild Pokemon…" Dimitri answered.

"Thanks!" Elder Baldr said. "Oh, and if you happen to run into Korben, do tell him to come back here after finishing his patrol."

"Yes." Dimitri said before he turned his attention to Zetarus and Diego. "Then, you two, follow me."

After finished speaking, Dimitri walked toward the door of this house and left the house, with Zetarus and Diego following him, leaving only four Pokemon in the living room of this house…

"What about you two?" Elder Baldr turned his attention to the remaining two Pokemon from the outside world who were still here. "What would both of you want to do?"

"Hm… Maybe we will take a stroll around this village too…" Rachael said.

"Agreed." Richard nodded to his sister's words.

"If that's so…" Elder Baldr said and turned his attention to the Noibat beside him. "Noctus, I want you to go and guide them around this village."

"Sure!" Noctus said and flew up to Rachael and Richard. "I know everything about this village, and I will tell you all of them! In return, you will have to tell me about the world outside Valley of No Return, okay?"

"Okay!" Rachael said and turned his attention to her brother. "What about you, Onii-chan?"

"… A trade using knowledge as a currency is always a fair and great trade." Richard answered.

"Glad to have you seal the deal!" Noctus said with a cheerful voice.

After finished speaking, Noctus flew toward the door of the house and left the house, and Richard and Rachael followed him, leaving only Elder Baldr in the living room alone.

"Hm… Now there's nothing else to do… for now…" Elder Baldr mumbled. "Maybe I should brew another cup of tea…"

* * *

 **Meanwhile…**

Valley of No Return… A vast valley located within the area surrounded by a range of mountain, which formed an incomplete roofing above the whole area of the valley, making the valley almost completely inaccessible from the 'world' outside the valley, giving a nickname of 'Inaccessible Valley' by the 'outsider', as the only way to access to this valley was via the 'Cave of Ages', which was sealed and hidden from the eyes of the outsiders…

However, for the residents of the Hidden Village of Dragon, this valley was known by its name of 'Valley of No Return' as the residents of the village didn't usually travel across the valley. In truth, they only visited this valley for either hunting wild Pokemon or finding a wild plant, but neither of them would travel across the whole valley to the other side of it. For them, there's only one kind of the Pokemon from the village who would travel across this valley, a Pokemon who wished to leave this village, who all never return to this village again…

Despite being a wild and inaccessible valley within a range of mountain, the valley was not at a high level of danger. In fact, this valley was actually a much safer place than some inhabitable places on the continent of Symmetria, such as Leafburg Forest, Gamma City, Dustorm Desert and the whole Shadowlost Territory. If you stay on a path, you would almost be guaranteed to safely cross the valley without any harm, but if you try to stray from the path, the level of danger would drastically increase. Nevertheless, this valley was safe enough to cross, even for a single Pokemon who knew nothing of protecting themselves…

"Where… Where is he?"

In a small plain near the southern end of Valley of No Return, a single Pokemon slowly turned their head left and right. It seemed like they had already crossed the majority of the valley, but they were not sure of where to go next…

"I was sure that I saw them entering that cave… But I lost the sight of them while I was in that cave." The Pokemon mumbled as they looked around the place carefully.

This Pokemon was a female Dragon type Pokemon who had a light green bipedal body with a pair of large, red-trimmed wings. She had two toeless legs and two skinny arms with three-clawed hands. Her long tail had several dark green stripes and its tip had three small rhombus-shaped with red trim, like her wings but was much smaller. She had a pair of dark green antennas on her head, and she had two large eyes with red goggle-like covers.

Overall, it could be said that she was a female Flygon, and if anyone looked closely, they could see a small emblem that she always carried with her. It was an emblem in the shape of desert rose, which was the symbol of Dustorm Empire's Quakersand Family…

"But this place…" The Flygon looked around the area she was in. It was a small plain located on the other side of Cave of Ages. "This place is so… beautiful… I have never known that there's a place like this within the Dustorm Empire… Maybe after I left this place, I should—"

"HALT!"

A voice that the Flygon had never heard before echoed through the area she was in, and before she could do anything, a Pokemon suddenly appeared from somewhere and stood before her!

"YOU!" The Pokemon who had just appeared spoke with a serious voice as he pointed his paw at the Flygon. This Pokemon was a Dragon and Fighting type Pokemon called Hakamo-o. "YOU ARE THE INTRUDER OF THIS SACRED VALLEY!"

"I… I am so sorry!" The Flygon quickly apologized to the Hakamo-o. "I… I don't know that this place is… Oh, no… I will take my leave now…"

"Never!" The Hakamo-o approached the Flygon. "Since you are already here, I must ask you to come with me."

"W… What?!" The Flygon was shocked after hearing the words of the Hakamo-o. "P… Please… Let me go…"

"I couldn't do that." The Hakamo-o spoke. "Everyone who had stepped into this place must come with me, and I must treat everyone equally, whether it's a single Pokemon like you you or a group of Pokemon who had just come not too long ago."

"Wait a minute…" The Flygon spoke up. "Did… Did you say about a group of Pokemon?"

"Yes." The Hakamo-o answered. "It was a group of outsiders that's consisted of a Shiny Haxorus, a Goodra, a Kingdra, a Dragonite, a Latios, a Latias, a Mega Charizard X and a Garchomp… Wait a minute, why did I tell you about this?"

"Oh! It's them!" The Flygon said with a cheerful voice.

"What?" The Hakamo-o turned his attention to the Flygon. "Did you know them?"

"Well… Yes…" The Flygon answered. "D… Did you know where they are right now?"

"… Yes." The Hakamo-o answered. "They were at our village."

"Village?" The Flygon seemed to be confused after hearing the word 'village'. "Is there a village in this place too? I have never heard about this before."

"Well... It's a long story…" The Hakamo-o said. "But if you come with me, I would be able to tell you more, and since the place that I have to take you to is the village I mentioned, I am sure that you would run into them too."

"Okay, t… then… I… I will go with you…" The Flygon nodded to the Hakamo-o.

"Then, this way, please." The Hakamo-o pointed his paw at a path in front of them. "Our village is not too far from this place. We should reach it within a few minutes."

"T… Thanks…" The Flygon said before she remembered something. "A… Anyway, could you tell me who you are?"

"Hm… Sure." The Hakamo-o said. "My name is Korben Forcenter the Hakamo-o."

"Korben, what a great name…" The Flygon said. "Sir Korben, thank you so much for helping me You are such a kindhearted Pokemon… Thank you…"

"W… Whatever!" The Hakamo-o quickly turned his face away to hide a red blush that appeared on his face after hearing a compliment from the Flygon. "A… Anyway, since I have already told you my name, it would be equal if you told me your name too, right?"

"Oh! R… Right…" The Flygon said. "M…. My name is Freya Mirasert the Flygon…"

 **To Be Continued…**

* * *

 **Dragon of Vale: First, I am very sorry for a long hiatus. It was that I had experienced a writer's block, so I couldn't come up with a good arranging for this chapter. Anyway, I finally managed to overcome it and finished this chapter at last, and I hope that this chapter turns out good enough…**

 **So many things happened in this chapter, and so many characters were introduced within this chapter, including the appearance of an old character from the former tail…**


	56. Tail 6-6: A Day to Remember

**A Dragon's Tail**

 **Tail 6: Baromyteus' Tail - Deception**

 **Tail 6-6: A Day to Remember**

 **-Somewhere near the entrance of the village…**

"…So, there're several groups of hunters who always go hunting in the Valley of No Return?" Diego asked.

"Right." Dimitri nodded to the Garchomp. "In truth, I also want to join them, but my father wouldn't allow it. He said that I am too young! Hm!"

A group of three Dragon type Pokemon, which consisted of a Garchomp, a Mega Charizard X, and a Fraxure, walked toward the entrance of Hidden Village of Dragon. Two out of three of them desired to go back to the Valley of No Return in order to go hunting, while the last one only escorted them and acted as a guide to them.

"And we could hunt wild Pokemon as much as we want, right?" Zetarus asked.

"Didn't you hear what the elder said?" Dimitri answered. "Of course you can! You can hunt as much as you want, as this valley, as unlikely as it may seem, is very abundant and full of wildlife."

"Hm…" Diego mumbled. He remembered from his stop at several villages during his journey in the Dustorm Desert with Zetarus that many villagers mentioned that the valley to the west of Dustorm Empire, which bordered the desert nation and the Republic Civilight was a very arid and barren place that no life could never hope to flourish, but now, it seemed like this statement was proved to be bogus.

"Well… I guess you are right…" Diego said. "After all, a village where a group of Dragon type Pokemon lived in the isolation without any communication with the outside world for two millenniums must have a decent enough source of nourishment, either for the herbivore, omnivore or carnivore…"

"… Da fuq?" Zetarus looked at the Mega Charizard X. "Diego, why did you become like this? You start using those sxxxs in your talk since when we arrived in the Fireview Kingdom, and I don't understand anything you said!"

"…" Diego pretended not to hear the Garchomp's words.

"Sigh…" Zetarus sighed. "I guess that it was Richard who I must blame for giving you this habit…"

Diego, Zetarus and Dimitri then continued walking until they reached the entrance of the village. From here, if they passed the gate of the village, they would surely set their foot in the area of the Valley of No Return.

"Well then…" Dimitri turned his attention to Zetarus and Diego once again as they reached the gate. "Do you two have any decent weapon for hunting?"

Zetarus and Diego didn't say anything, but both of them answered the Fraxure's question by equipping their respective weapon, which were a pistol named Sniper's Eye for the Garchomp and a Naginata named Silver Naginata for the Mega Charizard X.

"Hey…" Dimitri looked at Zetarus and Diego's weapons. "I have never seen weapons like this before!"

"I guess so…" Zetarus shrugged.

"What kind of your weapon is this?" Dimitri looked at Zetarus' pistol. "Is this some kind of… bow? Crossbow?"

"Close." Zetarus answered. "It's a pistol, which is a long-ranged weapon, like a bow and a crossbow, except that you fire these things…" Zetarus showed Dimitri several bullets on his claw. "…Instead of the arrow."

"Such a strange weapon…" Dimitri mumbled before turning his attention to Diego's weapon. "And… This thing… It looks like… a spear? But its blade looks more like a sword… Is it some kind of a sword with an unnecessarily long handle?"

"… It's a Naginata." Diego answered. "It's more like a spear, but with a single-edged blade instead of a pointed head like a normal spear."

"I see…" Dimitri said. "In our village, we only use a simple weapon, such as spear, sword, battle axe, a bow, or, which is the most advanced weapon of our village, a crossbow, as we don't usually get to battle very much, excluding the wild Pokemon of Valley of No Return."

"Those simple weapons?" Diego said.

"Right." Dimitri said. "There's only a handful residents of this village that don't use those five weapons, such as…"

 _"Here we are. This is the place I was talking about, the Hidden Village of Dragon."_

A voice came from the path that linked the Valley of No Return with the Hidden Village of Dragon. From here, Zetarus, Diego and Dimitri could see two figures of Pokemon who were walking up to the gate of the village. It didn't take all of them very long to see that one of them was a Hakamo-o who was with them during lunch, but suddenly left for the afternoon patrol, but the other Pokemon who was with him… It was someone whom Dimitri had never seen before, but not for Diego and, especially, Zetarus, as that Pokemon was none other than…

"F… Freya?!" Zetarus said as he saw a female Flygon who was approaching the village along with the Hakamo-o.

"Oh! Z… Zetarus!" Freya spoke with a happy voice as she saw Zetarus standing at the entrance of the village while she was approaching the gate of the village, along with a Hakamo-o beside her. "Y… You are alright! T… Thank goodness…"

"Korben, did you…?" Dimitri asked as the Hakamo-o and the Flygon reached the gate of the village.

"Right." Korben answered. "I found her at where we found them…" Korben glanced at Zetarus and Diego. "… And I decided to bring her here too, as not only it was the elder's order, but she also seems to know about them too."

"Don't tell me that…" Zetarus looked at the Flygon. "… You came here all along by yourself?!"

"W… Well…" Freya spoke. "I… I saw you entered that scary cave, and I… I was so worried about you… So…"

"Sigh…" Zetarus sighed as he finally understood. "I had a feeling of someone looking at me as I was entering the cave… It was you, right, Freya?"

"I… I am so sorry…" Freya apologized. "I… I felt that… Y… You must be s… So lonely… S… So…"

"Wait a minute…" Zetarus spoke up again as he had just realized something. "Why are you here all alone?! Where are Natasha, Largo and Terrus?!"

"W… Well… T… They went to Shadowlost Territory…" Freya said. "B… But father and they won't allow me to go with them b… because it's too dangerous, s… so I had to go back home alone…"

"… They left you to go back to the Dustorm City… BY YOURSELF?!" Zetarus spoke with an unbelievable voice.

"W… Wel…" Freya continued speaking. "T… Then I stopped a bit at the hot spring…"

"Hotspring?" Diego spoke up. "Is there a place like that around there too?!"

"Y… Yes…" Freya answered. "The hot spring… was at the north of the crossroad… north of the border checkpoint…"

Zetarus and Diego nodded to the Flygon's words. After all, at the crossroad, while they knew that, according to Richard, the southern path would lead to the Fireview-Dustorm Border Checkpoint, as well as the entrance of the Cave of Ages, the western path would lead to the Stonehill Village near the Fireview-Riverbrine Border, the eastern path would lead to the Fireview City, the capital of Fireview Kingdom, he never told them where the northern place would lead them to…

"T… Then…" Freya continued speaking. "I… I heard a very loud noise… to the south… S… So I decided to check it out… And I saw a cave… With you there, Zetarus…"

"A very loud noise… It must be the sound when we unsealed the entrance of that stupid cave…" Diego said.

"And then you decided to follow me through that cave and this valley just because you were worried about me…" Zetarus sighed again. "Freya, why did you have to do so much for me? We are not even—"

"B… But…" Freya suddenly spoke up. "Z… Zetarus, y… you are my brother! And—"

"…I am not your brother, Freya…" Zetarus said. "And even if I am one, I would be the worst brother ever…"

"Zetarus…" Freya said. "I… I am sorry… I am sorry…"

"… You have nothing to be sorry me, Freya." Zetarus said.

"…Pardon me for interrupting." Korben spoke up. "Freya, I must ask you to come and meet the elder of our village first. And don't worry about him. He is a very kind Pokemon, so you don't have to be scared about him."

"Okay…" Freya nodded to the Hakamo-o.

"…Then, I will go with you, Freya." Zetarus suddenly spoke up again, which surprised the Flygon very much.

"W… What?!" Freya looked at the Garchomp in front of her.

"Well… Terrus and others made a grave mistake of letting you go back to the Dustorm Empire by yourself…" Zetarus said "So, while they wouldn't be able to take care of their sister, I guess I will have to do…"

"R… Really?!" Freya looked at the Garchomp.

"Don't think too much of it…" Zetarus said. "After all… I just don't want to get scolded by Terrus if I let any danger befall on you his little sister..."

"T… Thank you so much, brother! Oops!" Freya said before she realized that she had just called Zetarus with the word that he didn't want her to use.

"… If you really want so much, I guess I will have to get used to it..." Zetarus shrugged.

"T… Thank you, brother!" Freya said and bowed to the Garchomp in front of her. "Zetarus, you are so sweet!"

"Heh… You don't even know half of me, Freya…" Zetarus shrugged. "Now, let's go. The sooner we finish this, the sooner I would be able to go hunting. Diego…" Zetarus turned his attention to the Mega Charizard X beside him. "… You can go ahead without me. I will catch you later."

"Well then, I guess I will go with you too, Zetarus." Diego said. "After all, hunting alone isn't much fun, and I guess that it could wait a bit."

"O… Oh! S… So you are… S… Sir Diego!" Freya turned her attention to the Mega Charizard X beside her 'brother' and bowed down to him. "I… I am so sorry t… that I didn't recognize you…"

"Whatever…" Diego said. "I would be surprised if you remember me in this form, Princess Freya."

"O… Oh! J… Just Freya is fine…" Freya said.

"… Then, no 'Sir' to me too." Diego said.

"O… Okay, Diego…" Freya said.

"And…" Zetarus turned his attention to Dimitri the Fraxure, who was standing beside Korben the Hakamo-o. "I guess the hunt would have to be cancelled, at least for now."

"No, it's okay…" Dimitri said. "Now, let's go, everyone."

Everyone nodded to the Fraxure, and then the Fraxure, Hakamo-o, Garchomp, Mega Charizard X and Flygon started walking. This time, they walked away from the gate, and toward the urban area of the village. Their destination was the house of Elder Baldr…

* * *

 **-Meanwhile… In the Urban Area of the Village…**

"Hm! That Dragon Jerky!"

"Sigh…"

Claura and Xavier strolled around the village casually after they left Elder Baldr's house. Claura's rage against Baromyteus seemed to already subside, but she still couldn't stop grumbling about the Shiny Haxorus.

"That jerk! That rude Haxorus! That Dragon Jerky!" Claura grumbled. "Why do I have to be stuck with someone like him?! He's the worst Pokemon that I have ever met!"

"…You started it this time, Claura." Xavier said.

"Shut up, Xavier!" Claura said. "Grrr… So much that I want to smash that face with my anchor! Grr…"

"Heh?" Xavier glanced at the Kingdra beside him. "This is getting interesting…"

"What?" Claura turned her attention to the Dragonite beside her.

"Well… Claura, I have known you since our childhood, but this is the first time I see you act like this…" Xavier said. "This is the first time that someone caught your attention for more than ten minutes, and you couldn't stop talking about him either…"

"W… What?!" Claura said with a shocked voice.

"Not only that…" Xavier continued speaking. "That guy… Baromyteus, isn't it? He is the first Pokemon who could stand a chance against your rage, as every Pokemon who dares to face your rage had never survived… Except him… This is so interesting…"

"KNOCK. IT. OFF!" Claura said and rammed her head against the Dragonite, but the Dragonite was able to dodge the Kingdra's attack.

"Heh… Now you are so flustered…" Xavier said.

"I AM NOT!" Claura roared. "AND DO NOT TALK THIS TO ME AGAIN!"

"Well… If you say so… Yawn…" Xavier said as he turned his attention from his cousin to the surrounding area of the village. "Now that I think about it… This place is so… peaceful…"

Claura nodded to her cousin's words as she looked around the Hidden Village of Dragon. The Hidden Village of Dragon, a village where the Dragon type Pokemon who survived the Apocalypse lived together in harmony for two millenniums within the inaccessible area of Valley of No Return, was a home to many Dragon type Pokemon. However, despite them being a Dragon type Pokemon, a type of Pokemon which was known for their savagery and brutality, lived in a tranquility of nature.

"The tranquility of nature is amazing, isn't it?" Claura spoke up.

"Yeah…" Xavier nodded. "It's able to calm even the beast that's embroiled within the tide of wrath and sorrow."

Claura nodded again. She completely agreed with her cousin about this because of what happened after they left Elder Baldr's house.

After they left the house of village elder, they decided to walk around the village, not only for sightseeing, but also to calm Claura's rage, and it worked, as the Kingdra quickly calmed down due to the tranquility of the nature of this place, as well as the Pokemon who lived in this village.

While they were walking around the village, they were greeted by several Dragon type Pokemon who lived in this place. Despite being an 'outsiders', none of the native did show a hostility toward both of them, and some of them even offered them their homemade treats too!

"I think the one who chose this place to be the location of this village must be a very smart Pokemon." Xavier said. "We Dragon type Pokemon are superior to other Pokemon, but we are very bad at self-restraint. Just a little scratch to the wall of our self-endurance and we are ready to destroy everything until our rage subsides. Knowing this, the one who found this village must choose a place with a tranquility of nature and isolation from the outside world, not only to calm the strong emotion of our kind, but also prevents other Pokemon to come and associates with our kind and risks of reawaken the beast within our body."

"True…" Claura said. However, her voice seemed to conceal a strange feeling, and her face was tainted with a feeling of…

"…Claura, are you alright?" Xavier asked. "You seem to be… sad? Is there something on your mind?"

"Heh… I try not to show this, but it seems like you know me too well…" Claura spoke with a sarcastic voice. "It's just that I start to regret about this."

"About what?" Xavier asked.

"About offering the residents of this village to come and live in Kingdom of the Dragonking instead." Claura answered. "Did you see the expression of everyone in this village? They all look so happy and satisfy with their isolated and dull, but peaceful and tranquil life within this place. Would it be a good idea for them to move to Kingdom of the Dragonking?"

"…" Xavier didn't say anything.

"You know… Despite being sent into a realm within time and space since the end War of the God II, Kingdom of the Dragonking is a far-from-peaceful place." Claura said. "Even if we don't count War of the God III, there had been so many peace-disrupting incidents since the end of War of the God II, such as the Void of Light, the rise of the 13th Dragonking, the Twilight Crisis, the Daybreak Crisis, and the Kohaku Rebellion!"

"… Don't forget the time when I—" Xavier spoke up with an emotionless voice, but his words were quickly interrupted by his cousin.

"I know, I know…" Claura said. "Well… This is what I feel right now. I don't know if it's a good idea to drag them from the tranquility to our kingdom, and I don't know what to do about this…"

"… Why are you so frustrated about this?" Xavier asked.

"Hm?!" Claura tilted her head toward the Dragonite.

"If I have to say…" Xavier continued speaking. "Claura, don't forget who are the residents of this village. They are Dragon type Pokemon! Dragon type Pokemon is a type of Pokemon who possesses a strong desire for violence and bloodshed. Sure, we may be able to conceal it, but we could never escape from our instinct…"

"Xavier…" Claura looked into the eyes of her cousin. Somehow, she could see something within the eyes of the Dragonite, which reminded her of… that day…

"No matter how much we try… We will never escape from our instinct…" Xavier said. "We may try to act like a calm and composed creature, but once the fateful time has come, our instinct would be awakened, and then—"

"STOP IT!" Claura spoke and slapped the Dragonite's face with her tail fin. "XAVIER, YOU DON'T HAVE TO CONTINUE HURTING YOURSELF LIKE THAT!"

"…" Xavier didn't say anything. All he did was rubbing his cheek as where he was slapped by her cousin.

"Moreover…" Claura continued speaking. "It wasn't your fault that put us into this situation. It's mine! And mine alone!"

"… Whatever…" Xavier said. "Anyway, what I want to tell you about your dilemma is, I think what we did is a right choice. While they had been living in this place for all of their life, they are still Dragon type Pokemon, like us. I am sure that, if there's a group of intruder from the outside world to break into this valley and try to destroy everything here, everyone who lives in this village would neither surrender nor run away, but they would turn their claw and fang toward the intruders of this valley and fight until their last breath, since they are, like us, dragons."

"…Heh…" Claura let out a small sarcastic laugh. "I guess I shouldn't let you spill all of this into my head again… Thanks, Xavier."

"Whatever…" Xavier said. "I could only help you in a thing like this, as I couldn't help you in so many other things, such as how not to look like an old hag, which you usually are."

"XAVIER!" Claura roared and turned her fiery face. It seemed like she would get herself into a brawl with her cousin, but then…

 _"… If you want to start a fight with each other that much, go somewhere else instead of doing it within a residential area of this village…"_

* * *

Noctus, Rachael and Richard had their attention at two Pokemon who stood not too far from them. It seemed like both of them were about to start a fight…

"Sigh…" Richard said. "Seriously… If you want to kill each other that much, why don't you go and do anywhere else? Don't forget that this place is a peaceful place without any violence, or did your ash-filled brains couldn't stuff this fact into itself?"

"W… What?!" Claura and Xavier quickly got away from each other as they heard the voice that was directed to them, but their tension was loosened when they realized that the owner of the voice was none other than the Pokemon who were coming with them to this village.

"Oh, it's you…" Claura said as she and Xavier approached Noctus, Rachael and Richard. "Rachael and Richard, right? What are you two doing here?"

"Onii-chan wanted to look around this village, so Elder Baldr as Noctus-san to guide us around the village." Rachael answered.

"Look around the village?" Xavier spoke up. "I thought that your brother wants to stick his nose into other's business instead…"

"Well… I was just curious…" Richard said. "I saw two Pokemon who claimed to be the descendants of the great generals of Kingdom of the Dragonking try to solve their dispute with such a barbaric method like this."

"Sure, there's so many ways to solve a single dispute…" Xavier continued speaking. "But for the choice we chose, we have already considered that it would be the best for this situation with the lesser side effect for both of us. I have never known that this stuff also causes an effect to the like of you too…"

"… Already considered?" Richard continued speaking. "I don't think I have a very good judgment of my own, but the method of yours is already considered to be the method-of-choice? For me, I could use my knowledge to synthesize several more methods, which I trust that it would be more suitable to this situation than your method."

"I admit that the amount of knowledge I possess within my storage is nowhere near the amount of knowledge that some Pokemon around here possess, but I have quite a confidence in my own judgment."

Richard and Xavier continued exchanging their sarcastic speech with each other without having their attention on anything else, including three other Pokemon who were also here too…

"… Well…" Noctus spoke up as he watched the Latios and the Dragonite continued speaking with each other. "Both of them are so… interesting…"

"Just when I thought that Xavier is the Pokemon with the sharpest tongue out there…" Claura mumbled and facefinned herself.

"But…" Rachael looked at her brother and Claura's cousin. "I think both of them seem to… enjoy themselves right now…"

"Agree…" Claura nodded in an agreement with the Latias beside her. "I have never seen Xavier be so happy like this… in a very long time… Anyway…" Claura turned her attention to the Latias beside her. "You're… Rachael, right?"

"Right!" Rachael answered with a cheerful voice. "And you are Claura, right? Hey, did you say that you come from Kingdom of the Dragonking, right? That's so cool!"

"HM?!" Claura looked at the Latias beside her with an unbelievable expression on her face. "Don't tell me that you have never gone to Kingdom of the Dragonking before!"

"Well… Yes…" Rachael turned her face away, as what the Kingdra said was true, but she couldn't tell her the reason why they have never been to the Kingdom of the Dragonking.

"Hm!" Claura grumbled before turning her attention to her cousin, who was still speaking to Rachael's elder brother. "Xavier! How long will you keep doing that?!"

"Well… I could do this for the rest of my life…" Xavier answered.

"Me too…" Richard nodded in agreement with the Dragonite.

"By the way…" Xavier turned his attention back to the Latios again. "Did you say that you and your sister are going to visit the village's shrine, right?"

"Right." Richard nodded to the Dragonite. "I have heard from a few villagers, as well as this Noibat…" Richard glanced at Noctus a bit. "… That there's a sacred shrine at the southern end of this village, and so, I asked Noctus to take me and my sister there, because I am very curious about it."

"…Then, I will go with you." Xavier said. "I have nothing to do right now, so I guess I would pay a visit to the village's shrine before I become too lazy to walk."

"It's not that far…" Richard said. "But… Oh, well… I guess having a company of someone who's not an idiot once in a while wouldn't be a bad thing…"

"Then, let's go…" Xavier said before he and Richard started walking toward a path of the village, but they were stopped by the Noibat.

"H… Hey!" Noctus spoke up. "The shrine is to the south, not that way!"

"Oops." Richard and Xavier quickly changed turned back to the right path.

"Sigh…" Rachael sighed. "That's my brother…"

"And that's my cousin…" Claura sighed too. "That's why I couldn't leave him alone. Oh, well… With this, I guess I will have to go with you too."

"Thanks!" Rachael said. "Then, let's go!"

* * *

Five Pokemon walked toward the area south of the urban area of Hidden Village of Dragon, which located at the southernmost area of the 'island' created by a river that surrounded the Hidden Village of Dragon before it disappeared into the underground (Which would later emerge as a river at somewhere else on the continent of Symmetria after passing through the underground.) This zone was also the southernmost area of the 'Inaccessible Valley' too.

"Wow!" Rachael said as she looked at the river that surrounded the Hidden Village of Dragon. This river, unlike other rivers on the continent of Symmetria, wasn't too deep, but also wasn't too shallow, but the water here was very clear! The water was so clear that she was able to see the riverbed and the wild lives that lived in the river!

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Noctus spoke up. "The water of our river is very clear because its origin is none other than the Valley of No Return, and it also teams with wild lives too."

"This is the most beautiful river I have ever seen!" Rachael said as she approached the river. "Can we drink it?"

"Of course." Noctus said. "Everyone in this village uses the water here for their daily use, as well as catching the wild lives from here, so we have a rule that we all shall not pollute this river, as it's the only source of water we have here, but you can use it as much as you want, as this river would never dry out, even during the hot season."

"…But would it be alright to drink it?" Richard spoke up. "Everyone in this village uses water from this river for their daily use, which includes for drinking and taking a bath, right?"

"Oh, I know what you mean." Noctus said. "But don't worry about this too! Don't forget that, because this river made our village a semi-island by splitting into two small rivers at the entrance of the village and surrounded the area of the Hidden Village of Dragon. So, with this, everyone in this village agreed to use the eastern river for drinking and the western river for other uses, including taking a bath. But we could catch any wild lives in either side of the river, as long as we don't tarnish the river, of course."

"Wait a minute…" Rachael said. "You take a bath OUTDOORS?!"

"Yes." Noctus answered. "Is it strange? I don't think this is a bad thing. Everyone here does it at all time."

"A… And does it mean that… WE MUST DO IT TOO?!" Rachael said with a shocked voice.

"Oh…" Rachael mumbled, but before she could say anything else, everyone's attention was distracted to someone who suddenly spoke up.

"I think we have finally reached our destination." Xavier spoke up.

Upon hearing the Dragonite's voice, everyone's attention was turned into a building in front of them, which was located at the southernmost point of the 'island' created by the river that split into two rivers at the entrance of the village, and joined into a single river again behind this building. This building was the biggest building they had ever seen since they stepped into the Valley of No Return, even bigger than Elder Baldr's house, which was the biggest house in the Hidden Village of Dragon. However, this building, unlike other building in this village, wasn't a house, but it seemed to be either a temple or a shrine.

"Hm…" Richard carefully examined the outside structure of this shrine. "I have never seen any type of structure anywhere else on the continent of Symmetria, so it must be…"

"Right." Claura spoke up. "This type of structure is what we use in Kingdom of the Dragonking. After all, the Dragon type Pokemon who found this village and built this shrine are from Kingdom of the Dragonking before it was banished into the realm between time and space…"

"Right." Noctus said. "According to the old records about the history of this village, this shrine was built some time after this village was found."

"It was built since a very long time ago, and it's still standing without being ruined by the force of nature?! Wow!" Rachael said. "Noctus, do you know what this shrine is for? Did they build this shrine as a place to worship some kind of deity?"

"Well… Actually, I don't know the real reason of why they built this shrine…" Noctus answered. "No one in this village knows the reason why they built this shrine, and there's no record of why this shrine was built too."

"What?!" Rachael said. "But I thought that… Elder Baldr… Did he…"

"Right. Elder Baldr was still alive at the time this shrine was built." Noctus said. "However, because it was so long in the past, he has already forgotten why this shrine was built."

"Oh… I see…" Rachael said with a disappointed voice.

"… A shrine that was built since a very long time ago, yet there's no record of its usage…" Richard mumbled. "This reason piqued my curiosity…"

"Then, why don't we—" Noctus was about to suggest everyone to go inside the shrine, but his words were interrupted by the appearance of two other Pokemon who came from the direction of the village's urban area.

"There you are, Noctus!"

A voice called the name of the Noibat. Everyone then turned their attention to the owner of the voice and saw two Pokemon walking up to them. They were none other than Unos the Deino and Lyzia the Altaria.

"Unos? Lyzia?" Noctus said as the Deino and the Altaria stopped in front of him. "What bring you two here? Didn't Elder Baldr tell you to spread his words about tonight's meeting to everyone?"

"Well… We have already done that…" Unos said. "But the adults need some help in setting up the meeting place at the square, so…"

"Okay… I will help…" Noctus said before he remembered something. "Oh! But I still—"

"…Don't worry about us, Noctus." Richard spoke up. "We will just go inside for a few minutes. You don't have to worry about us."

"Onii-chan is right!" Rachael said. "We promise that we won't break anything! Also, after we finish looking inside this shrine, we will go and help you too!"

"Really?!" Noctus asked.

"Hm… I agree with this…" Claura said. "After all, the reason why everyone here has to prepare for tonight's meeting is us, and we don't have anything else to do after we finish visiting this shrine."

"…" Xavier didn't say anything, as he seemed to have his attention on something else…

"Then, I am sorry that I have to leave you all early…" Noctus said. "But… See you soon at the square of the village! If you have anything else you want to know about this village, you can always ask me!"

After finished speaking, the Noibat left Rachael, Richard, Claura and Xavier and flew back to the urban area of the village, along with the Altaria and the Deino, leaving everyone else at the entrance of the shrine.

"Then, let's go, Rachael." Richard said.

"Right." Rachael nodded to her brother before she went into the shrine with him.

"…" After seeing the siblings went into the shrine, Claura was about to follow them when she noticed something strange about her cousin beside her…

"Xavier?" Claura said as she turned her attention toward the Dragonite beside her. For some reason, Xavier seemed to be distracted since when they arrived at this shrine. Normally, Xavier would have to split his sharp words at her when she said something. (Such as mention that she would destroy the village's square when the Kingdra offered to help them.) But now, instead of saying something like that, all that the Dragonite did was staring at the shrine in front of him.

"Hm…" Xavier mumbled as he looked at the shrine in front of him.

"Something on your mind, Xavier?" Claura decided to ask her cousin a question.

"… Claura, have you ever seen this shrine somewhere before?" Instead of answering her question, the Dragonite asked yet another question to the Kingdra instead. "I think that we have seen a shrine that looks EXACTLY like this before, don't you think?"

"Now that you mentioned it…" Claura said as she carefully looked at the shrine in front of her. "I think we have been visited a shrine that looks EXACTLY like this one in Kingdom of the Dragonking…"

"Right…" Xavier said. "And THAT shrine in Kingdom of the Dragonking is also where—"

 _'…Where we met each other for the first time.'_

Two voices suddenly echoed out of Claura's Feather Brooch and Xavier's Scale Brooch, which both suddenly started glowing with a mysterious aura. Those were none other than the voices of Claura and Xavier's Dragon Legend, Vastria the Reshiram and Zastra the Zekrom.

"Right." Claura said and looked at her Feather Brooch. "At an abandoned shrine deep in an isolated mountain of Kingdom of the Dragonking, an old shrine stands still."

"After we received the mission of finding the Hidden Village of Dragon from the Dragonqueen, we also received a secret message from her too…" Xavier said. "And the message told us that we should 'pay a visit' to a shrine deep in the mountain of our kingdom."

"To be honest…" Claura said. "If the Dragonqueen didn't tell us about that shrine, I would have never known that there's a place like that in Kingdom of the Dragonking too…"

"True." Xavier said. "Do you remember the time when we step our foot at that shrine? That shrine was so old and shabby, as if it has never gotten the blessing from the God of Sun…"

"Agreed. That would be the first thing that everyone who had gotten to that place thought…" Claura said.

"At first, we thought that the shrine there was just an empty place with just a single altar in the middle of it…" Xavier said. "But just before we left…"

"You appear." Claura said and looked at her Feather Brooch again.

"And you too, Zastra." Xavier said.

 _'…'_ Vastria and Zastra didn't say anything.

"And then Vastria, you offered to form a pact with me, while your brother offered to form a pact with my cousin…" Claura said.

 _'And you two accepted.'_ Vastria spoke up.

"And so, we ended up forming a pact with each other before we left Kingdom of the Dragonking, huh, Zastra?" Xavier said.

 _'Right.'_ Zastra gave a short answer to the Dragonite.

"Hm… Now that I think about this again…" Xavier said. "Why did the Dragonqueen want us to go and visit that place? To meet the Dragon of Ideal and the Dragon of Truth and form a pact with them? That sounds too… fishy for me…"

"Hm… You have a point here…" Claura said. "Even if that's true, why did she want us to form a pact with Legendary Pokemon? I don't understand. But… Maybe when we get back, we could ask the Dragonqueen why—"

"Don't you remember the P.S. at the end of the Dragonqueen's secret message that was given to us?" Xavier suddenly spoke up. "The P.S. mentioned that, because this is the top-secret message, we must not speak about this message to anyone else, including the Dragonqueen herself."

"But if that's true, maybe we could ask the one who delivered this secret message to us…" Claura said. "After all, the one who gave us this secret message is none other than—"

"I doubt he would know anything regarding to the content of this secret message." Xavier said. "I think all he did was just following the Dragonqueen's order and giving this message to us, so I don't think that he would know anything about this secret message."

"What about you two, Vastria, Zastra?" Claura asked. "What were you two doing there at that abandoned shrine?"

 _'… We don't know…'_ Vastria and Zastra answered.

"What?!" Claura and Xavier were surprised by the answer of their Dragon Legend. "What did you mean by 'I don't know'?!"

 _'First, there's something you two need to know about us…'_ Vastria said. _'While both of us possess a physical form, if a certain condition is met, we may revert into our primitive forms, which are just the form of Black Stone and White Stone… And while we are in our primitive forms, we will lose all of our sensory and abilities, including an ability to record our 'memory'.'_

 _'And… Some time ago, we were in our real form too…'_ Zastra said. _'However, we were reverted into our primitive forms, and the next thing we knew was that we returned into our real form of an old shrine deep in the mountain somewhere…'_

"…I see…" Xavier said. "A few questions, if that's so, then why did you two decide to offer us to form a pact with you? And why did you two turn into your primitive forms?"

 _'… We are sorry, but we can't tell you.'_ Vastria said.

"What?!" Claura spoke up with a shocking voice. "How come?!"

 _'Like what my sister said, we can't answer your brother's questions, Claura.'_ Zastra said. _'And do not question us about this anymore, as, no matter how much you try, we will not tell you anything more about this.'_

After the voice finished speaking, Claura's Feather Brooch and Xavier's Scale Brooch stopped glowing, indicating that the Reshiram and the Zekrom had finished their talking with the Kingdra and the Dragonite.

"Geez…" Claura mumbled after Vastria and Zekrom ended their speaking with her and her cousin. "And now we learn almost NOTHING from them!"

"Hm… Maybe not…" Xavier said.

"What do you mean, Xavier?" Claura looked at her cousin.

"The way they spoke and told us about their stories, it seems like both of them know something, and they really want to share it with us…" Xavier said. "But, for some reason, they couldn't, as they spoke as if they were forbidden to tell us everything by… something."

"Something?" Claura said. "What is it?"

"I honestly have no idea…" Xavier answered. "But I can guess the reason why 'something' must forbid Vastria and Zastra to tell us about it. It should be either there's no reason for us to know it, that 'something' just REALLY don't want us to know, or it's not the time for us… to learn the truth."

* * *

 **-Meanwhile…**

While the exterior of the shrine may give an impression to the visitors that this shrine was no more than just an old and crumbling shrine of no important, the interior of this shrine said otherwise...

"Wow!" Rachael said with a voice filled with glee as she set her first step into this shrine.

"Rachael, keep your voice down." Richard mumbled as he followed his younger sister.

"Oops!" Rachael quickly covered her mouth.

The Latios and Latias then turned their attention to the interior area of this shrine. While this shrine wasn't very big, unlike what its outside appearance suggested, the only word that both Pokemon could find to describe this shrine was…

"Mystical…" Rachael and Richard spoke out at the same time as they looked at the circular hall, which was the only 'room' of this shrine aside of a long hallway which connected the entrance of the shrine to this hall. The hall contained several stone pillars, which formed into a 'ring' that surrounded the central area of this hall. All stone pillars, as well as the wall of this shrine, were very well-crafted into the enigmatic symbols and alphabets, in an ancient way. The wall of the shrine also had several windows, which had a ray of light shined through all of them to the center point of this shrine, which stood a small but magnificent altar…

"Amazing…" Rachael said as she approached the altar in the middle of the shrine. "The rays of light from all windows in this shrine all shine onto this altar! Is it even possible?!"

"Hm… Interesting…" Richard said while following his sister to the altar in the middle of the shrine. "The difference of the sun's location during each time of the day would make this phenomenal entirely impossible… This is what I would say if I haven't seen this with my own eyes… But since the sunlight of the Valley of No Return isn't in its regular way due to the incomplete roofing formed over the entire valley and the eternal mist that covered the open area that isn't covered by the roofing… Hm… But this wouldn't explain why this village still possesses an ordinary daylight, like other place outside this valley… Hm… Could it be that this is the work of… magic? Interesting…"

While her elder brother was rumbling, Rachael slowly looked around the main hall of this shrine. While it may seem empty as this shrine didn't have anything more than just an altar and several stone pillars, the wall and the stone pillars of this shrine had several ancient crafting on it, with some being the ancient writing while the other being the ancient picture.

"…" Rachael looked at the ancient pictures that were crafted into the wall of the shrine. Somehow, she felt that these ancient pictures seemed so familiar to her…

"This one must be the Great Continent at the beginning of time… And this one is… War of the God I? Wait a minute…" Rachael mumbled before she realized something… "All of the pictures here are the same pictures we saw in the Cave of Ages! Wow!"

Rachael then continued looking at the pictures on the wall of the shrine, from the pictures of the Great Continent and War of the God I to the pictures of War of the God II and the shattered Great Continent during the Apocalypse…

However…

"?" Rachael's attention was focused at the last picture on the wall, which was crafted in the wall at the opposite side of the entrance of the shrine. (Behind the altar, if being looked from the perspective of someone who stood at the entrance of the shrine.) This picture, unlike other pictures on the wall, was the picture that possessed no counterpart in the Cave of Ages. It was the picture of…

"… Rachael?" Richard looked at his younger sister, who had her full attention on the picture on the wall behind the altar. It seemed like the picture had captured her full attention.

"…?" Richard approached his younger sister and then looked at what she was looking, which was a picture on the wall. It was a picture of two Pokemon, one tall and one short. While it was impossible to tell which kind of Pokemon they were due to the detail of those two Pokemon weren't elaborate enough, it was still enough for him to tell that both Pokemon were Dragon type Pokemon. And… Both dragons were… holding each other hand in the way of… friendship.

"… Rachael…" Richard called his younger sister one more time.

"Onii-chan?" This time, the Latias responded to his call. "Oh, I am sorry! I was a bit distracted…"

"… What do you have in your mind, Rachael?" Richard asked as it was noticeable that his younger sister was having something on her mind.

"Well…" Rachael said as she looked at the picture of two dragons on the wall again. "This place… This village… is a very nice place, isn't it?"

"Hm… Agreed." Richard nodded. "This place is not only full with friendly and non-idiot Pokemon, but it also located within the isolated and inaccessible valley, making it a peaceful place where everyone lives together in a harmony. Moreover, being located in a place like this, this village, along with Valley of No Return and the Cave of Ages, is a very interesting place full with an invaluable knowledge lost in time. If I can, I would like to spend the rest of my life here…"

"You… think that?" Rachael said.

"… But of course, I will never leave you, Rachael." Richard said. "I made a promise that I will never leave you again, remember?"

"Well… Actually…" Rachael said. "I… I also love this place too."

"You… too?" Richard looked at his younger sister.

"As I set my first step into this place, I knew that this place must be a very lovely place…" Rachael said. "Everyone here is so nice and friendly, and this place is so… peaceful too. It reminded me a lot of Forezon Village… The village where I stayed before I left Leafburg… But this place is much better… I feel like this place… This is the place where I could call… home…"

"…" Richard said nothing to his sister's words.

"Onii-chan…" Rachael spoke up again. "Do you… still remember that promise we made?"

"Of course, Rachael." Richard answered. "Once I acknowledge something, I will never forget it, never again."

"Then…" Rachael continued speaking. "Do you think… this place… Would this place be the answer to our promise?"

" _'…I promise that one day, we will discover a place where both of us could call home.'_... This is the promise I made to you, since when we were still… human." Richard said. "Both of us were orphans. We grew up at the orphanage, without knowing who our real parents are... At that orphanage, as well as the town we lived in and the school we studied in, both of us were heavily bullied due to my weakness… I was such a weakling at that time… I always failed to protect you… I am such a bad brother to you, Rachael…"

"Do not say anything like that, Onii-chan!" Rachael said. "You are the best brother ever! You are always there for me when we were human… As we don't have anyone else…"

"…Hm." Richard nodded. "The owner and the caretaker of the orphanage, the other children at the orphanage, the other students at the school, and everyone else in that town didn't like both of us very much, which I don't know why, so… Both of us only had each other…"

"And then… On that fateful day…" Rachael continued speaking. "I would always remember that day… It was our last day… in the World of Human…"

"…" Richard said nothing.

"We were chasing by a group of bullies…" Rachael continued speaking. "They didn't even tell us what they want. All they did was start chasing after us… And then… When we were almost being caught… I remember that… a strange light suddenly appeared… And the next thing I knew… is that I woke up at the abandoned temple in the middle of Leafburg Forest… With myself being turned into a Latias…"

"And for me, it was that I woke up at the Civilight Laboratory… With myself being turned into a Latios…" Richard said. "The light we saw must be a portal that links between the World of Human and the World of Pokemon…"

"Right…" Rachael said.

"… However…" Richard continued speaking. "There're still several unanswered questions left. Why had it suddenly opened at that time and place and taken both of us here? I don't understand?"

"Oh, that really reminds me…" Rachael said. "If both of us were taken here, would those bullies being taken here, like us, too?!"

"…No, they weren't." Richard answered. However, this time, his voice was serious and assured.

"How did you know that, Onii-chan?" Rachael asked.

"… I know that because… the portal only opened and took both of us here…" Richard said.

"I don't understand…" Rachael said.

"…Rachael, can I ask you something?" Instead of answering his younger sister's question, the Latios asked yet another question. "What do you think of you being a Pokemon right now?"

"I think it's amazing!" Rachael said. "I feel so happy and carefree! I really love it! It feels so great that I wouldn't want to return to being a human again! How about you, Onii-chan?"

"… I also feel this way too, Rachael." Richard said. "However, this is the real problem we have here."

"What?" Rachael looked at her elder brother.

"We had just become Pokemon for a few months, and yet we feel so good that neither of us would want to return to being a human again…" Richard said. "Don't you think that this is a bit… skeptical?"

"Hm… Now that you mention it…" Rachael said and nodded to her elder brother.

"Moreover…" Richard continued speaking. "Rachael, you remember those bullies who chased after us, right?"

"Yes." Rachael said. "I really don't understand why they chased after us, nor what did they want from us…"

"… Do you still remember the last thing they did before we were sent into the World of Pokemon?" Richard continued asking.

"Well… They took out their smartphone and pointed it at us…" Rachael said. "And they also said something strange, such as 'You could pretend to be a human—'"

Rachael suddenly stopped speaking, as the words she spoke had triggered something in her head, making she realizing something…

"O… Onii-chan…" Rachael looked at her elder brother. "I… I don't understand…"

"… A few months before that day, there was a newly-released application on the smartphone…" Richard said without looking at his younger sister. "While I have never gotten myself into that application due to neither of us had a smartphone, I had learned that the newly-released application was made in order to allow the human to catch the hidden Pokemon who lived somewhere in the World of Pokemon, which none of them could see them before. In other words, with that application on their smartphone, it's possible for them to see the hidden Pokemon in the World of Pokemon, including the Pokemon who hid their real identity by disguising themselves as a human…"

"W… WHAT?!" Rachael was shocked by the word of her elder brother.

"Thus, combining this statement with our feeling of us not wanting to return to being human again, as well as there were only both of us that were taken into the World of Pokemon, has given me a final conclusion about our situation… About our identity… About who we really are…"

"…" Rachael didn't say anything.

"…The reason why those bullies chased after us is because they could see who we truly are." Richard turned his attention to his younger sister. "The reason why there were only both of us that were taken into the World of Pokemon is because the World of Pokemon is our real world, and the reason why both of us really enjoy being Pokemon is because we enjoy being in our real form, after several years of yearning to return to our real world, to our real form…"

"Then… Both of us…" Rachael said. "We are…"

"Right." Richard said. "Both of us; Rachael Lustermist and Richard Lustermist, we are not human who were turned into Pokemon, but we are Pokemon who were turned into human, before being returned into our real form…"

* * *

 **-Meanwhile…**

 _"Anastasia! Baromyteus! That's too dangerous!"_

 _"…It's not a problem… The Fallen won't hurt us…"_

 _"What are you talking about?! The Fallen are the heartless and soulless monster! They won't care who you are and will kill you if given a chance!"_

 _"…The Fallen won't hurt their masters…"_

 _"W…What?"_

 _"…As the masters of the Fallen and the loyal servant of the Fallen Dragon, the Fallen would do as we command..."_

 _"W…What did you just say?!"_

 _"T…This isn't a time for a joke!"_

 _"This is neither joke nor an illusion. This is the reality… The cruel truth we lived in…"_

 _"… We have waited this moment for so long… The very moment of the demise of the Hero/ine of Legend with the hands of us, the faithful servants of the Fallen Dragon Lord."_

* * *

"GRASP!"

Baromyteus opened his eyes with an expression of frightening on his face. The expression, however, was unnoticeable as it was concealed by the horned helmet that he always wore to conceal his face, but the sound of his grasping wasn't go unnoticed.

"Brother?! What's wrong?!" Anastasia said as she quickly approached the Shiny Haxorus as she heard his grasping voice. "D… Did anything bad happen?"

"… I have a vision of that day… again." Baromyteus answered.

"That day…" Anastasia mumbled before she looked around the room she was in. Right now, both of them were in a bedroom on the second floor, as Anastasia had already finished washing dishes, so she asked Elder Baldr for permission for her to go upstairs and prepare rooms for everyone to stay in, and Baromyteus had no choice but to lend his paw to his younger sister too.

On the second floor of this house, there was a long hallway, with a stairway located at the end of one side of the hallway, and a large bedroom, which belonged to Elder Baldr himself, at the end of the other side of the hallway. Along the hallway were six smaller rooms, three on each side of the hallway. Elder Baldr told Anastasia that they could take the first and second room from the stairway on each side of the hallway as their own room, so Anastasia went to those rooms to prepare it. Right now, she had already finished preparing the first room on the right side of the staircase, the first room on the left side of the staircase, and the second room on the right side of the staircase, for Rachael and Richard, Zetarus and Diego, and Claura and Xavier respectively. Now she was preparing the second room on the left side of the staircase, which would be for her and her elder brother.

Because the door of this room was closed, and there was no one else in this room as Elder Baldr was in the living room on the first floor of this house, Anastasia and Baromyteus were able to continue their conversation without worrying about being eavesdropped.

"Yes." Baromyteus said. "The day we betrayed the Hero/ine of Legend at the final moment of their journey, just before they faced the Fallen Dragon."

"… That day was… a complete nightmare…" Anastasia said. "… Especially for you, brother."

"… Because of our power, the Fallen Dragon, the wretched demon who was the cause of the Fallen Crisis, was able to grasp upon our very spirits. Combining this with my strong hatred toward those Hero/ine of Legend, especially the 'Hero of Justice', the Fallen Dragon was able to manipulate me using the power of hatred within my mind."

"… For me, it was a strong aff— I mean, you-know-what, that made me fall under the control of the Fallen Dragon." Anastasia said, before she quickly changed some of her words as she knew that her brother wouldn't be very happy to hear the original words she was about to say.

"…In the end, instead of slaying us, they decided to let us continue living." Baromyteus continued speaking. "I knew that they ARE the Hero/ine of Legend, but I do NOT understand why did they have to let us continue living instead of killing us? After we betrayed them…"

"…Nevertheless, the truth remained unchanged…" Anastasia continued speaking. "Betraying the Hero/ine of Legend was equal to betraying the god, as well as the whole World of Pokemon, so we both had to leave the continent of Symmetria…"

"And now, 30 years had already passed, and we are here again, standing on the very continent we betrayed, the continent of Symmetria." Baromyteus said with a sarcastic voice. "Well… Since a demon like me had once again trample my feet on the soil of Symmetria, another crisis would surely occur…"

"Brother! Do not say something like that!" Anastasia said. "You aren't a demon! Why do you have to continue living your life with that nonsense?!"

"But here I am. I am a demon at both my heart and my soul." Baromyteus said. "I was born carrying a bad omen of chaos and disruption, so I was exiled from the place I was born. Even after I was allowed to set my foot back into that place, I wouldn't be able to think of that place as my home, especially after the bad omen took the toll of my body, turning me into a half-dead-half-alive being like this!"

"Brother! That's not true—" Anastasia was about to say something, but her words were cut off with a sound of door knocking by someone outside this room.

"Knock! Knock!"

"Who's th—" Baromyteus was about to ask for the identity of the one who knocked the door, but this question was left unfinished when the door was suddenly opened.

"I knew that it must be you…" A Pokemon who knocked the door said as he walked up into the room. He was none other than the Pokemon in the pre-evolution form of Baromyteus, Dimitri the Fraxure.

"Hey!" Baromyteus roared. "Didn't your parents teach to not to barge into other's room without permission?"

"Well… My mother died before she could teach me anything, and my father never scolds me for barging into his room without his permission." Dimitri answered with a nonchalant voice.

"HMP!" Baromyteus grumbled.

"A… Anyway…" Anastasia decided to step in before the Fraxure and the Shiny Haxorus started a fight with each other. "Why are you here, Dimitri? I thought that you accompanied Zetarus and Diego for their hunting…"

"True." Dimitri turned his attention to the female Goodra. "However, just before we left the village, Korben came back with a female Flygon who, like you, came from the world outside Valley of No Return, so he brought her to our village."

"A female… Flygon?" Anastasia said.

"Apparently, she seemed to be the younger sister of that Garchomp… What was his name again? Whatever, with this, Korben needed to take her here to see the elder, and we decided to come with them, so… Here we are." Dimitri answered.

"Zetarus's… younger sister?" Anastasia said. "Wow… So, like Zetarus, she must be Garland's child—"

"…And where are they right now?" Baromyteus spoke up.

"Well… Korben and that Garchomp, Mega Charizard X and Flygon are meeting Elder Baldr in the living room right now." Dimitri said.

"And why are you here?" Baromyteus looked into the Fraxure's eyes.

"Elder Baldr told me that you two are on the second floor, preparing rooms for you and your friends." Dimitri said. "So I decide to come and see if you two had already finished it or not? If yes, then I'd like to challenge you to a battle!" Dimitri finished his words by pointing his paw at his evolved form in front of him.

"... Anastasia, are we finished yet?" Instead of saying anything to the Fraxure, Baromyteus asked a question to his younger sister.

"… There! Finished!" Anastasia said as she put another blanket on the futon. "We are finished, brother."

"Good." Baromyteus said and turned his attention back to Dimitri. "Well then, boy, it's time for you to lose one of your limbs."

"Count me in!" Dimitri said and was about to leave the room… When another Pokemon appeared.

"Oh! I didn't know you were here, Dimitri." The Hakamo-o said as he stood at the door of the room. He was now carrying a tray that contained a bowl of hot soup, a glass of water, a spoon, a bowl of water and a small towel.

"Korben?" Dimitri said as he saw his friend standing at the door. "Finished already?"

"Yes." Korben answered as he placed the tray he was carrying on the table in this room. "And grandfather also allows Freya to stay here too."

"I see…" Dimitri said.

"Pardon me…" Anastasia spoke up and approached the Hakamo-o. "Who are the 'Grandfather' and 'Freya'?"

"Hm? Oh! You are here too…" Korben said and turned his attention to the Goodra while trying his hardest not to look at 'another Pokemon' behind the Goodra, who seemed to be trying his hardest not to rip his body apart. "Well… Freya is the name of the female Flygon that I found in the Valley of No Return, so I brought her here, and she is the younger sister of that Garchomp."

"I see…" Anastasia said. "What about the 'Grandfather' part?"

"Hm? I haven't told you about this yet?" Korben said. "Elder Baldr is my grandfather, and I also live here too."

"Elder Baldr is your grandfather?!" Anastasia said.

"Yes." Korben said. "You may wonder why he and I are in different species. Well… While he is a Drampa, his wife, my grandmother, is a Kommo-o, and this, my mother born from them is a Kommo-o too, so… Here I am, a Hakamo-o who will one day become a Kommo-o… If I don't die before."

"So… You are a Hakamo-or from your mother side, not your father…" Anastasia said before she remembered something. "By the way, since… er… Zetarus' sister would stay here with us too, I should prepare another room for her too…"

"Oh, don't worry about her." Korben said. "I already talked to her, and she said that she wouldn't mind staying with 'them'."

"Them?" Anastasia said.

"… I still haven't told you about 'them' too?" Korben seemed to be surprised after realizing that the Goodra didn't understand what he was saying. "Okay, then… Follow me."

Korben then grabbed the tray he placed on the table again and turned back to leave the room, with Dimitri following him. Anastasia then followed both Pokemon, and Baromyteus came last…

* * *

Korben led Dimitri, Anastasia and Baromyteus to another room on the second floor, which was the third room on the left side of the hallway. (Beside Claura and Xavier's room.)

"Oh, by the way…" Korben said just before he opened the door of this room. "My room is this one." Korben pointed his paw at the third room on the right side of the hallway, which was the room beside Anastasia and Baromyteus' room.

"Oh!" Anastasia said. "Your room is just beside us! That's—"

"Grrr…." Baromyteus suddenly let out a low-toned growl as his younger sister started speaking.

"W… Whatever…" Korben quickly changed the topic of the conversation. "Anyway, Dimitri, could you open the door, please? I don't have any spared paw to do so."

"Fine." Dimitri said as he walked toward the door and opened it for the Hakamo-o.

"Thanks, Dimitri." Korben said and walked into the room, with Dimitri, Anastasia and Baromyteus following him.

"By the way…" Anastasia spoke up again as she walked into this room. "What are those things on the tray you are carrying for? They look like the things for taking care of a sick or injured person…"

"More or less." Korben answered as he placed the tray on a small nightstand table beside one of two beds in this room. This was when Anastasia and Baromyteus realized that there weren't four Pokemon in this room, but five.

…Or four?

"W…WHAT?!"

Anastasia and Baromyteus let out a cry of dismay as they noticed the presence of the fifth Pokemon in this room… Or not? As the 'Pokemon' they saw didn't even look like any Pokemon that they had known or had seen before!

This 'Pokemon' didn't look like any kind of Pokemon Anastasia and Baromyteus had seen before. They were a Pokemon with long neck and a quadrupedal-typed body, except that their four legs were replaced with four flippers instead. However, their skin was very pale, like the skin of a bloodless corpse, with a faint tone of light blue, like the frozen water in the form of ice, and there were several light blue spots of the darker tone on their body. Their underside skin, on the other hand, was completely pale white, as if there was not a single vein running beneath it. At the end of each of their flipper were three sharp claws, all which were webbed. Their tail was long, with several sharp spikes along itself. They had a navy blue shell on their back, which also had several sharp spikes sticking out of it. The oddest part of their body was their head. They had two curved navy blue (Same color as their shell) horns on their head, and they also had a long webbed light blue membrane behind their head. Their snout contained their mouth and jaw, which also contained several sharp fangs hidden in their mouth, but there were two long fangs that penetrated out of its upper jaw and became visible even when their mouth was closed. And because they weren't awakening, it was impossible to see which color were their eyes.

"…" The 'Pokemon' slept peacefully in one of two beds in this room. They did neither move nor do anything else except breathing through their snout and lying on the bed… In fact, they didn't seem like they were sleeping, but it seemed like they weren't even able to grasp upon their own consciousness.

"… What kind of Pokemon this… creature is?" Baromyteus spoke up after a few minutes of examination had already passed. "I, too, have never seen this kind of Pokemon before…"

"You don't know what kind of Pokemon this one is?" Dimitri spoke up. "Neither of us also knows what kind of Pokemon this one is, because we have never left the Valley of No Return, but I didn't think that the Pokemon from the world outside Valley of No Return would also know nothing about this Pokemon."

"Hm…" Anastasia looked at the Pokemon who was sleeping in the bed. "Now that I look at them closely, I think this Pokemon would be… a Lapras."

"A Lapras?" Korben spoke up. "I have seen a picture of Lapras from grandfather's book, and… Sure, they do look like a Lapras, but a Lapras doesn't look like them. First, a Lapras has blue hides, not a very faint light blue hide like this one. A Lapras' underside skin is cream, not pale white. A Lapras doesn't have clawed and webbed flippers like this one, as well as a Lapras' tail is much shorter and don't have any spike. A Lapras' shell is gray with blunt spikes, not navy blue with sharp spikes. Moreover, the face of a Lapras doesn't look like this, as a Lapras' horns are, like their body, blue, a Lapras doesn't have any membrane behind their head, a Lapras also has another horn in the middle of their head, a Lapras' snout is shorter than this one, and a Lapras doesn't have such sharp fangs like this!"

"… By the way…" Baromyteus spoke up again. "How did this Pokemon end up here?"

"Well… I found them in the Valley of No Return during my morning patrol today…" Korben answered. "At first, I was frightened by their appearance, but… They don't look like a wild Pokemon, and because everyone is equal to each others, so I must treat everyone equally regardless of their appearance, so I decided to help them and take them here."

"I was shocked too when I saw Korben carrying them here." Dimitri said. "But… Sure, we couldn't leave them dying out there."

"Still…" Korben looked at the Pokemon in the bed, who still remained unconscious. "They didn't move or respond, not even a bit, since when I found them in the Valley of No Return. I can tell that they were still alive because they were breathing, but I don't know when they will wake up."

"… Can you let me take a look at them?" Anastasia asked.

"Sure. Go ahead." Korben said.

"Thank you." Anastasia said and approached the unconscious Pokemon in the bed.

"… Anyway…" While his sister was examining the Pokemon in the bed, Baromyteus spoke up. "Did this… creature carry anything when you found them?"

"Well…" Korben picked two objects that were placed on the nightstand table next to the tray and handed over them to the Pokemon in the black armor suit. Barometer then took a look at them and realized that one of the two objects was…

"… A knife?" Baromyteus said as he looked at a small but sharp weapon that the Hakamo-o handed over to him.

"It fell out of his pocket as I tried to carry them back here, along with that other trinket." Korben said. "I guess this thing is a weapon they use to defend themselves."

"…" Baromyteus said nothing and moved his attention to the second object that was handed over to him. It was a trinket that looked like…

"…Oh, I forgot!" Korben suddenly spoke up and turned his attention to Dimitri. "Dimitri, grandfather told me that both of us should go and help preparing for tonight's meeting at the village's square too."

"Geez… A work…" Dimitri said. "I'd prefer to fight this Pokemon…" Dimitri glanced at Baromyteus. "… Instead of helping adults preparing for such a boring meeting…"

"…A battle can wait." Baromyteus said. "I will let you go unscratched for now, as I will be staying here for at least a while, so there's a plenty of time for me to rip your limbs apart. There's no need to rush."

"Actually, I'd prefer breaking your tusks right now…" Dimitri said. "But it couldn't be helped. Guess I will have to do it another day, okay?" Dimitri ended his words by reaching his paw forward at the Shiny Haxorus.

"… Sure." Baromyteus gave a strong handshake to the Fraxure. "By the way, once we finished here, we will go and help you prepare for tonight's meeting too."

"Okay." Dimitri said. "Well, then, see you later."

After finished speaking, Dimitri started walking toward the door and left the room, and Korben followed him while trying his best not to look at the Pokemon in the black armor suit, as, even when they were speaking a while ago, Baromyteus always gave him a cold and blood-hungry stare, so he tried not to look at him until when he and Dimitri left the room.

"… Anastasia, are you finished yet?" Baromyteus spoke up after Dimitri and Korben already left the room.

"…I could sense that they have passed such a tragedy that damaged even the deepest part of their soul, though I don't know anything more than this." Anastasia spoke up with a sad voice. "Nevertheless, both their body and soul is very exhausted, so it would take quite a few days for their body to recover, but I could not say the same thing for his soul…"

"…" Baromyteus said nothing after hearing his sister's words.

"Poor creature…" Anastasia said and looked at the unconscious Pokemon in the bed one more time. "I wonder what kind of them live before a tragedy struck upon their soul, as well as the identity of this Pokemon."

"… Though I don't have the exact answer to your question…" Baromyteus said. "I think I have a faint idea about who this Pokemon is."

"Really?" Anastasia looked at her elder brother.

"First, take a look at this knife. It belongs to this creature." Baromyteus showed his younger sister the knife that Korben handed over to him. "What do you think of this thing?"

"It's a knife that we use in the kitchen." Anastasia said. "However, this kind of knife could also be used as a weapon in a pinch too."

"Exactly." Baromyteus said. "While that… Hakamo-o said that this is the knife that this creature uses for defending themselves, the main use of this knife is to be used as a utensil, not a weapon."

"…Which mean that the one who carries this knife around must be someone who normally uses this knife… Such as someone who work in the kitchen like a chef… But, as far as I know, a chef doesn't normally use this kind of knife. The one who uses this kind of knife is usually a waiter or a waitress…"

"… One more thing, Anastasia." Baromyteus said. "The material that's used to make this knife is silver, or we could say that this thing is a silver knife…"

"… A silver knife is an expensive utensil." Anastasia said. "The one who carried such an expensive utensil around mustn't be an ordinary waiter or waitress. It must be a maid or a butler who works for a person of a high-society, such as a noble or someone of a royal family."

"... This is as far as we could tell from this knife." Baromyteus said and placed the knife on the nightstand table. "Other than the knife, this was another thing that belongs to this creature."

Baromyteus handed over the strange trinket that looked like a crest or an emblem that were handed over to him by the Hakamo-o to his younger sister.

The trinket was handed over to the female Goodra was something that looked like a crest or an emblem. The emblem was in the shape of a beautiful five-petal flower. Each petal of this flower was made of a clear and sparkling sapphire, making the petals of this flower become blue. The center of this flower, on the other hand, was made of a small but exquisite pearl with a small hint of yellow glimpse. Moreover, the edge of this flower was reinforced with a pure gold. Overall, the value of this small 'trinket' must exceed even a single peasant's cost of living per year.

"…" Anastasia looked carefully at the trinket that was given to her.

"I can tell that this small thing would cost even more than what we got during these entire years." Baromyteus said. "And thus, combining with the fact that this creature…" Baromyteus glanced at the unconscious Pokemon in the bed. "… Is some kind of maid and butler, I think we could assume that this trinket is actually an emblem of the family that this creature served."

"…" Anastasia said nothing. All she did was look at the emblem in her paw.

"Still…" Baromyteus continued speaking. "Anastasia, I don't know if you share this thought with me or not, but I think that… I have seen this emblem before… But I don't remember where. And this blue flower that was carved into this emblem—"

"It's the Forget-Me-Not." Anastasia spoke up.

"Forget-Me-Not?" Baromyteus said.

"The flower on this emblem is the Forget-Me-Not." Anastasia said. "It's the symbol of a certain royal family."

"Certain royal family…" Baromyteus said. "Which one?"

"… On the continent of Symmetria, there are seven nations." Anastasia said. "Seven nations. Each nation has their own Royal Family Emblem, and what the emblems of all seven nations have in common is that they are all in the shape of flower."

"Flower?" Baromyteus said. "So…"

"… First, the Dustorm Empire has their emblem in the shape of the Desert Rose, a beautiful flower that could flourish even in the harsh terrain of desert and still able to produce such a beautiful flower." Anastasia said. "Anyone who's the part of the Dustorm Royal Family would have an emblem like this."

"… What about the other six nations?" Baromyteus asked.

"For Principality of Leafburg, they have their emblem in the shape of Jasmine, a pure and fragrant flower. This is also why the name of Leafburg's civil war is the War of Jasmine, as it's the war that two armies, the Forest Army and the Insect Army, fought for the rule over the nation of abundant forest. Each army has their own emblem in two different types of Jasmine." Anastasia explained.

"Stupid war…" Baromyteus mumbled. "Why did they have to fight to gain the right to ruler over a plot of land? I have never wanted to become a ruler, not ever."

"Next…" Anastasia continued speaking. "For Republic of Civilight, they have their emblem in the shape of Dandelion. I think they choose this flower because it's yellow, which is the color of electric type Pokemon that mostly live in this nation, but I have no idea why it has to be Dandelion. Wouldn't a Sunflower or Goldenrod be a better choice?"

"Dandelion? Heh… Now this is a good choice…" Baromyteus said with a sarcastic voice. "They chose Dandelion as the emblem of Republic of Civilight to insinuate the citizens of Civilight, all who are short-lived, will be trampled by the power from above for countless times without them giving a damn, and no matter how much they don't want to, in the end, they have to leave, just like what happened at the end of Civilusion War."

"Brother!" Anastasia said. "Why do you have to be so pessimistic?!"

"As you know, what I hate most are lie and deception, so I always speak the truth." Baromyteus said. "The condition of those who live in the Republic of Civilight is the worst. They don't even look like a living creature. They look more like just a mindless robot who always does as they are commanded. Some of them even get kidnapped and being used in their strange experiment too… Wait, why did I say all of this? What would happen to them is none of my business anyway."

"… Then, let me continue…" Anastasia said. "Fireview Kingdom, the nation of flame and stone, has their emblem in the shape of Poppy, which not only its color of red represents the Fire type Pokemon who mostly live in this nation, but Poppy also represents the fallen warriors who lost their lives in the Bloodmoon War that was started by this nation of flame and stone."

"Poppy, huh? Interesting…" Baromyteus said. "This flower's black center also represents the royal family of this nation, which is corrupted as hell."

"Sigh… Let's move on." Anastasia sighed and continued speaking. "For the Shadowlost Territory, their emblem is in the shape of Black Rose to represent the eternal darkness that veils over the sky of this nation."

"Black Rose? Hm…" Baromyteus said. "Now this is a good one. Though I am not a big fan of flower, Black Rose is the only kind of flower that kinda catches my attention."

"And next…" Anastasia continued speaking. "Theocracy of Venturnome… This nation has their nation in the shape of… Cherry Blossom, which is the flower that's native to the soil of Theocracy of Venturnome…"

"…If I remember correctly…" Baromyteus said. "Cherry Blossom is your favorite flower, right, Anastasia?"

Anastasia didn't answer her brother's question with a word. Instead, she just gave him a little nod in response.

"And thus…" Baromyteus said. "From what I heard from you, Theocracy of Venturnome has Cherry Blossom, Principality of Leafburg has Jasmine, Fireview Kingdom has Poppy, Republic of Civilight has Dandelion, Dustorm Empire has Desert Rose, and Shadowlost Territory has Black Rose. This would leave the Forget-Me-Not as…"

"… Forget-Me-Not is blue to represent the vast sea to the south, and deep glacier to the north." Anastasia continued speaking. "Moreover, Forget-Me-Not also represents the eternal love, and thus, making it a perfect flower for the royal family of this nation…"

"…" Baromyteus said nothing.

"… Forget-Me-Not." Anastasia continued speaking. "Forget-Me-Not is the flower of the Queendom of Riverbrine, so the one who carries the emblem around must be… the member of Riverbrine Royal Family."

"Riverbrine Royal Family?" Baromyteus said before he had just realized something. "Wait a minute… This flower… Isn't it…"

"You finally remember, don't you?" Anastasia said. "Other than those reasons I said, there's one more reason why Forget-Me-Not is chosen to be the symbol that represents the Queendom of Riverbrine. It's because Forget-Me-Not is also the symbol of the family that's now ruling over the nation of ice and water, and that family is none other than the Tundrafrost Family."

"Tundrafrost Family…" Baromyteus mumbled with a hint of anger in his tone of voice. "It's the family that that bxxxh belongs, isn't it?"

"… Brother, if you are referring to Nyxier, please goes easy on her…" Anastasia said. "Didn't you hear about the civil war in the Queendom of Riverbrine a few months ago? What happened to her is such a tragedy…"

"I think not." Baromyteus said. "That bxxxh deserved worse for everything she had done, if you ask me."

"…" Anastasia said nothing.

"But again…" Baromyteus turned his attention to the unconscious Pokemon in the bed. "This means that this guy is the member of Tundrafrost Family, but other than that bxxxh and the daughter of a bxxxh, I have never heard of anyone else in Tundrafrost Family who's still alive…"

"…You may not remember this from our 'journey' with those Hero/ine of Legend 30 years ago, brother." Anastasia said. "Other than herself, Nyxier also has a younger brother, who, unlike her, is a Lapras."

"A Lapras?!" Baromyteus looked at the unconscious Pokemon in the bed again. Like what Korben said, while they didn't look like any kind of Pokemon that they had seen before, they still had a strong resemble to a Pokemon named Lapras!

"So…" Baromyteus glared at the unconscious Pokemon. "This Pokemon must be…"

"Yes, brother." Anastasia said and looked at the unconscious Pokemon in the bed. "I am sure that… This poor creature must be none other than Nyxier's younger brother, Snow Tundrafrost the Lapras."

* * *

 **-Meanwhile… Somewhere else on the continent of Symmetria…**

 _"… Sorry for taking such a long time to come here, Archsage Iris."_

 _"Hm? Oh, you finally come. What took you so long to come here?"_

 _"I ran into six groups of bandits during my journey from the Solar Village to this place, so I have to deal with all of them."_

 _"That's just like you. Even 30 years had already passed, you still live your life under the name of 'Hero of Justice' in every way."_

 _"Haha… Giving a compliment to someone who's already over 50 wouldn't do much, Iris."_

 _"Well… If you are already over 50, what about me?"_

 _"Oh, I forgot, Iris. You had been living since even before the time of War of the God III, so you must be at least over 150…"_

 _"… It's rude to speak about a woman's age, especially in front of her face, don't you know?"_

 _"Oh! I… I am sorry! I… I didn't mean that…"_

 _"Sigh… Didn't Fenrir tell you about this?"_

 _"Fenrir… I haven't seen her for several years… The last time we met each other was… Over half a year ago… But she's the chancellor of Shadowlost Territory, while I am the Dojo Master of Solar Village Dojo… It couldn't be helped…"_

 _"…"_

 _"Actually, Fenrir didn't want to become the chancellor of the Shadowlost Territory, but… You know… If it wasn't for her, Shadowlost Territory wouldn't be able to be found, so she is hailed as the Heroine of Shadowlost, and thus, she couldn't refuse their plea to stay with them in the Shadowlost Territory… And so, we must part…"_

 _"… What about your sons?"_

 _"… As the successor to the role of Hero of Dark type, Fenrir Jr. decided to go and live with his mother while his younger brother, Ridley, being the successor to the role of Hero of Fighting type, decided to stay with me instead."_

 _"..."_

 _"Also, a few months ago, Fenrir Jr. came to Solar Village to pay a visit to his old man. It seems like he came to visit me after attaining to Garland's son's Successor Ceremony."_

 _"…"_

 _"Anyway, Iris, what do you want to speak to me about? You sent a message to me that there's something urgent that you need to discuss with me, and I am sure that it isn't just a little reminiscent of the past, right?"_

 _"Right… First… You said that your son came and visit you a few months ago… Did he bring you a word about your wife?"_

 _"About Fenrir? Of course. While it's just a normal stuff, it's nice to hear that my spouse is fine and happy…"_

 _"…"_

 _"Oh! Sorry, Iris. I forgot that your husband... Hawkins, he…"_

 _"It's alright… Let's get back to our conversation… Since you and I are here, Fenrir is still fine in the Shadowlost Territory, and Hawkins… Well… Other than four of us, did you know about what happen to the rest of us?"_

 _"Hm? Well… First, I am sure that Garland is still alive at the Dustorm Empire… But Sharon… She's the first of us that had fallen…"_

 _"Right… It had already been about ten years since the moment of her last breath…"_

 _"And… As far as I know, Zira is still fine in my village, but… Despite trying her best not to show it out, she always feels heartbroken about… Kamui."_

 _"!"_

 _"You know… Zira was separated from Kamui during the Civilusion War, along with her elder son. Even now, we still don't know about Kamui's fate. Wherever he is right now, I hope that he is safe…"_

 _"… You still don't know about… Kamui?"_

 _"Hm? What happen to him?"_

 _"Kamui… He is already dead."_

 _"…Seriously?"_

 _"…A few days ago, Ellisk's elder brother, Lumiere, had arrived at Venturnome City, and he brought us a grave news… from Ellisk."_

 _"From… Ellisk?"_

 _"Ellisk's message mentioned that Kamui was kidnapped and being used as experimental specie in the lab of Republic of Civilight… Before he was defeated and freed from his torment."_

 _"How could it be? Zira… She would surely grieve over her loss…"_

 _"But at least, her elder son, as well as Ellisk's daughter, had managed to escaped from Republic of Civilight… However… Ellisk also mentioned that… By the time this message reached me, he was afraid that he would already have joined Kamui…"_

 _"Ellisk too? That reminds me… A few months ago, there was a civil war occurred in the Queendom of Riverbrine, and at the end… Nyxier…"_

 _"Right. Like Ellisk, Kamui, Sharon and Hawkins, Nyxier is already dead."_

" _This means that five of us have already fallen…"_

 _"…I am afraid to say that it isn't just five."_

 _"Pardon? Don't tell me that…"_

 _"… After hearing such grave news like this, I decided to check on the rest of us… And what I discovered… What nothing but news that empowers the grief within my heart…"_

 _"…"_

 _"… Joshua, Magnus and Leonel are all already dead."_

 _"!"_

 _"Like you, I was shocked when I learn that Joshua, Magnus and Leonel had already fallen too…"_

 _"… Joshua, Ellisk, Magnus, Leonel, Nyxier, Kamui, Sharon and Hawkins are all dead… And… Except for Sharon, all of them had fallen within these recent months… This isn't ordinary… There must be something behind this…"_

 _"It seems that we share the same thought, Hero of Justice."_

 _"So, this is why you summon me here, right, Iris?"_

 _"Exactly. Of fourteen of us, eight had already fallen, and only six remain right now, and two of six are you and me."_

 _"Zira is still in Solar Village. Fenrir is still in Shadowlost Territory."_

 _"And Garland is still in Dustorm Empire too."_

 _"Then… What about Tyrus?"_

 _"…That's also one of my concerns too, as right now, Tyrus is the only one of us that I haven't learned of his fate. I haven't known of his whereabouts for several years… After Nyxier became the queen of Queendom of Riverbrine. Is he still alive? Or has he already joined, with our fallen friends? I cannot fathom…"_

 _"…"_

 _"However, I'm having a much bigger concern right now, and it's the main reason why I summon you today."_

 _"And what is it?"_

 _"…The death of my beloved husband, Pontifex Hawkins Gale-norval the Lugia."_

 _"!"_

 _"Tell me, my dear friend, how much do you know about… his demise?"_

 _"Hm… The only thing I know is that he was killed in the desert of Dustorm Empire during his journey back from Garland's son's Succession Ceremony."_

 _"…This is as much as normal people would know…"_

 _"… Does that mean that you know more about Hawkins' death?"_

 _"Don't you see something strange about this, my friend?"_

 _"Something strange? Hm… Now that you mention it… As far as I know, Hawkins is a Lugia, which is, like you, Iris, a Legendary Pokemon. Unlike us an ordinary Pokemon, a Legendary Pokemon would stay powerful, even a millennium has passed, unlike me who will only become weaker after my prime year has passed. Also… Hawkins is one of the strongest among us…"_

 _"Exactly. It's not easy… Actually, it's VERY HARD to take down a powerful Pokemon like Hawkins, and we still haven't counted the fact that Hawkins was escorted by several finest soldiers of Theocracy of Venturnome yet, and all of those soldiers were, along with Hawkins, found as corpses alongside Hawkins' lifeless body too…"_

 _"And don't forget that he also carried the Blood of Legend as the Hero of Flying type within his veins too."_

 _"… Actually… My friend, I am sure that you don't know this, but by the time Hawkins was killed, his Power of Legend was already ceased to exist."_

 _"What does that mean?"_

 _"You know, Hawkins and I only have one child, and he is going to be the successor of my title as the Hero of Psychic type, not Hawkins' title as the Hero of Flying type, so someone else would succeed his title instead. However, Hawkins had sensed that that person was currently in Dustorm City of Dustorm Empire just before he left for Dustorm Empire, and he told me that he intended to give his Power of Legend, as well as his title as the Hero of Flying type, to that person during his visit to Dustorm Empire, and thus, with this, Hawkins wouldn't possess the Power of Legend after he had left Dustorm City… Which also includes his final moment."_

 _"But still… He is a Legendary Pokemon, and he was guarded by several soldiers."_

 _"Yes. With all of this, it's impossible for someone to kill Hawkins… Unless…"_

 _"Unless?"_

 _"… First, a single warrior whose power exceeds Hawkins would have a chance to defeat him… Such as… the one who carries the Blood of Legend in their veins."_

 _"That's impossible, Iris. There's no way that a Hero/ine of Legend would ever kill one of their kind."_

 _"… Hero of Justice, don't you remember the words that Fenrir always said to us?"_

 _"The story of living creature's existence is truly not fathomable? Sure, I remember, but still…"_

 _"…Then let's just leave it for now… Because… Other than a single but powerful warrior, there's yet another way to defeat Hawkins; a combination of several forces."_

 _"Do you mean… Several people cooperate in fighting Hawkins and his guards?"_

 _"Right. Regardless of how strong a single warrior is, if the number they have to face is beyond their power, there would always be a chance for them to fall into their death."_

 _"But Hawkins and those guards were killed in the desert of Dustorm Empire. In such an isolated place like that, the only group of several people that Hawkins had to deal with that I can think of is the group of bandit, which I doubt that they would be able to match Hawkins' might, and… The one that they have to deal with isn't just Hawkins. They have to deal with his professional soldiers too, so, unless it's a group that consists of more than a hundred people, I doubt they would be able to take down Hawkins and his soldiers. And even if that's true… A group that consists of over a hundred people going around the desert without being noticed… That's kind of out of the question..."_

 _"That's also what I was thinking."_

 _"Sigh… In the end, we still haven't learned anything…"_

 _"Yes, this thought was also mine too… Until I found this."_

 _"Hm?"_

 _"… When I discovered Hawkins' lifeless body in the middle of the Dustorm Desert, I carefully check his body in order to find as much clue as possible in order to investigate about his death, and this is what I found. Several of this was stuck on Hawkins' body."_

 _"Hm? This is… a scale?"_

 _"Yes, a brown scale."_

 _"Hm… This scale is rough and tough… I think it belongs to a reptilian Pokemon…"_

 _"And as you may know, Hawkins is a Lugia. He isn't a kind of Pokemon that has these scales cover his body, let alone brown scales. And none of those soldiers who accompany Hawkins is a kind of Pokemon who would have a scale-covered body too."_

 _"Hm… If this scale does belong to neither Hawkins nor those soldiers… Wait, could it be that this scale belongs to the one who murders Hawkins?"_

 _"There's a high possibility of your statement, my friend."_

 _"Then, first, we must find what kind of Pokemon this scale belongs to. If we discover this, it would be much easier to track down the murderer."_

 _"Yes, and I actually already did that."_

 _"Really? Tell me."_

 _"However, I couldn't identify which kind of Pokemon this scale belongs to due to lack of detail from just a couple scales, but at least, it's enough for me to say that this scale belongs to a Dragon type Pokemon."_

 _"A Dragon type Pokemon? Hm… I couldn't tell if this is good news or not… Sure, there are only handful Dragon type Pokemon on the continent of Symmetria, but since there are only handful Dragon type Pokemon, it won't be easy to track down them…"_

 _"Yes, and next…"_

 _"Hm? Isn't this the map of Dustorm Empire? And what's this red mark on the map? Is it the spot where Hawkins' lifeless body was found?"_

 _"Exactly."_

 _"Now that I have seen it… This spot located almost at the eastern edge of Dustorm Empire. It's just right beside the region of inaccessible valley to the east of Dustorm Empire. As far as I know, this spot is considered to be one of the most remote spots on the continent of Symmetria. This part of Dustorm Desert is also the harshest. There's not even a single settlement here because there's no hope for life to flourish there."_

 _"And because it's one of the most remote spots on the continent of Symmetria, Hawkins decided to choose this route for his journey because he had no wish to frighten the other Pokemon with his appearance. You know, Hawkins is a Lugia, and a Lugia's appearance is a bit scary for someone who has seen it for the first time…"_

 _"But again, being a remote route, it would be easy for someone to ambush them without being noticed by anyone, and thus there will be no witness of their action, making it becomes harder for us to investigate any further. Wait a minute… If someone was able to ambush Hawkins, they would have to know which route Hawkins would take during his journey…"_

 _"I know what you mean, Hero of Justice, but other than Hawkins and the soldiers who accompanies him, the only one that know about Hawkins' route is me, as we spoke about this in our private room, so it's impossible for someone to eavesdrop to us, and I doubt that Hawkins would tell anyone else about this."_

 _"So, this leave with only two choices, either the one who killed Hawkins was happening to be around there by any chance or they have run into him…"_

 _"'Was happening to be around there by any chance'? What would something doing in that place? The only thing around there was a scorching desert where life couldn't even hope to flourish and an inaccessible valley… Wait, the inaccessible valley…"_

 _"…Inaccessible Valley, the easternmost region of Dustorm Empire, and the 'Pole of Inaccessibility' of the continent of Symmetria, is known as the most enigmatic place on the continent of Symmetria, as it's completely inaccessible by any mean, except for the opening hole in the roofing of the mountain that formed above the whole area of this valley, which was always covered in a thick mist, which makes flying through it without crashing into the rock almost impossible."_

 _"…"_

 _"However, just before you came here, I did a little investigation at the inaccessible valley again and… At the mountain range that bordered Fireview Kingdom and the region of Inaccessible Valley, there was… a huge opening."_

 _"Are you sure?"_

 _"Without doubt. The last time I went there was a week before Hawkins' schedule to return from Dustorm Empire. I was passing there to visit Leonel, Nyxier and Fenrir, and I am sure that I haven't seen that big hole in the mountain range before."_

 _"… Without doubt, the one who killed Hawkins must try to take a refuge in that place. They think that they could escape from their guilt by hiding in a place, but they could never escape from the eyes of JUSTICE!"_

 _"Calm down, Hero of Justice. I know how you feel, but—"_

 _"There's no way for me to calm down, Iris. Right now, the injustice is trying to rule over the world again, and they even dare to murder the Hero of Legend who's the guardian of the World of Pokemon! I can't let them go unpunished. I must bring that scum of the world down to the way of justice!"_

 _"W… What had gotten into you?"_

 _"Iris, I will go and investigate that place immediately. Once I found that scum, I will bring him back to justice, and I swear that I will do it no matter what!"_

 _"Hold on a minute, friends. Don't you think that you are acting quite a bit too… impulsive?"_

 _"It doesn't matter! Iris, think about it. The one they killed, Hawkins Gale-norval the Lugia, is not only the former Hero of Legend, but he is also the Pontifex of Theocracy of Venturnome! The one who killed him didn't only get rid of the Hero of Legend, but they also did the regicide! This is absurd, and I won't tolerate this any further!"_

 _"What you say may be true, Hero of Justice, however, we still don't know if what we think is true or not. The one who killed Hawkins may not be hiding in the Inaccessible Valley, and even if what we think is true, we still don't know anything about the person who killed Hawkins and his soldiers, so going into their lair without any plan would be suicide!"_

 _"… Are you going to let the one who killed Hawkins go unpunished, Iris? Are you going to let the one who killed the former Hero of Legend, the Pontifex of Theocracy of Venturnome, and YOUR HUSBAND, go unpunished, Iris! Think, Iris!"_

 _"…"_

 _"But still, like you say, it's too risky if I go alone… So, I will need someone else to aid me… Iris, I want you to stay here and take care of things… if I happen to befall to the foul beast that plagues the world with injustice."_

 _"Hero of Justice!"_

 _"Of course, I won't let it happen. I will not let myself fall by the hand of injustice, but I will be the one who purges the world from the foul path of injustice in the name of justice!"_

 _"Wait, Hero of Justice, where are you going?! Wait, come back! Do not go! Come back, Rucas!"_

 _"…"_

 _"…"_

 _"…"_

 _"Sigh… What have I done? I thought that calling him here would be a way to solve this problem, but… Why did I feel… so bad? I feel like I have made a terrible mistake… that would cause a great pain… Oh… What should I do, Hawkins? If you are still here, what would you do? I… I don't know what to do anymore… All I can do right now... Is praying for your safety. Please be safe, Rucas."_

 **To Be Continued…**

* * *

 **Dragon of Vale: Again, sorry for another long hiatus, as I haven't fully recovered from the writer's block yet, but here Tail 6-6, which turns out to be one of the longest chapters that I have written, and it also contains some of the most important detail of this story too…**

 **Anyway, I still don't know how long before I would be able to finish the next chapter, but there's one thing that I am sure, and that's I will not abandon this story, not matter what, but how long until this story reaches its last chapter, I can't say…**


	57. Tail 6-7: The Last Tranquility

**A Dragon's Tail**

 **Tail 6: Baromyteus' Tail - Deception**

 **Tail 6-7: The Last Tranquility**

 _"Knock! Knock!"_

 _"Come in."_

 _"Greeting, President Voltson."_

 _"Thank you for coming today. Please, sit down."_

 _"…Thank you, president."_

 _"And… How are things in the Civilight Laboratory? I have heard that the explosion caused by Experiment Alpha was… quite extreme."_

 _"It could be worse if the wall of Experiment Alpha's Room isn't made from the strongest reinforced steel, so the overall damage done to the Civilight Laboratory is quite minimal. The only problematic part we have with this explosion is the hole that was caused by Experiment Alpha's rampant, making the explosion become noticeable for anyone who was in the Underground Tunnel by that time."_

 _"Yes. This is quite problematic, as the legion of Civilight Metropolitan Officer was on duty of chasing after the thieves who stole an old train from the Train Storage, so they were able to feel the explosion too. It was not easy to convince the inspector who led that legion that the explosion is nothing to worry about, but if we don't do this, the news of what happened in Civilight Laboratory would leak out, and then we won't be able to do anything about our mistake of letting a group of Pokemon trespassed into the most secured place in the Republic of Civilight, and then we will not be able to do anything about it, especially since we have already lost Experiment Alpha."_

 _"Yes. Losing Experiment Alpha is a great loss. If we still have it, it would be easy for us to get a hold of power within our grasp…"_

 _"By the way, is there any interesting news from other part of Symmetria?"_

 _"Yes. President, did you remember the news of Pontifex Hawkins' demise?"_

 _"Of , even without Pontifex Hawkins, Venturnome still has Archsage Iris, so I don't think that we can think less of the Nation of Light, at least until Archsage Iris is gone."_

 _"Exactly. However, according to our spy, Archsage Iris is still skeptical of Pontifex Hawkins' demise, and she even called the Hero of Justice to discuss on what to do about this."_

 _"Hero of Justice? The leader of the Hero of Legend who saved Symmetria from the Fallen Crisis 30 years ago, as well as… Hm… Now this is getting interesting… Now… Tell me more about him…"_

 _"Actually, we have just got a message from the Hero of Justice himself, sir."_

 _"A message from the Hero of Justice?"_

 _"Yes. Actually, it sounds more like his request."_

 _"Hm… Now this is getting more and more interesting. Now, pass me the message from the Hero of Justice."_

* * *

 **-Several Days Later…**

It had already been more than a week since a group of Pokemon from the world outside Valley of No Return had arrived in the Hidden Village of Dragon within the area that the 'outsider' called 'Inaccessible Valley'. This group of Pokemon consisted of Rachael Lustermist the Latias, Richard Lustermist the Latios, Zetarus Quakersand the Garchomp, Diego Pyrotorch the Mega Charizard X, Claura Pulsawhirl the Kingdra, Xavier Stormwing the Dragonite, Anastasia Wyrmscale the Goodra and Baromyteus Drawyvern the Shiny Haxorus, and they soon were joined by Freya Mirasert the Flygon, the young princess of Dustorm Empire and Zetarus' half sister, as well as the mysterious Pokemon in the form of an almost-identify Pokemon, who was still unconscious until now...

In the first night after their arrival to the Hidden Village of Dragon, there was a Village Meeting at the village's center square to declare the main intention of their visit, at least for the Kingdra and Dragonite, as their intention of visiting this village, unlike their other comrades, was to pass the request of the Dragonqueen for everyone in this village to move to the place where most Dragon type Pokemon called home, Kingdom of the Dragonking.

As expected, after hearing the request of the Dragonqueen, none of the Dragon type Pokemon in the Hidden Village of Dragon was able to immediately give their answer to the Kingdra and Dragonite, as they did not want to leave the very soil they called home, but again, being a dragon at both body and soul, they knew that living in the place where their kin called home would absolutely be a better choice…

In the end, as everyone thought, the dragons of this little hidden village asked for some times for them to make a decision about the Dragonqueen's request, so they welcomed the visitors from the outside world to stay with them in this village for some time, and everyone accepted.

Ten visitors from the world outside Valley of No Return were invited by Elder Baldr, the elder of Hidden Village of Dragon, to stay at his home, and they all accepted his kindness. However, staying at the home of the village elder with a warm food and warm bed everyday, all of them couldn't stand staying still without doing anything to repay the kindness that the Elder Baldr and everyone in this village showed them, so they decided to help the denizens of Hidden Village of Dragon in the way they could with the power they possessed.

"Whew! I think this is all we can harvest for today!" Rachael said as she put a basket of berries that she had just harvested from the field down and wiped her sweat.

"Thank you so much, Rachael. You are very good at cultivating!" An Alolan Exeggutor said as she walked toward the Latias with her tall figure.

"Aww… I just really want to help in what I can, and planting and harvesting are the only thing that I could do…" Rachael said with a meek voice after receiving a compliment from the Alolan Exeggutor.

Rachael Lustermist the Latias, being the adopted daughter of an owner of the berry farm in the Principality of Leafburg, had a passion for cultivating, so she used this trait as her advantage to help the people of the Hidden Village of Dragon by helping them in planting and harvesting the berries and other edible plants that were grown in the farm beside this village, and her assistant was appreciated by everyone in this village.

"Oh, look! The hunters have finally come back!" While Rachael was talking to the Alolan Exeggutor, another Dragon type Pokemon who helped them during the harvesting, which was a Hydreigon, said as he noticed a group of Dragon type Pokemon walking into the village. All of them carried several games they got from their hunt. Among them, the most standout of all hunters was the Garchomp who carried twice amount of game of other hunters.

"Oh! Zetarus is with them too! Over here, Zeta—EEEAAWW!" Rachael said as she quickly approached the Garchomp when she noticed the presence of the blood-soaked corpses that the Garchomp was carrying, and she couldn't stop herself from screaming out.

"Geez…" Zetarus mumbled as he heard Rachael's scream. "Rachael, you don't have to shout like that, especially after all the trouble I did to catch these things…"

"Put that thing away from me!" Rachael said and closed her eyes.

"Why?" Zetarus spoke with a crafty voice. "It's just a bunch of today's game. Wanna see them a bit closer?"

"No!" Rachael quickly got away from the Garchomp as he tried to show her his games.

"Come on, Rachael!" Zetarus said as he approached the Latias. "The very meat I am holding is the very meat you will be eating this night, so what's the deal with seeing it a bit sooner?"

"EAAH!" Rachael started screaming again.

Zetarus Quakersand the Garchomp, while having a very little experience in the common things due to his past as the prisoner of the Dustorm Empire, was very skilled in hunting, and he also loved to shoot thing with his weapon, so he chose to go hunting with other hunters of this village. While he didn't speak much of how good his hunting skill was, the amount of game that they got after hunting drastically increased after the Garchomp had joined a hunt.

"… That's enough, Zetarus."

Before Zetarus could reach Rachael, a cold and sharp voice was heard by both of them, and the owner of that voice was none other than a Latios who stood not too far from both of them. He was holding several books in his paw.

"Onii-chan!" Rachael said with a relieved voice and quickly approached him. "Did you finish your work already?"

"Yes." Richard nodded. "Today's class went smoothly, and everyone paid their full attention to my lesson… Which is a good thing."

"Aww… That's so cute, Richard." Zetarus said as he approached both Latios and Latias. "But why did you have to be such a cxxxxxxxxr to me?"

"…If I were you, I would either go and give those games to the chef or put them into the underground storage to preserve them from being rotten by the heat of the air." Richard said with a cold voice, but if listened closely, one could hear that his voice was a bit shaking.

"…Well, since I don't understand anything you say, why don't you do it for me instead?" Zetarus said with a crafty voice.

"Wait, wha—"

"Catch!" Zetarus said as he suddenly threw one of his game at the Latios!

"!"

"Onii-chan!" Rachael cried.

Richard Lustermist the Latios, having a frail body, was no good at doing a physical labor as he would always collapse after a few minutes of hard work, but because of the vast amount of knowledge he had, both from the Chronicle he possessed and his experience in the Republic of Civilight, he decided to use his knowledge as a 'drink' to satisfy the 'thirst' of knowledge of the children of the Hidden Village of Dragon about the world outside Valley of No Return, as well as the history of the World of Pokemon.

"Hm? Hey, Richard, it isn't nice to sleep in the field like this!" Zetarus spoke as if he didn't do anything wrong after seeing that Richard had collapsed onto the ground after he threw one of his games at the Latios. "Come on, get up! And why didn't you catch my game I threw? And why does your face as pale as bone like that?"

"Zetarus! Stop teasing Onii-chan like that!" Rachael scolded the Garchomp before quickly grabbed a bottle of healing potion and gave it to her brother. "Here, Onii-chan, drink this and you would feel better…"

"T… Thanks, Rachael…" Richard spoke with a shaking voice as he grabbed a bottle of healing potion from his sister and drank it.

"There, are you alright, Onii-chan?" Rachael asked after her brother drank the healing potion.

"I… I think I would go back to Elder Baldr's house and get some rest…" Richard answered as he handed over the empty bottle back to Rachael and stood up.

"Then, I will go with you too, as I have to put away these games, and I don't care if you want me to come with you or not." Zetarus said.

"Fine, Zetarus, but no harm done to Onii-chan and me, okay?" Rachael said.

"Whatever, but could we stop by the forge to pick up Diego?" Zetarus said.

"The forge? That's Dimitri's house, right? Then it's okay as it's along the path to Elder Baldr's house." Richard nodded to the Garchomp

"Okay, then… Let's go." Zetarus said before he started walking from the field into the urban area of the village, with the Latios and Latias following him.

* * *

 **-A Few Minutes Later…**

"Oh! Claura! Over here!"

While walking toward the center square of the village, Rachael, Zetarus and Richard ran into a female Kingdra who was also walking toward the center square too, and she was none other than Claura.

"Hm? Well… If it isn't Rachael, as well as Zetarus and Richard." Claura greeted as she saw the Latias, Latios and Garchomp walking up to her.

"Have you finish your work yet, Claura?" Rachael asked.

"Right. Today's work wasn't as hard as yesterday's, so I finished it a bit early." Claura answered.

Claura Pulsawhirl the Kingdra, the water dragon from Kingdom of the Dragonking, had a good skill in all kinds of work, so she usually helped out with different work around the village depends on the need of each work. Sometimes, she would go hunting with Zetarus or help Rachael in the field, and for today…

"But I remember that you went to help with training at the Battle Ground with Baromyteus, right? If you are here, what about him?" Rachael continued asking the Kingdra.

"That Dragon Jerky? Usual." Claura answered with a hint of displeasure after she heard the name Baromyteus.

"Sigh…" Richard sighed. "You know what, Claura? You and Baromyteus sound like a married couple every time each of you mentions each other."

"WE ARE NOT MARRIED COUPLE!" Claura suddenly burst out the words of anger after she heard the Latios' words.

"Woah! Hey, calm down, Claura, or your voice are gonna ruin my fine game!" Zetarus said.

"Sigh… Just get those games out of here, Zetarus. And Richard, you sound just like Xavier, which I don't appreciate, and if you keep going, you may lose one or two of your teeth." Claura said.

"…" Richard said nothing in response.

"What did Claura mean, Claura? I don't understand…" Rachael said with an innocent voice. "Wait, Onii-chan, don't tell me that you have been secretly eating candy without sharing with me?! You meanie!"

"… What? Of course not, Rachael." Richard answered.

"Hmp! Just don't EVER do anything like that, okay?" Rachael said and pouted at her brother.

"Fine." Richard sighed.

"Hey, can we go now? The forge is just up ahead." Zetarus spoke up.

"Okay! Claura, do you want to come with us? We are going to the forge to pick up Diego before going back to Elder Baldr's house." Rachael turned her attention to the Kingdra and invited her to come with them.

"Hm? Well, I don't have any better thing to do right now, so I guess I will." Claura answered.

"Yay! Let's go, everyone!" Rachael said with a cheerful voice as she and everyone continued walking toward the forge.

* * *

 **-A Few Minutes Later…**

"Knock! Knock!"

"Sorry, we are clos— Hm? Rachael? And Zetarus, Richard and Claura too?"

After a few minutes of walking, a group of four dragons had finally reached the forge of Hidden Village of Dragon. This was the place where the weapons used by the denizens of this village were forged, as the owner of this forge was the best blacksmith in this village, and apparently, one of their friends was working here too.

"Hi, Diego!" Rachael said.

"Geez…" Diego mumbled. He was holding a hammer in his paw, and his body was covered in sweat after a long day of work. "Why are all of you here at all time?"

"Zetarus suggested that we came here to pick you up." Richard answered. "If I remember correctly, the forge already closed at this hour, so you are already finished with your work, right?"

"Yeah, I just finished cleaning up today's mess." Diego said. "Today's work is hard, but I managed it thought."

Diego Novaflare the Mega Charizard X, the former Gladiator of Brawl Arena, had been proving his skill of forging weapons several times during his journey, so he chose to work as the assistant of the blacksmith of this village, where he could learn about forging weapons from the blacksmith. So far, he was doing a great job.

Also, the blacksmith of this village happened to be none other than…

"DIEGO!"

A loud voice suddenly came out of the inner area of the forge while Diego was chatting with his friends, following by the appearance of a tall and muscular Haxorus, who was none other than the blacksmith.

"Sigh… What is it this time, Damos?" Diego turned his attention to the Haxorus.

"Where is my hammer, you dumbass!" The Haxorus roared as he approached the Mega Charizard X.

"…" Diego didn't say anything. Instead, he just tossed the hammer he was holding to the Haxorus, which almost made the blacksmith burst out with anger.

"YOU MORON!" The Haxorus roared before he quickly grabbed the hammer that was thrown by the Mega Charizard X. "HOW DARE YOU THROW THAT HAMMER AT ME?! A BLACKSMITH NEEDS TO TAKE A GOOD CARE OF THEIR TOOL, NOT USING THEIR TOOL LIKE SOME SORT OF TOY!"

"AND HOW ABOUT YOU SHUT UP YOU OVERGROWN AXE-FACE?!" Diego roared.

"WHAT?! HOW DARE YOU CALL ME WITH SUCH A NAME LIKE THAT YOU LIZARD-IN-A-BLUE-BUCKET?!" The Haxorus roared back at the Mega Charizard X.

The Haxorus and the Mega Charizard X continued their argument for several minutes, leaving four other Pokemon watching them in awe.

"Sigh…" Claura sighed. "A fiery fighter meets a fiery blacksmith… This always happens every time I came here…"

"Every time?!" Rachael seemed to be surprised after hearing the words from the Kingdra. "T… This is bad!"

"Oh, don't worry about them." Zetarus spoke up. "Diego and that blacksmith… Err… What was his name again?"

"… **Damos Drawyvern the Haxorus**." Richard mumbled.

"Right, Damos." Zetarus nodded to Richard's words. "They always quarrel with each other over such a small trivia like this… Well… After all, that Damos is the father of—"

"Are you finish yet?" Damos' voice turned the attention of everyone to him instead.

"Yeah." Diego said. "I am finished for today."

"Good." Damos said before he walked back to the shelf that stores several weapons he had just forged, and then picked one and walked back to Diego. "Now, take these and give them back to that walking armor suit."

"Why don't you just give it back to him instead of burden other with your personal chore?" Diego asked with a sarcastic voice.

"So, you are too heartless to do this chore? Fine." Damos the Haxorus said and walked up to Rachael, Richard, Zetarus and Claura, who were standing at the entrance of the forge. "You all are the friends of that Baromyteus guy, right? Can you all give these weapons back to him?" Damos asked with a softer voice he used when he spoke with Diego.

"Of course!" Rachael said with a cheerful voice.

"Hm! Thank you so much." Damos said before giving the weapons he was holding to Rachael. As the Latias received them from the Haxorus, she realized that these weapons were none other than…

"Hey? Aren't these swords Baromyteus' Dragon Horn Swords?" Rachael asked after seeing the swords that were just given to her. "Did he ask you to upgrade them, Damos?"

"Of course not." Damos answered. "I just did it as a thank for taking a good care of my son, that's all."

Everyone nodded to the blacksmith's words. After all, everything he said was absolutely the truth.

"Then, if you would excuse us, we would take our leave right now." Richard said. "Have a good evening, sir."

"Hm, good evening." Damos said before he disappeared into the deeper part of the forge, and Rachael, Richard, Zetarus, Diego and Claura left the forge.

"And now, we will have to do another stupid errant…" Diego mumbled. "Does anyone know where that black dragon would be right now?"

"I guess that dragon jerky would still be at the training ground." Claura answered.

"Good." Diego said. "Let's get this over with."

* * *

 **-A Few Minutes Later…**

"So, this is the training ground?" Richard asked as he and his friends now stood in front of a large building at the outskirt area of the village. From its outside appearance, it could be seen that this was the place where several warriors would train together to become stronger.

"Right." Claura gave the Latios a short answer.

"I think I heard the sound of someone inside this place." Diego said. "This sound… It reminded me a lot of the time when I was in the arena."

"Oh, you were in the arena?" Claura turned her attention to the Mega Charizard X.

"Yes. I was once a gladiator in the Brawl Arena in the Fireview Kingdom." Diego answered. "And the sound I heard coming from inside this building… It reminded me of a fight-to-the-death in the arena."

"Oh, no!" Rachael said. "Does that mean that—"

"Oh, cut it out." Claura said. "Despite everything that might happen, nothing wrong would happen in here, trust me."

As she finished speaking, Claura opened the door of the building and led four other Pokemon into the training ground. As they stepped into this place, they immediately realized that there was no one else in this place as everybody had already left, except for two Pokemon.

"YAHHH!"

"CLANK!"

"GRAAAAA!"

"SHIINKKK!"

"ARRRG!"

"HMMM!"

The sound of blades clashing and the battle roar came from the only two Pokemon who were still in this place. They were fighting against each other with much ferocity as if they held a great grudge against each other for over a thousand years.

"TAKE THIS YOU BASTARD!"

"DO YOU THINK YOU CAN BEAT ME, THINK AGAIN, CHUMP!"

Two Pokemon who were fighting against each other were a male Fraxure, who was one of the denizens of this village, and a Pokemon of an unknown specie in a black armor suit. However, Rachael, Richard, Zetarus, Diego and Claura all knew that this Pokemon was the male Shiny Haxorus, as well as one of the Pokemon who came to this village along with them.

"Those are Baromyteus and Dimitri!" Rachael said. "Oh, no! It seems like they are trying to kill each other! We have to stop them!"

"Oh, don't sweat it." Claura said. "That's just them training with each other."

"Training?! Are you sure, Claura?!" Rachael said. "They look like they want to kill each other instead of train with each other!"

"That's normal for both of them." Claura said. "Look, if you see closely, you could see that none of them bleed. It's because the swords they were using for this training don't have any blade, so they wouldn't get hurt very much during this training, especially since both of them seem to be an exceptional fighter."

"And look." Richard spoke up. "I think both of them had already done their training."

Everyone turned their attention to the Pokemon in the black armor suit and the Fraxure after hearing the Latios' words and saw that both of them had already stopped fighting with each other, and they were now holding their paw with each other.

"Nice battle today, kid." Baromyteus said.

"Hm! That's all you got, big guy?" Dimitri said.

"I guess so." Baromyteus said. "I am not a trained knight or paladin. I am just a savage beast who fights by following my instinct."

"Same as me." Dimitri said. "I don't need any code or law of battle. All I need is my weapon and my claws to slice and kill and—"

"…Um… You guys?"

A voice of someone interrupted Baromyteus and Dimitri's conversation, which made them immediately turned their attention to the source of the voice and saw five Pokemon walking up to them.

"Good evening, Baromyteus, Dimitri." Diego greeted. "Hope that we didn't interrupt anything, did we?"

"Yes, you did." Baromyteus and Dimitri gave out the same answer at the same time.

"Sigh…" Richard sighed. "Anyway, Baromyteus, how was your work today?"

"Decent, I guess…" Baromyteus answered. "But I still don't understand… Why would they want me to train everyone here? I am a savage beast, not a kindergarten teacher!"

Baromyteus Drawyvern the Shiny Haxorus, a mysterious dragon who always wore a black and sinister armor suit that made him look like some sort of the demon from the underworld to conceal his body, his identity and his story, was a ferocious fighter who fought like a savage beast, even more savage than the former prisoner and gladiator like Zetarus and Diego, was asked by the others to train the youngster of the Hidden Village of Dragon, which he reluctantly accepted.

However, because of his ferocity in the battle, most of the warriors who trained with him couldn't withstand his power, so some other Pokemon, such as Claura, had to assist the black dragon in his training instead. However, there's yet one warrior from this village who could withstand the black dragon's wrath and fought him with as much ferocity as he had, and that dragon was none other than…

"Kindergarten?!" Dimitri said with an unpleasant voice after hearing Baromyteus' words. "I am sorry, big guy, but, for your information, I am already 18, so I think I am FAR from being a kindergarten."

"You are 18?!" Rachael said. "Wow! Then you are older than both Onii-chan and I! I couldn't believe it!"

"How old are you, girl?" Zetarus asked.

"What?!" Rachael pouted at the Garchomp. "Zetarus, you meanie!"

"…What?" Zetarus seemed to be confused after Rachael suddenly became angry and pouted at him. "What happened to her? Did she suddenly in h—"

"Sigh…" Richard quickly interrupted Zetarus' words. "For starter, it's rude to ask a girl about their age, as the woman doesn't like having someone asking for their own age—"

"Oh, you think so, nerd?!" Claura suddenly turned her attention to the Latios. "Do you think that you are a bit rude by stereotyping all women, hm?!"

"…" Richard said nothing after hearing Claura's words.

"…Enough annoying chitchat." Baromyteus spoke up. "Tell me, why are all of you here?"

"Oh, here! Damos asked us to give these back to you." Rachael said as she handed over Baromyteus' weapon back to their owner.

"Hm! Finally!" Baromyteus mumbled as he received the swords back from the Latias. He then pulled them out of their scabbard and carefully examined it.

"Well… What do you think about them?" Diego asked.

"… The blades are a lot sharper, and also lighter." Baromyteus answered. "Good, because it would fit my battle style much better. Alright, I am counting on you from now on, my Dragon Claw Swords."

"Of course, it would be good." Dimitri said. "After all, my father is the best blacksmith in this village."

"And I must accept that it's true." Baromyteus said. "But since I now have the upgraded weapons, I need something to test how good they are. Kid, do you want to be the first person who died by my blades?"

"Ha! As if you can!" Dimitri said.

"Sigh…" Richard mumbled as he saw Baromyteus and Dimitri started another conversation with each other. "There they go again."

"Right…" Rachael said with a concerned voice. "They always speak as if they really want to kill each other."

"But I think they are quite… cute." Diego said. "From my point of view, I think Baromyteus and Dimitri, somehow, look like a father and a son."

"A father and a son?! Pfff…" Claura mumbled and let out a sarcastic laugh.

"I agree with you Diego." Zetarus said. "It sure seems like a good family… With Papa Baromyteus, little Dimitri and Mama Claura—"

"DIEEEE!"

"ARRGGG!"

Before Zetarus was able to finish his words, Baromyteus, Dimitri and Claura suddenly shifted their attention to him and started ganging up on him, which continued for over five minutes before the three Pokemon finally left the Garchomp in a very poor condition.

"Remember this, you bastard." Claura, Baromyteus and Dimitri spoke up at the same time. "DO. NOT. SAY. THAT. SXXT. AGAIN. EVER.!"

"Arrrr…." Zetarus was unable to say anything due to the condition he was in right now.

And then…

"Oh, no! Brother!"

A cute and sweet voice came from someone who had just entered the training ground. She, along with another Pokemon, who was a male Hakamo-o, then quickly ran up to the unconscious Garchomp. "B… Brother! W… What happened?! Why are y…you in such a condition l…like this?!"

"Princess Freya?!" Rachael said after seeing the Pokemon who approached the Garchomp, who was none other than the youngest princess of the Dustorm Empire, as well as Zetarus' younger sister.

"H… Hang in there, brother!" Freya said before she reached her paw forward and closed her eyes, making a refreshing aura of healing started flowing from her body to the Garchomp's body. After a few seconds, the Garchomp regained his consciousness!

"F… Freya?" Zetarus spoke after seeing the female Flygon in front of him.

"O… Oh, I am glad that you are alright, brother." Freya said. "I was so worried when I saw you in such a poor condition… B… But… What happened to you, brother?"

"Err…. Nothing, I guess." Zetarus decided not to say anything about the incident that happened just before Freya arrived. "Anyway, Freya, why are you here? I thought that you would be in Elder Baldr's house."

Freya Mirasert the Flygon, the youngest princess of Dustorm Empire, didn't act like the princess even a bit, as she acted more like a servant who served the royal, not the real princess. That's why she chose to stay at Elder Baldr's house and took care of the chore of that place, as well as taking care of Elder Baldr.

"I… I came here with Korben." Freya said, making everyone turned their attention to the Pokemon who came into the training ground with the Flygon, who was none other than Korben the Hakamo-o.

"Nice to see you here, Korben." Dimitri greeted.

"Good evening, Dimitri." The Hakamo-o greeted before he turned his attention to the Pokemon in the black armor suit. "Um… Excuse me, Baromyteus…"

"…" Baromyteus pretended not to notice the young Hakamo-o by focusing his attention at his Dragon Claw Swords instead.

"Have you finished training with Dimitri yet?" Korben continued asking. "Can you train with me next?"

"No." Baromyteus quickly gave him the short answer.

"What?!" Korben said. "Why? Why do you always refuse to train with me?!"

"Because I don't want to." Baromyteus answered.

"That's not all!" Korben said. "You always train with everyone, especially Dimitri, but you always refuse to train with me, and I don't understand!"

"… If you came here just to ask some stupid question, fxxk off." Baromyteus said.

"Wha—" Korben was about to say something, however, his words were cut off by the voice of another Pokemon.

"Sigh… If you all want to waste your time that much, at least go back to Elder Baldr's house first."

The owner of the voice was another Pokemon who had just entered this training hall, and he was now walking up to everyone. It didn't take long for everyone to recognize who he was.

"Sigh… What's it this time, Xavier?" Claura said as she saw the Dragonite walking up to her, and this Dragonite was none other than her cousin. "Aren't you support to take care of Elder Baldr today?"

Xavier Stormwing the Dragonite, the sky dragon from Kingdom of the Dragonking, also had a good skill in all kinds of work, but because of his laziness, he always chose to do the chore that required less physical labor or the indoor work so that he would always have a time for a nap. However, despite his laziness, every work he did was flawless, so no one complained about his laziness.

"Yes, of course." Xavier said and released a yawn from his mouth. "But there's something that you would want to see at Elder Baldr's house right now."

"And what would that be?" Richard asked.

* * *

 **-A Few Minutes Later…**

"BANG!"

The door of Elder Baldr's house suddenly opened when a group of ten dragons suddenly barged in. They then were greeted by a female Goodra who was in this house, and this Goodra was none other than the younger sister of Baromyteus.

"Welcome back, everyone." Anastasia greeted as everyone entered the house.

Anastasia Wyrmscale the Goodra, while she was not very good at the physical labor due to her frail body, was a great caretaker, so she usually stayed at Elder Baldr's house and, along with Freya, took care of the house, as well as cook for everyone, but not this time…

"Anastasia, is it true?" Baromyteus asked as he and everyone stepped into the house. "Is it true that…"

"…" Anastasia said nothing as she slowly turned her attention toward the kitchen of the house, revealing that someone was there.

"…Oh." As he saw a group of ten Pokemon that had just entered this house, he then quickly left the kitchen to greet them. "Welcome back, everyone. Would you like some of my finest drink in order to quench your thirst after a long day of work?"

The appearance of this new Pokemon gave a huge surprise to everyone else in this room. Normally, everyone who had seen this Pokemon for the first time would be surprised as this Pokemon possessed a very strange appearance that matched none of the existing Pokemon, but for everyone in this room, they were surprised because, as far as they knew, this Pokemon had been unconscious for more than a week!

"S… Snow?!" Korben said as he had his attention focused at the Lapras with a draconic appearance in front of him.

"Ah, you must be Korben Forcenter the Hakamo-o." The Draconic Lapras said and bowed at him. "Elder Baldr told me everything about you, that you were the one who saved my life, and I am forever in your debt."

"And I am glad to see that you have finally recovered." Korben said. "But… Shouldn't you stay in your bed for a bit longer since you have just recovered today."

"Thank you for your concern, Korben, but I assure you that I am perfectly fine right now." The Draconic Lapras assured the Hakamo-o. "Moreover, I really want to repay you for your kindness, Korben."

"Well… If you want to, then I won't stop you." Korben said. "By the way, Snow Tundrafrost…"

"Snow Tundrafrost?" The Draconic Lapras said. "Is that… my name?"

"!" Everyone was shocked after hearing the words of the Draconic Lapras, as it could be interpreted as…

"You… can't remember your own name?" Rachael said. "T… Then, you can't remember anything about yourself?!"

"No…" The Draconic Lapras said. "I can't remember who am I, as well as what happened in my past before I regained my consciousness here and why did I possess such an… unnatural appearance like this."

"Y… You lost your memory?!" Dimitri said.

"Sadly, yes." The Draconic Lapras said. "But… Did you just call me by the name 'Snow'? I felt that… it's my real name…"

"…" Everyone said nothing after hearing the Lapras' words.

"By the way, if I may…" The Draconic Lapras continued speaking. "Since you know my real name, perhaps you all can tell me about my past life? Please?"

"Well… Actually, other than your name, I don't know anything else about you, Snow." Korben said. "And the one who recognized your name are these two."

As he finished speaking, Korben made a gesture toward Baromyteus and Anastasia. However, upon seeing the black dragon in the black armor suit, the Draconic Lapras' eyes suddenly widened in fear!

"W… Well… I…" Snow said. "I… Is anyone hungry right now? I will prepare my finest cuisine for all of you right now."

"Well… Now that I think about it… I am hungry too." Diego said.

"Then I will prepare the cuisine for everyone." Snow said.

"Oh, and you can use this." Zetarus said and handed over the games he got from today's hunt to the Lapras.

"And this too!" Rachael said and gave Snow a basket of berries that she harvested today to the Draconic Lapras.

"Thank you, everyone." Snow said as he received the games and basket of berries from Zetarus and Rachael respectively. "Now if you would excuse me…"

After finished speaking, Snow quickly walked passed Anastasia without saying anything and went back into the kitchen.

"…What a tragic Lapras…" Freya said. "His past life must be very cruel…"

"Right…" Richard said. "But why did he act so fluster when he saw Baromyteus?"

"Sigh… That's what an ordinary Pokemon does when he saw me for the first time." Baromyteus said.

"But he seemed to be very scared of you, Baromyteus." Richard said. "It's as if you are among the things he feared most. Moreover, he completely ignored Anastasia. I wonder what happened to him before he came to this place."

"Whatever…" Zetarus said. "But now, like Diego, I am hungry too."

"So, w… while Snow prepared our dinner, I will p… prepare the table s…so that we would have dinner together." Freya said.  
"Anyway, Dimitri…" Korben turned his attention to his Fraxure friend. "The dinner's on the line. Would you like to join us tonight?"

"Sadly, no." Dimitri said. "I must go back to the forge, or else my old man would burst his anger at me again."

"Well then, see you tomorrow, Dimitri." Korben said.

"See you soon too, Korben." Dimitri said before he turned his attention to Baromyteus. "Later, big guy."

"Same, kid." Baromyteus said as Dimitri left Elder Baldr's house.

* * *

 **-Later, that night, in Rachael and Richard's room…**

"Whew! I am full!"

Rachael said as she sat down on the bed after dinner made by Snow was over. She was now relaxing in her room along with her elder brother.

"Tonight's meal is so yummy! I have never eaten anything this delicious before!"

"Agreed." Richard said while his attention was still focused at the Chronicle of Darkside in his paw. "Despite that we have never eaten anything luxurious before, Snow's food is definitely the food that would be served in the five-star restaurant."

"Yes…" Rachael said. "But the ingredient he used to make tonight's meal is just the games that Zetarus hunted and the berries I picked today. He didn't even use anything luxurious or expensive!"

"Rachael, something of high-quality doesn't have to be expensive." Richard said. "The meat and the berries he used are very fresh because they had just come out of the wilderness, and as he claimed, Snow seemed to be a very talented chef. That's why his food was very delicious."

"I see…" Rachael said. "Actually, not only Snow's food, but this week is so amazing! I loved everything about this village! I loved planting and harvesting berries here, and everyone was so nice to us!"

"Hm… For me, it's nice to have someone who would willingly listen to my words for several hours without getting bored…" Richard said.

"…Onii-chan…" Rachael continued speaking. "Did you remember the proposal that Claura and Xavier gave everyone here?"

"Hm? Yes, of course."

"Well…" Rachael continued speaking. "What if… Everyone here decided to stay here and not moving to Kingdom of the Dragonking? Perhaps… We could… continue staying here…"

"Hm?!" Richard turned his attention from the Chronicle of Darkside he was reading to his younger sister. "You think so?!"

"What?" Rachael looked at her elder brother. "You too?"

"Well… You know…" Richard continued speaking. "Since both of us are Pokemon, not human, there's no reason to return to that filthy world, so we should stay in this world for the rest of our lives. However, as we travelled through this continent, I couldn't see anything place that we could call home… Except this place."

"…" Rachael said nothing.

"Perhaps because we are orphans, so we yearn to have a place to call home." Richard continued speaking. "However, the home for us must be a place we can live happily without any harm. Since this village is located in the inaccessible valley, there's no worried of the harm from the world outside this valley. And we can continue doing the thing we love in this place too… So, in my opinion, this village… is our ideal home."

"Me too, Onii-chan." Rachael said. "I could say that… this is the place we could call home… for the rest of our lives…"

"…" Richard said nothing.

"…" Rachael said nothing.

"… It's getting late, Rachael." Richard broke the silence. "Let's call it a day and go to bed—Oops!" Richard was about to stand up and moved up to his bed when he realized that he had dropped something on the floor.

"Silly me…" Richard mumbled and was about to reach his paw toward the thing he dropped on the floor when he suddenly stopped moving.

"Onii-chan, what's wrong?" Rachael moved up to where her brother was and realized that he was having his full attention at the object on the floor, which was a thick yellow file that she had seen before somewhere… Which she soon realized after seeing the words that were written on the cover of this file.

"Onii-chan…" Rachael spoke slowly. "Is this…"

"…" Richard didn't say anything.

"… Now that I think about…" Rachael suddenly became sad. "…Onii-chan, what should we do about…"

"…For now, there's nothing that we can do…" Richard said. "But… Someday…"

* * *

 **-Meanwhile, in Zetarus and Diego's room…**

"BLARRGGG!"

"Zetarus, you fxxxxxg bustard!" Diego roared at Zetarus after the Garchomp let out a loud belch.

"Why not, Diego?" Zetarus said as he laid on the bed. "Man, tonight's meal is so good that I could eat a lot more!"

"True." Diego said. "It's such a perfect meal after a long day of work."

"Work?" Zetarus said. "For me, I wouldn't call it a work. I would call it… A vacation. You know, wake up, eat breakfast, go out and kill everything I see, eat lunch, continue killing, eat dinner, sleep. I couldn't ask for a better life than this!"

"Hey…" Diego looked at the Garchomp. "Don't tell me that you forgot about your task already?"

"Of course not." Zetarus said. "Soon, I will go back to the Desert Palace and kill that bastard emperor, but for now, I could use a little relaxation."

"…Hey, Zetarus." Diego asked. "After killing Emperor Garland, what would you do next?"

"Hm?" Zetarus got up from the bed and looked at the Mega Charizard X. "What's with this sudden question?"

"You know what I mean, Zetarus." Diego continued speaking. "After killing that jerk at the Fireview Volcano, I start to wonder what I should do next. Of course, I will accompany you and help you until you kill Emperor Garland, but what about after that?"

"Hm… For me, I haven't thought about that much." Zetarus said. "Because I have to pay for my action of killing Emperor Garland with my life…"

"Seriously?" Diego said. "Zetarus, I have known this since the first day I met you that you aren't pathetic, so I am sure that you wouldn't meet such a pathetic death like that. You know, if I think that you are pathetic, I would slay you since the day we met each other, so the reason why you are still alive right now is the proof that you are at least decent."

"Heh… I think I should feel better after your 'encouragement' after all." Zetarus said. "Well, then, I think I may resume my life as a wandering outlaw in the desert of Dustorm…"

"And won't you return to your status as the prince of Dustorm Empire?" Diego asked.

"The answer of this question is the same answer as the question 'Won't you return to your status as the crown prince of Fireview Kingdom', Diego." Zetarus said. "I have already abandoned my birthright as the prince of Dustorm Empire, and I am not going back for sure."

"…" Diego said nothing after hearing Zetarus' words.

"Well, that's me." Zetarus said. "Let me return your question, Diego. After I killed Emperor Garland, what would you do next?"

"I probably do the same thing as you." Diego answered. "After all, all I know is killing people."

"Then—" Zetarus was about to say something, but he was interrupted by the sound of door knocking.

"Knock! Knock! Knock!"

"Come in!" Zetarus said.

After Zetarus finished speaking, the door of this room opened, revealing that the Pokemon who knocked the door was none other than…

"Freya?" Zetarus said. "What are you doing here this late? It's already past your bed time."

"U…Um… Zetarus?" Freya said as she flew into the room. "I am s…sorry, but I don't have a bed time."

"Oh, really?" Zetarus said. "So, then… What bring you here, Freya?"

"W… Well…" Freya spoke. "I… It's nothing important. I… I just want to have a little chat with you two… Just like when we travelled together from the Windsky Village to Dustorm City."

"…Hm…" Zetarus looked at Freya. "Freya, are you lonely?"

"W… What?!" Freya was surprised after Zetarus suddenly asked her a question.

"Tell me the truth, are you lonely?" Zetarus said. "I know that stuck here with me must make you lonely. I guess you must miss Terrus and others, right?"

"N… No! Of course not!" Freya said. "E… Everyone here is so nice to me, just like everyone in the Windsky Village. I… I just want to know more of both of y… you. S… Since… We may not have any chance to know more of each others… after we left this place."

Zetarus nodded to Freya's words, as he truly understood the meaning of the last part of her sentence... Which was the thing he intended to let it be.

"… Fair enough." Zetarus said. "Tell me, what do you want to know about me, my sister?"

* * *

 **-Meanwhile… In Claura and Xavier's room…**

"Whew… Another day is over…" Claura mumbled as she sat down on the bed.

"You spoke just like an old woman, Claura." Xavier said while lying on the bed.

"Yeah, yeah, knock it off." Claura decided to ignore her cousin's sarcasm.

"Heh…" Xavier looked at his cousin. "Claura, you seem to be more… casual than usual. Did something good happen to you recently?"

"What? Nothing." Claura answered.

"…Did Baromyteus confess his love to you—" Xavier continued speaking, but his words were cut off by a pillow that was thrown by an angry Kingdra, which the Dragonite could easily dodge.

"XAVIER!" Claura roared at the Dragonite.

"That's better…" Xavier said. "This attitude suits you a lot better, Claura."

"Hm!" Claura grumbled as she sat down on the bed again. "Whatever! I am going to bed now! We still have a lot to do tomorrow!"

"A lot?" Xavier said. "What are you talking about? Tomorrow is the Rest Day, a single day of the week that everyone would stop working and use the entire day for relaxation."

"Really?" Claura said. "Who told you that?"

"Elder Baldr himself." Xavier said.

"Fine, whatever." Claura said. "However, despite that we don't have the village's work to do tomorrow, we still have our mission."

"But none of the villagers have already given us the answer." Xavier said. "I guess we would have to wait a bit longer."

"Ugh! This is so frustrating!" Claura said. "How long must we wait until they give us the answer?"

"…" Xavier said nothing.

"Whatever!" Claura said. "If they still refuse to give us the answer, then I will stay here until they give in the answer of the Dragonqueen's request!"

"… And then you will have to stay here for the rest of your life." Xavier said.

"… What do you mean by that?" Claura turned her attention to her cousin.

"Can't you see through their action?" Xavier said. "They already gave us the answer since the day we came to this village."

"I don't understand your words, Xavier." Claura said. "All they did for the first day we came to this village was saying that they need to think about the Dragonqueen's request and invited us to stay in this peaceful village—"

"!" Claura's eyes widened, as she had just realized something while speaking her own words.

"You already understand that, didn't you?" Xavier said. "None of the denizen of the Hidden Village of Dragon wants to leave this place, as they already enjoy their isolate but quiet and peaceful life here, but they wouldn't dare to refuse the request of the Dragonqueen, so they made us staying here in order to realize what they are thinking, in hope that we would soon understand what they think, and we would finally leave them here."

"…So…" Claura said. "Our mission… is failed, right?"

"I think not." Xavier said. "The Dragonqueen said that she would respect the decision of everyone here, so whether they want to move to Kingdom of the Dragonking or not doesn't give much different consequence."

"And so…" Claura said. "If they think so, then there's no reason for us to stay here any longer."

"Maybe not…" Xavier said. "Maybe the Dragonqueen already knew the answer of everyone here deep in her mind, but she still sent us here because we could use such a good vacation."

"What?!" Claura said. "You think that a secret mission from the Dragonqueen herself is no more than a vacation?"

"Yes." Xavier said. "And now, I am sleepy. Let's call it a day for now. Oh, and since there's no time limit in our mission, why don't we stay here for a while longer? Think of it as a vacation."

"XAVIER!" Claura roared.

* * *

 **-Meanwhile… In Snow's room…**

"…"

Normally, there would be two Pokemon in this room, but since right now, Freya was in Zetarus and Diego's room, there's only one Pokemon here…

Snow was sitting on the bed. He was now alone in this room. Right now, he had nothing else to do, so it would be the best for him to go to sleep by now. However, for a certain reason, he couldn't sleep.

"…" Snow's attention was focused at the object on his palm. It was a beautiful emblem in the shape of a blue flower. This emblem was one of a few things that he had with him since he woke up, other than his dagger. However, this was the only thing he had that could unlock the mystery about his past life before he woke up, so he tried to look at it, in hope that it would help him remember something. However, for some reason, every time he looked at this emblem, a strange feeling started flowing into his mind. It was a feeling that's a mixture of misery, grief, regret and unfulfilled soul…

"Knock! Knock!"

The sound of door knocking interrupted Snow's train of thought. He then turned his attention to the door and said 'Come on in' with a thought that it was Freya, his roommate, who finally came back. However, the Pokemon who opened the door and entered this room wasn't Freya, but was someone else…

"!" Snow's body was frozen when he saw a female white dragon who had just entered the room. This dragon was none other than the dragon that always took care of him while he was still unconscious, as well as the first person he saw when he regained his consciousness.

"How are you feeling right now, Snow?" Anastasia asked with a gentle voice as she approached the Draconic Lapras, who quickly turned his face away.

"… I am fine right now." Snow answered with an emotionless voice.

"Are you sure?" Anastasia said. "You sound like you aren't quite alright."

"I am really fine right now. Thank you for your concern." Snow still insisted on his answer.

"If you say so…" Anastasia said. "But if you still don't feel right, or if you need anything, feel free to ask me. I would be happy to lend you my help."

"…Shouldn't you go to sleep by now?" Snow spoke up. "We still have a lot to do tomorrow."

"Oh, right…" Anastasia said before walking up to the door. "Then, good night, Snow."

After she finished speaking, Anastasia left the room, leaving the Draconic Lapras alone in this room again.

"…Why?!" Snow let out a small roar after the Goodra had already left the room. "Why did I… I don't understand! Why?!"

* * *

 **-Meanwhile…**

"…"

On the roof of Elder Baldr's house was a single dragon sitting there alone. Despite this place was located in a valley with an almost-complete roofing over the entire valley, the moon was still able to shine its light into the area of this valley, revealing the appearance of the dragon who sat on the roof of this house as a dragon who wore a black armor suit to cover almost all parts of his body. This dragon was none other than Baromyteus the Shiny Haxorus.

"…" Baromyteus' attention wasn't on the sky above, but was at the entire village down below. Right now, since it was already night time, everyone had already gone asleep, except a few Pokemon who was still awake, including him.

The reason why he was still awake was because he had a lot to think in his mind, but he didn't want to trouble his sister with his thought, so he decided to come here alone to let out his train of thought into the darkness of the night…

… Which was soon cut short.

"Found you."

Baromyteus' train of thought was interrupted when another Pokemon appeared and jumped onto the roof of this house. The moonlight revealed this Pokemon as a Hakamo-o.

"…" Baromyteus said nothing after the Hakamo-o appeared on the roof, however, he unconsciously reached his paw to his sword by his side.

"… Can I sit with you?" Korben started a conversation with the Shiny Haxorus with a question.

"No." Baromyteus answered.

"Oh, fine." Korben said and sat on the roof at a spot away from the Shiny Haxorus, and the silence returned again after the Hakamo-o sat down.

"…" Both Baromyteus and Korben didn't say anything, neither to themselves nor to each other. In fact, Baromyteus seemed to pretend that Korben wasn't even here…

"…Baromyteus." Korben broke the silence by calling the name of the Shiny Haxorus. "Tomorrow is a Rest Day of the week, which is a day where everyone would stop working for relaxation, so… Tomorrow, would you spar with me?"

"For the hundred times, no." Baromyteus answered.

"Why?" Korben continued asking.

"Because I don't like you." Baromyteus answered again.

"… I have heard about you from your friends, Baromyteus." Instead of asking another question, Korben decided to speak about something else. "… And I heard that you hate lie and deception above all. So, could you please tell me the truth of why did you always refuse to spar with me, especially since you were about to kill me when we first met."

"…" Baromyteus said nothing in response.

"…Fine…" Korben continued speaking. "I promise that, if you tell me the reason why do you always refuse to spar with me, I will not ask you to train with me anymore."

"… Fine." Baromyteus said. "I don't want to spar with you because your fighting style won't benefit much from training with me."

"What?" Korben looked at Baromyteus.

"I have observed your fighting style, kid." Baromyteus continued speaking. "You fight like a Paladin who always follows a strict code of law and fights with honor, while I fight like a Dark Knight who follows the instinct of chaos within our heart and battles without mercy. Our fighting styles are too different, so there's no reason for us to train together."

"… Is that a problem?" Korben asked. "I don't think a different style of battle would be a problem in our sparring. After all, everyone is equal to each other, so there's no real reason to refuse a spar just because the difference of their battle styles—"

"And that's the main reason why I refuse to spar with you, kid." Baromyteus interrupted Korben's words.

"What?!" Korben said.

"The way you say, the words you speak, the way you act, your appearance, your battle style… Everything about you reminds me of the person that I hate most." Baromyteus said. "You remind me of the person I hate to the deepest part of my heart. Every time I see you, I could see a great resembled of that person appears in front of my eyes, and it really drives me mad. I could hardly hold back my rage every time I see you, kid."

"... That's why you want to kill me when we first met, right?" Korben said.

"Right." Baromyteus said. "In the end, I have to use almost all of my power to hold back my body from tearing your soul from your body. However, your ignorant has let you into asking me to spar with you. Think of what would happen if I spar with you, kid."

"… I would die, right?" Korben said.

"Yes, kid." Baromyteus said. "In order to unleash my full potential in a battle, I would give up some parts of my own consciousness and let my instinct to gain an upper control over my body. But… What if I have to enter a battle, allude a friendly one, with my opponent as the silhouette of the person I hate most? I would not be able to hold back all of my rage, and soon, I will lose all of my own consciousness to my own instinct, which I couldn't stop myself from savoring the taste of the battle until the silhouette of the person I hate most is totally annihilated, despite being just a friendly sparring. This is why I refuse to train with you, kid."

"…I see…" Korben said and stood up. "It's getting late. I think I should go to bed by now…"

"…No." Baromyteus said nothing. "You can't go yet."

"Hm?" Korben turned his attention back to the Pokemon in the black armor suit.

"I already answered your question, so before you go, you must answer my question first." Baromyteus said.

"Fair enough." Korben said. "This would be the best way to remain our equality. Okay, what do you want to ask me?"

"… Where're your parents, kid?" Baromyteus said.

"!" Korben seemed to be shocked after hearing Baromyteus' question.

"I have seen that you lived here with your grandfather." Baromyteus continued speaking. "However, I don't see your parents anywhere. So, where are they?"

"…My mother's already dead." Korben answered slowly. "And I don't know who my real father is."

"Hm?!" Baromyteus turned his attention to the Hakamo-o, who was standing beside him.

"As far as I remember, I had grown up here with my grandfather." Korben said and sat down beside Baromyteus. "I have no memory of my parents. All I know about them is what everyone in this village told me."

"…" Baromyteus remained silent in order to let the Hakamo-o continued his story.

"Everyone told me that my mother, who is Elder's Baldr's daughter, was a Kommo-o, my evolved form. She once lived in this village, along with everyone. However, one day, she left this village." Korben continued his story.

"She left… this village?" Baromyteus repeated the words he had just heard.

"No one know the reason why she left this village." Korben said. "She didn't tell anyone why she left this village, not even her father, Elder Baldr. Maybe because she had grown bored of the peaceful life. Maybe she hated living here for the rest of her life. Maybe she sought to find something outside this place. Or… Maybe something else."

"… And?" Baromyteus said.

"And… There's a curse of our village." Korben said. "From what I have heard, everyone who had left this village would forever disappear, never return to this village again. As far as I know, there's no rule about forbidding the dragon who left this village to return again, but… With this going on, everyone has come to believe that it's a curse…"

"… " Baromyteus said nothing.

"Two decade had passed since she left our village." Korben said. "One day, 20 years after my mother had left the village, the scout team of our village found my mother at the entrance of Cave of Ages. However, her body was cold, and she didn't breath, or, in other words, she was already dead."

"She's… already dead?" Baromyteus said.

"The scout team mentioned that my mother didn't have any mark of battle anywhere on her body, so it's most likely that she died due to either illness or lack of power."

"…" Baromyteus said nothing.

"However, despite her body was cold, there was something warm in her body. It was… a Pokemon Egg that she held within her grasp."

"… That egg…" Baromyteus said.

"Other than the egg, there's a small piece of leather with the word 'Korben' written on it." Korben said. "And soon, the egg hatched into a young Jangmo-o, which was given the word that was written on that leather as his name, and the surname of his mother as his surname. In other word, that Jangmo-o was me."

"…" Baromyteus said nothing.

"And so, my mother was buried in the village's grave, and I continued living here with my grandfather. However, because I was still in the Pokemon Egg at that time, I have no idea who my father is. The only clue I have about him is the word 'Korben' that was written on that leather. The handwriting on that leather wasn't my mother's, so there's a high possibility that it was my father's."

"… And what would you do?" Baromyteus asked.

"Right now, I am only 15…" Korben said. "However, someday, when I become older and stronger, I plan to… leave this village to find who my real father is."

"You would leave this village, despite knowing that you may never return again?" Baromyteus asked.

"Yes." Korben answered. "I knew it sounds like a child's dream, but I just want to know who my real father is, as well as what happened to my mother before she came back to this place. I may soon find the answer I want, or I may have to spend the rest of my life searching for it."

"…" Baromyteus said nothing.

"And that's all of my story." Korben said. "I am sorry if my story bored you, Baromyteus."

"…No." Baromyteus said. "A life story can never be boring."

"Now that I think about it, it's quite strange…" Korben said. "I have never told anyone of my idea of leaving this village to find my real father. The only one I have told this dream is Dimitri and you, Baromyteus."

"Heh…" Baromyteus mumbled.

"And now…" Korben said as he stood up again. "I think it's time for me to go to bed. See you—"

"… Korben." Baromyteus' voice turned the attention of the Hakamo-o back to the Pokemon in the black armor suit.

"Baromyteus?!" Korben seemed to be shocked after hearing Baromyteus' voice, as this is the first time that Baromyteus called him by his name!

"Life is such an ironic thing, isn't it?" Baromyteus said without looking at the Hakamo-o. "I used to see you as the silhouette of the person I hate most, but now, after hearing your story, I start to see you… As the silhouette of myself."

"!" Korben was shocked after hearing Baromyteus' words.

"Korben Forcenter the Hakamo-o, isn't it?" Baromyteus said. "Don't you dare to die within the first few decades of your life. If you do, I will imprison your soul forever, so that you would be stuck in the eternal imprisonment."

"W… What?!" Korben said.

"Heh, just kidding." Baromyteus said. "Still, don't die a young life, okay?"

"I… I will, Baromyteus." Korben said.

"Good." Baromyteus said. "Now, you can go."

"…Then… See you tomorrow, Baromyteus." Korben said.

"See you tomorrow too, Korben." Baromyteus said as the Hakamo-o jumped down from the roof of the house, leaving him alone in the darkness once again…

* * *

 **-Meanwhile… Somewhere in the world…**

 _"…Is everyone already here?"_

 _"Ah! Welcome, Hero of Justice!"_

 _"It's an honor to meet you at last, sir."_

 _"And I must thank all of you for coming this far at my request."_

 _"It's nothing, sir. We trust that you would bring the justice to the criminal scum who murdered Pontifex Hawkins, so the special force of Theocracy of Venturnome is here to assist you."_

 _"And since Theocracy of Venturnome is in a deep diplomatic relationship with the Principality of Leafburg, Daimyo Augustine also decided to dispatch the special force of the Principality of Leafburg, with me as their leader."_

 _"Emperor Garland, the younger brother of Pontifex Hawkins, also heard your request too, so he sent me, as well as the special force of the Dustorm Empire to assist in your cause."_

 _"The young Prince, I mean, King Apollo also heard the request of you, the old friend of the Volcano Guardian, so he also dispatched the special force of Fireview Kingdom here too."_

 _"Despite the Queendom of Riverbrine is still in a state without a ruler, we couldn't ignore such a huge problem like this, so the special force of Queendom of Riverbrine is here at your service."_

 _"And I, along with the special force of the Republic, came here by the order of President Voltson after hearing your request, sir."_

 _"Thank you for coming, all of you. But what about the Shadowlost Territory?"_

 _"There's still no response from the nation of darkness, sir."_

 _"Damn it… Fenrir, what are you doing ? Why didn't you…"_

 _"Sir, what should we do next? Should we stand by a bit longer in order to wait for the response from the Shadowlost Territory?"_

 _"…No. Tomorrow, we march."_

 _"Are you sure, sir?"_

 _"Shouldn't we wait for the reinforcement from the Shadowlost Territory too?"_

 _"Our opponent this time is a group of criminal who murdered Pontifex Hawkins. Being able to murder Pontifex Hawkins, they are among the most dangerous Pokemon on the continent of Symmetria. That's why we need the force of all nations on the Continent of Symmetria. However, if we waste any more time, they would soon aware of us, and they may either prepare for our assault or try to escape from our grasp. That's why we must strike fast."_

 _"We all trust in your judgment, sir."_

 _"Thank you, everyone… Pontifex Hawkins is one of 14 Hero/ine of Legend who fought valiantly to save Symmetria from the Fallen Crisis 30 years old. He had done a lot of good deed to the World of Pokemon, and I am proud to call him as my comrade, but there's a group of worthless Pokemon who couldn't see through his benevolence and instead murdered him. We couldn't let this injustice go any further. We must do everything in order to preserve the justice in our world! We must bring those criminal scums into the way of JUSTICE! Everyone, tomorrow, we will march right into their lair and bring them back to justice! For Pontifex Hawkins! For the peace of Symmetria! For justice! Who's with me?"_

 _"Yes, sir! We are with you all the way!"_

 _"For Pontifex Hawkins!"_

 _"For the peace of Symmetria!"_

 _"For justice!"_

 **To Be Continued…**

* * *

 **Dragon of Vale: Again, sorry for a long hiatus. Other than the writer's block, I was having the final exam, and I was sick too…**

 **Anyway, here's another chapter. I am sure that you can tell what would happen after this chapter… This would be the last chapter before the first climax of this story…**


	58. Tail 6-8: When the Sky Turns Dark

**A Dragon's Tail**

 **Tail 6: Baromyteus' Tail - Deception**

 **Tail 6-8: When the Sky Turns Dark**

 **-The Next Day…**

"… According to the old scrolls that record the history of our village, this village was founded since about 1,500 - 2,000 years ago. Some said that it was founded since two millenniums ago, while some claims that it was founded just a few decades before the time of the Twilight Crisis."

"…" Richard was paying his full attention to a young Noibat who was sitting in front of him. He was now telling the history of the Hidden Village of Dragon.

"As you know…" Noctus continued his story. "After the Apocalypse that followed the end of War of the God II, the tri-continent of Mytherel, Luminus and Origia had split from the original Great Continent, which was later known as the ruined Continent of Irtha. Because of what happened during the War of the God II, everyone who survived the Apocalypse blamed the Dragon type Pokemon for what happened during the Apocalypse, and thus, the very few Dragon type Pokemon who were still on the tri-continent of Mytherel, Luminus and Origia were shunned by other Pokemon, and soon, their status was completely changed from their status during War of the God II, from hunter to prey."

"…" Richard said nothing as he still paid his full attention to Noctus.

"And so, all Dragon type Pokemon who were still on the tri-continent of Mytherel, Luminus and Origia were hunted down by other Pokemon, in the hope of bringing them to the complete extinction as a revenge of War of the God II and the Apocalypse, as well as to prevent the cataclysm that could happen again in the future."

"And so…" Richard spoke up. "That's why the Dragon type Pokemon who were still on these three continents met up and decided to found a village where they could live together without associating themselves with other Pokemon, right?"

"Not quite right." Noctus said. "At first, the Dragon type Pokemon on the tri-continent either fought back or fled to live in the isolation. This continued from the day after the end of the Apocalypse to the period where the village was found, when it finally came to the end with the appearance of a savior."

"Savior?" Richard said.

"He is the dragon who's known by everyone who lived in this village as the 'Savior' of the Dragon type Pokemon, as he was the dragon who appeared and gathered the remaining Dragon type Pokemon on the tri-continent of Mytherel, Luminus and Origia, before bringing all of them to the mysterious mountain range in the middle of the continent of Origia, which was said to be completely inaccessible by any mean. However, for some reason, the 'Savior' was able to carve his way into the mountain range."

"That must be the Omega Mountain in the Continent of Origia, which would later become… This valley." Richard mumbled.

"Correct." Noctus said. "In the inaccessible Omega Mountain, they found that it was a vast area of a valley with a perfect condition and factor for the Dragon type Pokemon to live. And so, the Dragon type Pokemon sealed the access way to the Omega Mountain, which could only be broken by the Dragon type Pokemon, and settled there. Their settlement from that time, in the distant past, is now the village we are in, the Hidden Village of Dragon."

"So, that's the history of this village… Very interesting…" Richard said. "Anyway, what about the 'Savior' of this village? Did he live in this village too?"

"Although all scrolls that record the history of this village don't have an agreement on the foundation date of this village, they all have the same record that the 'savior' was indeed living in this village, along with other Dragon type Pokemon." Noctus said. "However, all scrolls also record that one day, the 'Savior' mysteriously disappeared from this village."

"The savior… disappeared?" Richard said. "Could it be that he left this village?"

"That's what I thought too." Noctus said. "Because the seal could only be broken by the Dragon type Pokemon, it's not difficult for the Dragon type Pokemon to unseal the seal and left the place. And actually, the seal couldn't be permanently broken. It could only be temporarily broken. Just like when you entered this area a week ago. You may be able to break the seal, but the seal will soon reform within a day after you broke it."

"Hm…" Richard mumbled. "So, even thought we did nothing to the seal after we unsealed it, the seal will automatically reform itself…"

"Right." Noctus said. "But everything I said about the disappearance of the savior is my assumption. There's no more record about the disappearance of the savior."

"What about Elder Baldr?" Richard asked. "He claims that he was alive by the time this village was found, so maybe he knows the truth about the disappearance of this savior."

"Yes, Elder Baldr was alive by the time this village was found." Noctus said. "However, because it was so long in the past, Elder Baldr said that he couldn't remember much about the savior, as well as the true date of this village's foundation. However, he did say that, while the savior had already disappeared, his descendants are still living here, in this village."

"Descendant?" Richard said. "The savior has the descendant? Who are they?"

"You may be surprised to hear who his descendants are, Richard." Noctus said. "They are the Drawyvern Family."

"Drawyvern Family?" Richard said. "You mean… Damos and Dimitri are the descendant of the savior?!"

"Right." Noctus said. "And don't try to ask them about their ancestor, both of them knew nothing about the savior, except that he is their ancestor."

'Hm… Interesting…' Richard thought. 'Now that I think about it… Baromyteus… His surname is also Drawyvern… Hm… Maybe he is also the relative of this 'Savior'…'

"And that's all about the history of this village, Richard." Noctus said.

"… Can you tell me one more thing?" Richard continued asking. "What's the name of the 'Savior'?"

"While most scrolls that record the history of this village don't have the record, there's only a single scroll among them that possessed the name of the 'Savior'." Noctus said. "And the name of the savior is 'Bahamut'"

"Bahamut?" Richard said. "What a strange name…"

"Ha! You think that's a strange name for a dragon?" Noctus said. "Perhaps you should reconsider the name of our Hakamo-o friend first."

"Korben?" Richard said before he realized something. "Wait a minute… A Hakamo-o, a Dragon and Fighting type Pokemon, named Korben… Sure, if he could evolve into a Kommo-o, it would make a bit of sense… But still… A Dragon and Fighting type Pokemon named Korben… That's… Not right."

"You think so?" Noctus said. "The name 'Korben' doesn't suit a Dragon and Fighting type Pokemon like him. It's more suited to a—"

"Onii-chan, what are you talking about?"

A voice of a young girl turned the attention of the Latios and the Noibat to the owner of the voice, who was a young Latias. She was now approaching them, along with a young female Flygon.

"Nothing, Rachael." Richard answered. "I did just ask Noctus to tell me the history of this village."

"Boo! Boring!" Rachael said. "Why do you always have such a boring conversation like this, Onii-chan? Especially since you can easily search about the history of this village with the Chronicle of yours."

"It's not boring, Rachael." Richard said. "And because the Chronicle of mine holds such a vast amount of knowledge, it would take me forever to search for the specific topic I want to read, and I couldn't rush because it may cause a serious side effect which may turn me into a brainless idiot who's void of any knowledge."

"Okay, okay…" Rachael said.

"Anyway… What are you doing here, Rachael? And… Freya, what are you doing here?"

During a week of staying here, the youngest princess of Dustorm Empire insisted that they could just call her by her name without the word 'Princess', so everyone did as she asked.

"Oh, we just want to have a little 'girl' chat." Rachael said. "It's so rare to find a girl who's around my age, so we just want to know about each other better!"

"R… Right…" Freya said. "I… I want to become a friend with everyone here…"

"Speak of everyone…" Richard said. "How's everyone doing right now?"

"Well… Snow is still in the kitchen, washing dishes and preparing the lunch." Rachael said. "Zetarus and Xavier had just woke up and finishes their breakfast, and they plan to spend the entire day by sleeping in their room."

"Sigh… That's just like them…" Richard said.

"W… Well…" Freya said. "M… My brother is just tired…"

"And what about others?" Richard asked.

"Claura, Diego and Anastasia went out for a walk, and Unos and Lyzia are also with them too." Rachael said. "Korben was taking care of Elder Baldr. And for Baromyteus and Dimitri… They went to Valley of No Return since the daybreak. I guess that they went there to—"

"Train, right?" Richard said. "Sigh… Always want to get themselves to death."

"That's likely what they would do." Noctus said. "Dimitri sometimes went to Valley of No Return in order to train alone, despite his father's prohibition of going into the Valley of No Return alone, and I guess Baromyteus went there to help Dimitri training too."

"As I thought…" Richard said. "That Fraxure's eyes told me that he's someone who's both stubborn and full of confidence…"

"And when he wants to do something, no one would be able to stop him, even his own father." Noctus said. "But in the truth, I heard that Dimitri's father, Damos, isn't much different than him except the part that he is more matured than his son."

"Leave them be." Richard said. "If they want to die that much, don't waste our breath with them, and let's enjoy yourself in today's harmony instead."

"I don't know about that, as I am kind of worry about them…" Rachael said. "But I agree with the last part of your sentence! I am sure that there's nothing that could interrupt the tranquility and harmony of this peaceful village!"

Everyone nodded to the Latias' words, as this village was located in the inaccessible valley, an area that's inaccessible by any mean, except for the Dragon type Pokemon. The area around here was a very peaceful place where everyone lived together in harmony. Overall, there's nothing to worry about living here…

"EVERYONE!"

A voice of someone suddenly interrupted a moment of harmony, turning the attention of Rachael, Richard, Freya and Noctus to the source of the voice, which was the door of the house.

"What's tha—" Before anyone could finish their sentence, the door of the house was suddenly burst out, and before anyone else could react, seven Pokemon suddenly entered the house. They were Claura, Diego, Anastasia, Baromyteus, Unos, Lyzia and Dimitri.

"W… What's this?!" Richard said as he saw a group of seven Pokemon suddenly burst into the house, and a second afterward, other Pokemon also appeared too.

"W… What's wrong, everyone?!" Snow said with a panicked voice as he appeared from the kitchen, and at the same time, Xavier, Zetarus and Korben also appeared from the second floor of the house.

"Yawn… What happen?" Xavier asked as he, along with Zetarus and Korben, walked down from the second floor of the house, where everyone else was gathering.

"Everyone, this is terrible!" Unos said with a panicky voice. "It's an emergency!"

"R… Right!" Lyzia said with a shaking voice. "It's so terrible!"

"Just calm down and tell us what happen!" Richard scolded.

"A… An army!" Anastasia said. "There's an army of several non-dragon type Pokemon armed with weapon emerging from the Cave of Ages! They are now heading toward our village!"

"WHAT?!" Rachael, Richard, Freya and Noctus said.

* * *

 **-A Few Minutes Later… At the Center Square of Hidden Village of Dragon…**

The center square of Hidden Village of Dragon was now crowded with all denizens who lived in this village, as everyone was now gathering here. Normally, the time where everyone in this village would gather here would be the time when someone has an important announcement for everyone, such as one week ago when Rachael, Richard, Zetarus, Diego, Claura, Xavier, Anastasia, Baromyteus and Freya came to this village, where they were officially welcomed by everyone here, at the center square of this village. However, this time, the reason why everyone was gathering here wasn't because there was an announcement, but because of an emergency situation they were in.

"Everyone! Please calm down!" Elder Baldr said to everyone who was standing at the center square of the village. He was now standing at the center of the center square of the village, and he was surrounded by everyone else. (Except from ten Pokemon from the world outside Valley of No Return)

"W… Why there's an army here?! In the Valley of No Return?!" A female Dragonair asked with a panicked voice.

"In order to break the seal on the other side of the Cave of Ages, they need to have a Dragon type Pokemon on their side! How could they…" A male Altaria said.

"B… But… Why are they here?! Are they here to kill all of us, just like before we found our village?!" A female Salamence asked.

"M… Maybe they are here just because they want to have a friendly chat…" A male Goodra said.

"You dumbass!" A male Hydreigon said. "I saw they heavily armed and armored! That's not a uniform of someone who wants a friendly chat! That's a uniform of someone who wants to ANNIHILATE!"

"W… What?!" A female Alolan Exeggutor said. "W… What should we do?! This is the first time since our village's foundation that an army of invader from the world outside tried to invade our home!"

"P… Please calm down, everyone!" Elder Baldr desperately tried to calm everyone down, but it seemed to be futile as everyone was very panic, and they refused to hear Elder Baldr's voice.

But then…

"Everyone, SHUT UP!"

A loud and sharp voice suddenly echoed through the center square of the village, making everyone immediately stopped speaking and turned their attention to the owner of the voice, who slowly stepped toward the center square of the village.

"D… Damos?!" One of the villagers said as they saw the blacksmith Haxorus, who was the one who scolded everyone, stepped toward the center square and stopped beside Elder Baldr.

"Everyone, what's this bxxxxxxt you are doing?!" Damos continued speaking once he stopped beside Elder Baldr. "Our home is now in the state of being invaded by the outsiders! This isn't a time for panicking! This is the time when we must do something else!"

"And what is that 'something' that we must do?!" A female Noivern asked.

"The area we are in is the valley with only one entrance and exit, which is Cave of Ages, but that place is now occupied by them, so we have no way to run!" Damos said. "And so, there're only two choices that we can do, either we surrender ourselves to them and be prepared for our demise, or we fight them back."

"Fight them back?!" A male Vibrava asked.

"I have no need to clarify my words." Damos said. "I don't care of what choice would you all choose, but for me, I will never surrender myself to them!"

"Are you mad, Damos?!" A male Kingdra said.

"That's right!" A female Gabite said. "You speak as if you want a death wish!"

"That's what I chose, and I won't regret—" Damos was about to continued speaking, but his words were cut off when another dragons spoke up first.

"If you want to go, then we all are with you!" A male Hydreigon said.

"That's right!" A female Dragonite said. "This is our home! We won't let anyone destroy this place!"

"And we won't let them destroy our pride!" A female Salamence said. "We are the Dragon type Pokemon! We would die rather than surrender!"

"We may live together in harmony for over a millennium, but we still haven't forgotten how to fight!" A male Altaria said.

"We will fight until we die." A male Kingdra said. "But we won't give them an easy victory for sure!"

"If they think that they could take on the strongest type of Pokemon, they would have to think again!" A female Gabite said.

"RAAAAAWWWWWRRRRR!" Everyone let out a roar at the same time after the last Pokemon finished speaking. Right now, all of them were full with pride and spirit of battle.

"Hm! That's more like it!" Damos said. "I am proud to call you all my comrade."

"And so…" A male Alolan Exeggutor asked. "What should we do first, Damos?"

"The scout of our village reported that they spot them by the entrance of Cave of Ages." Damos said. "Normally, it would take about 2 hours to move from Cave of Ages to our village, but since they travelled in a large group, it should take them about 3 hours to reach our village. That means that we have 3 hours of preparation!"

"3 hours of preparation…" Everyone started mumbling.

"Go back to your house and prepare for a battle!" Damos said. "Prepare your weapon and armor suit! If you don't have one, come and meet me at the forge! Don't forget to warm yourself up and check the condition of the weapon first!"

"HAHHH!" Everyone let out a battle cry before they quickly went back to their respective house, leaving only a few Pokemon here, including Elder Baldr and Damos.

"Thank you, young man…" Elder said. "The blood of Bahamut truly runs deep within your veins."

"My ancestor founded this safe haven for us, and I don't plan to see it comes to the end within my lifespan." Damos said before walking toward a group of dragons who stood by the side of the center square, which was the group of ten Pokemon who didn't originally come from this village.

"Nice job stirring the battle spirit of everyone, old man." Baromyteus said as Damos approached them.

"Shut your fxxk up." Damos said. "For me, I am 100% sure that you all have nothing to do with those scum invaders, so, what would you do?"

"The answer is simple." Baromyteus said. "A group of prey is right before our eyes. There's no way I would let this chance of letting my blood boil go away easily."

"Of course!" Claura spoke up. "If they think that they can ruin our pride, they would have to think again!"

"All I know is battling." Diego said. "So that's all I can do at a time like this."

"And if Diego says so, then I will say so too." Zetarus said.

"Yawn… So sleepy…" Xavier mumbled. "But I wouldn't pass on a chance to crack some skull, so… Count me in."

"… I hate war, battle and violent." Richard said. "So… Let's just get this over with."

"Why… Why do we have to battle?" Rachael said. "But… I will do what I can to help you…"

"I, too, d… don't like battle…" Freya said. "B… But… Everyone is so nice to me, so… I will help!"

"The existence of everyone here is the reason why I am still alive." Snow said. "And so, this village shall have my loyalty."

"…If everyone says that you want to help…" Anastasia said. "Then I will too…"

"Hm! Whatever!" Damos said. "By the way, I need all of you to help about something."

"About what?" Baromyteus asked.

"Everyone here, even the youngest infant, is at least a decent fighter, but we don't have a good plan, and none of us, including me, have a good plan for our upcoming battle. However, some of you here seem like a decent thinker, so could you make a plan for our battle?" Damos asked.

"A plan?" Diego said.

"While we all trust in our strength, sometimes we couldn't rely on our strength alone." Damos said. "Not only power, but we also need wisdom in order to prevail. Would you all help me about this?"

"…Sure, we will." Instead of the more talkative Pokemon of the group, the one who gave out the answer was one of the less talkative Pokemon of group, Xavier.

"Thank you for your help." Damos said. "Then, I will go for now. See you all later at this center square again within 3 hours, and then we will show those scums who's the boss around here!"

After finished speaking, Damos quickly ran toward the forge, leaving a group of ten Pokemon from the world outside this valley here.

"…That guy…" Zetarus said. "He is so… peppy."

"But he really amazed me…" Claura said. "Despite his attitude, he's much more insightful than I thought…"

"That's because the blood of our village's savior, Bahamut, is running through his veins."

A voice attracted the attention of everyone to the owner of the voice, who was none other than Elder Baldr, who was approaching everyone, along with his grandson, Korben.

"Elder Baldr…" Rachael said.

"While his attitude is ambiguous, he is a talented and natural leader." Elder Baldr. "… Just like our savior Bahamut when he led us here."

"And what about you, Elder Baldr?" Zetarus asked. "What would you do now?"

"Ho! Ho! I must return to my house as well." Elder Baldr said. "I, too, need a little preparation. See you all soon."

"Dimitri, Lyzia, Noctus and Unos have already returned to their house in order to prepare for this battle, and I must do the same thing too." Korben said.

After finished speaking, Korben quickly run back to Elder Baldr's house, and he was followed by the owner of the house, who quickly flew after him, leaving only a group of ten Pokemon at the center square of this village.

"… And now…" Baromyteus spoke up after everyone had already left the center square of this village. "We need a good plan for our upcoming battle."

"Right." Claura said before turning her attention to her cousin. "Xavier, you seem to be more enthusiastic than usual. Do you perhaps have a good idea of what to do?"

"Nope, at least for now." Xavier answered. "It's a scene of an upcoming bloodshed, not a feeling of having a good plan, that stirs my enthusiastic."

"Oh, great…" Claura said. "Whatever! Xavier, what should we do first?"

"First, we must get ourselves prepared for an upcoming battle." Xavier said and turned his attention toward the Mega Charizard X. "Diego, I have heard that you are a decent blacksmith. Could you check the condition of everyone's weapon?"

"Fine." Diego said. "Everyone, show me your weapon."

After the Mega Charizard X finished speaking, everyone, including Diego himself, quickly picked their weapon and showed them to the Mega Charizard X, except for only one Pokemon.

"Zetarus, what's wrong?" Rachael asked after seeing that the Garchomp didn't take his weapon out. "Where's your weapon? Why don't you take it out?"

"Well… I just don't know which one of my weapons that Diego want to see." Zetarus spoke with a hint of something in his voice. "I don't know if Diego wants to see my pistol or my spears."

"Spears?" Rachael continued asking. "I have never seen you having spears before…"

"Not only me, but Diego, Baromyteus, Xavier, Snow and your brother also always carry one with them too." Zetarus continued speaking. "But unlike them, I have two spears, not just one like the—"

Before Zetarus could finished his words, his belly was suddenly punched by a flame-cloaked fist of an angry Mega Charizard X, making the Garchomp fell down onto the ground, but that wasn't enough, as the Mega Charizard X still continued attacking the Garchomp. However, this time, he was joined by the angry Shiny Haxorus and angry Kingdra. And this continued for a minute before the Mega Charizard X, Shiny Haxorus and Kingdra stopped their assault on the Garchomp.

"Zetarus, you fxxxxxg bastard son of a bxxxh!" Diego roared. However, his face, which was usually blue, was now as red as a Tameto Berry.

"Hm!" Baromyteus and Claura grumbled as they looked at the worn-out Garchomp on the ground, who was now being healed by Freya.

"Diego! Claura! Baromyteus!" Rachael said. "Why did you have to beat up Zetarus?!"

"… Let just say that Zetarus REALLY deserves this, Rachael." Instead of Diego, Claura and Baromyteus, it was Richard who answered his younger sister's question. "There's a time and place for this, but this is one of the worst times for these… thing."

"?" Rachael didn't understand her brother's words, but Diego continued speaking first before she could question her brother any further.

"And now…" Diego spoke up again. "Let's not waste anymore time. Everyone, let me take a look at your weapon. This time, no more bxxxxxxt or I will beat the cxxp out of you."

"Okay." Nine other dragons, including Zetarus who finally recovered and picked his pistol up, said before showing their weapon to the Mega Charizard X.

"…" Diego said nothing as he took a look at the weapons that were shown to him, which were Rachael's Cathy***, Richard's Chronicle of Darkside, Zetarus' Sniper's Eye, his own Silver Naginata, Claura's Naidni, Xavier's Stratosphere and Baromyteus' Dragon Claw Swords. However, his attention seemed to be caught by the last three weapons.

"These three weapons are not alright." Diego said as he pointed his claw at three weapons, which were Freya's Healing Rod, Snow's Dagger and a strange-shaped weapon, which belonged to Anastasia.

"I… Is there something wrong with my Pink Rose, Diego?" Freya asked while she was still holding onto her weapon, which was a beautiful healing rod with a white handle with a carving in the shape of a coiling vine and a tip in the shape of a blooming pink rose, which its petals were made from several translucent pink jewels compounding into a single rose, giving it a name 'Pink Rose'.

"And what about my Mist Dagger." Snow said and looked at his dagger, the Mist Dagger, which he had given a name to it since last night. The Mist Dagger was a dagger that looked like a kitchen knife, which made from a pure white silver, making its blade as white as a deep mist. However, while this dagger seemed like an ordinary knife commonly used by a maid or butler, the blade of this small weapon seemed to be a very sharp, making this dagger a very dangerous weapon that shouldn't be overlooked.

"Everyone else already had their weapons upgraded at least once, except you three." Diego said.

"I see…" Xavier said. "Diego, could you upgrade their weapon right now?"

"Hm? If it's only just from the first-tier to second-tier, then it wouldn't take long." Diego said and turned his attention back to Freya, Snow and Anastasia. "Now give your weapon to me. I will start working now."

"T… Thank you so much, Diego." Freya said as she handed over her Pink Rose to the Mega Charizard X.

"And here's my weapon, the Mist Dagger." Snow said as he handed over the Mist Dagger to the Mega Charizard X. "Please take a good care of it."

"I will." Diego said and turned his attention to the last Pokemon, which was Anastasia. "And now, Anastasia, your weapon."

"… Are you sure that you could upgrade my weapon?" Anastasia asked reluctantly and looked at her weapon, which was actually an instrument called harp. The harp's handle was pure white, just like the blade of Snow's Mist Dagger. However, Anastasia's harp didn't have any strings. "I mean, my weapon is a magical harp, a harp that its strings will only manifest when you play it with either calm or concentrated mind. It isn't a common weapon, and I heard that it's not easy to upgrade it without damaging its quality."

"Trust me, lass." Diego said. "I had already upgraded a living doll and an omnipotent book before, so upgrading a magical harp won't be a challenge to me, at least for upgrading them from the first tier to the second tier."

"Then, here you are." Anastasia said and handed over her harp to Diego. "This is my Bass Harp. Please be careful while upgrading it."

"Hm." Diego nodded to the Goodra as he received the harp from her. "Now that we don't have much time left. I will start working right now."

After finished speaking, Diego sat down and picked up his crafting tool before he started working on three weapons he receives from Freya, Snow and Anastasia, leaving nine other Pokemon to plan for their upcoming battle.

"And now, we don't have to worry about the condition of our weapon." Claura said. "Xavier, what's next?"

"…Baromyteus." Xavier turned his attention toward the Pokemon in the black armor suit. "You were among the first Pokemon who saw the invaders, right? Tell me about them."

"Their army consists of several Pokemon at about the trice amount of the amount of villagers here." Baromyteus said. "There are almost all types of Pokemon among them, and they are armed with the different types of weapons and armor suits depending on their type, such as the Grass type and Bug type Pokemon having an exotic armor suit and using Katana and Kunai as their weapon, while the Electric type and Steel type having a more advance armor suit and weapon than other Pokemon. Oh, and I don't see any Dark, Poison, Ghost and Dragon type Pokemon anywhere among them."

"Hm…" Xavier mumbled after hearing the information from the Shiny Haxorus. "Every type of Pokemon among them except for the Dark, Poison, Ghost and Dragon type…"

"They do not have a Dragon type Pokemon with them, then how were they allowed to gain an access to this valley, much less having any idea of there's a cave that would lead into the Valley of No Return." Claura asked.

"…I don't know about how they were allowed to gain an access to this valley part, but I think I have a good idea how could they know about the existence of Cave of Ages." Richard spoke up after saying nothing for quite a few minutes.

"And what would that be?" Zetarus asked.

"Remember how we broke the seal of Cave of Ages?" Richard said. "We caused quite a blast there, so… It wouldn't be hard for anyone who was happened to be around there to hear the sound of the blast we caused… And the Fireview-Dustorm border isn't very far from that place…"

"T… That!" Freya spoke up. "T… That's how I found Cave of Ages and followed all of you too."

"Moreover…" Richard continued speaking. "Despite that the seal would soon reform after we unseal it, it would take a few days before the seal could completely reform, which means that, during those time, if anyone was happened to be around there…"

"Damn it!" Claura cursed. "So, we are the main cause of why this village is attacked right now. It's all our fault…"

"Not all, Claura." Xavier said. "They may have discovered Cave of Ages since that day, but the army of invaders arrived one week after we unsealed the cave, which I believe that the seal would already be completely reformed, so they would still need a Dragon type Pokemon to unseal the seal again…"

"… Which is strange." Richard said. "How could they know that, in order to break the seal, they need a Dragon type Pokemon?"

"They may try everything they have to break the seal, just like what we did." Zetarus said. "We were just lucky that all of us here are the Dragon type Pokemon."

"Wait a minute…" Anastasia spoke up. "They send an army into this area in the first place, which means that they must have already known that there's a village of Dragon type Pokemon here… Which means that they may already know about how to break the seal."

"And how could they know about the existence of this village in a first place?" Rachael said. "And what if they really know, how could they get a Dragon type Pokemon to join up with them to break the seal?"

"… For now, let's end this, at least for now." Baromyteus spoke up. "We still don't know the true intention of their invasion. They may have learned of this village's existence, or they may come here because of any other reason."

"… But at least, there's one thing that we know." Xavier spoke up. "Their army consists of all types of Pokemon excepting for a Dragon, Dark, Poison and Ghost type Pokemon. Not counting the Dragon type Pokemon, what did you see in the common with the types of Pokemon that are absent from their army?"

"… They are the types that's native to the Shadowlost Territory." Richard answered.

"That's strange." Rachael said. "It's as if every nation on the continent of Symmetria excluding the Shadowlost Territory had sent an army to invade this place."

"Precisely." Xavier said. "That's what I think too. It seems like Venturnome, Leafbrug, Fireview, Riverbrine, Civilight and Dustorm are ganging up on just a single village located out of nowhere, and the aspect of their weapon and armor suit, according to Baromyteus, seems to perfectly fit of where they came from."

"Great… So, we are dealing with the trained army from six of seven nations on the continent of Symmetria…" Zetarus mumbled.

"And they have an advantage of their sheer amount, as well as their weapon and armor suit over us, since everyone here only uses a simple weapon such as sword and bow." Richard said. "But despite all of this, we still have an advantage of terrain over them."

"And the location of this village makes it a great place for a defensive battle." Xavier said. "In my opinion, I don't think that we could win if we go on the offensive, but if we go on the defensive, we may win."

"And here's the map of this village." Richard said as he opened the Chronicle of Darkside, making a 3D map of the Hidden Village of Dragon appeared before everyone's eyes.

"Hm…" Xavier said. "Now, I think I may have an idea about this…"

"Tell us." Baromyteus said.

* * *

 **-Meanwhile…**

In a camp somewhere in the Valley of No Return, an army from six of seven nations of Symmetria was camping them, waiting for their order from their commanders, who were a group of seven generals, who were now having a meeting within the War Camp located in the middle of the entire camp.

Inside the War Camp, seven commanders were having a meeting about what to do next. All of them were in the uniform of a high-rank general from their respective nation, except for one Pokemon who dressed in a simple battle gi used by a veteran martial fighter. They consisted of a calm Gallade from Theocracy of Venturnome, a beautiful Lurantis from the Principality of Leafburg, a hot-headed Infernape from the Fireview Kingdom, an old but experienced Walrein from the Queendom of Riverbrine, a young and peppy Manectric from the Republic of Civilight, a cunning Gliscor from the Dustorm Empire, and the Hero of Justice, who was a Lucario.

"Did the scout unit come back yet?!" General Infernape asked impatiently.

"Yes. The scout of Civilight has just returned." General Manectric answered. "Their report shows that there is a village inhabited by the Dragon type Pokemon just ahead this camp. Their amount is less than half of our army."

"Dragon type Pokemon? So, Archsage Iris is right." General Gallade said. "Those dragons must be the one who're responsible for murdering Pontifex Hawkins."

"And it seems like everyone there was now busy preparing for battle." General Manectric said. "It seems like they all have already been aware of us."

"Teehee! I'd like to see what they can do!" General Lurantis said. "They may have already been aware of us, but it's too late! There's nowhere for them to run! The only choice they have is to die by our might!"

"… Did the scout uncover the map of that village?" General Walrein asked.

"Yes." General Manectric said and placed a map on the table, and then six other generals took a look at it.

"Hm…" General Walrein said. "The entrance of the village is located on the north side of the village, the south side of this village is a mountain range, and this village is surrounded by a river from all sides, making it a semi-island village. That's a clever. This would give them an advantage on the defensive battle."

"… Sir, what should we do?" General Gallade said and turned his attention to the Lucario, who hadn't said anything for quite a few minutes. "Should we wait a bit, or should we march right now?"

"… We march right now." The Lucario answered. "Waiting longer is equal to giving them more time to prepare for our assault."

"As you say, sir." General Lurantis said. "But how should we march, sir?"

"With the advantage of our amount over them, we will assault them from three sides at the same time. First, the army of Leafburg and Riverbrine, you will assault them from the east side of the village." The Lucario said.

"Yes, sir!" General Lurantis and General Walrein said.

"Next…" The Lucario continued speaking. "The army of Fireview and Dustorm, you will assault them from the west side of the village."

"Hm!" General Infernape and General Gliscor nodded to the Lucario.

"And last, the army of Venturnome shall assault them from the north side of the village, which is the main entrance of this village." The Lucario said. "Because this is the main entrance of the village, those dragons would focus their defend on this spot. Moreover, the Dragon type Pokemon are aggressive by their nature, so if they caught our invasion, they would surely rush to the entrance of the village and attack us immediately, which leave their east side and west side of the village empty. In other words, the army of Venturnome must hold on the force of those dragons while the army of Leafburg, Riverbrine, Fireview and Dustorm try to cross the river on the eastern and western side. Once the four armies are able to cross the river, attack them from the rear, trapping them within our grasp."

"Great plan, sir." General Gallade commented. "As expected from the Hero of Justice."

"But what about the army of Civilight?" General Manectric asked.

"The army of Civilight will stand by here as the reinforcement, should any other armies need one." The Lucario answered. "After all, the army of Civilight had already done so much, especially since when you were the one who could break the seal the entrance of that cave into this valley."

"That's right!" General Infernape said. "None of our armies could break that seal, but the army of Civilight could. That's a very remarkable deed of your army."

"It was President Voltson who should be given all of your gratitude." General Manectric said. "After all, he was the one who allowed us to use the 'Secret Weapon' to break that seal."

"Hm." The Lucario said. "Now, let me rephrase what to do. First, the army of Venturnome must invade the village from the north side, but you must use the defensive tactic in your battle for now as a mean to hold on those dragons while the army of Leafburg and Riverbrine and the army of Fireview and Dustorm try to cross the river from the east side and west side of that village respectively. After the four armies are able to cross the river, attack those dragons from the rear, and the army of Venturnome will change their tactic from defensive to offensive, and then we will all crush the force of those dragons together. For the army of Civilight, you will stay here as the reinforcement."

"Everything you want, sir." General Gallade said. "We will hold onto those dragons until the army of Leafburg, Riverbrine, Fireview and Dustorm are able to cross the river."

"Teehee!" General Lurantis said. "I will do as you say."

"Leave it to me!" General Infernape said. "I will crush those bastard!"

"Yes, sir." General Walrein said. "We will not disappoint you."

"Hehehehe…" General Gliscor cackled. "This should be fun."

"As you command." General Manectric said. "The army of Civilight shall stand by here. If you want a reinforcement, just send a word and we will send our army, as well as our 'Secret Weapon' to your aid!"

"One last thing." The Lucario said. "Because the army of Venturnome is the army with the hardest job, I will go with them and battle those dragons along with them."

"Thank you, sir." General Gallade said. "Our soldiers' moral would surely be drastically increased if the Hero of Justice fights alongside them."

"Hm." The Lucario nodded. "Now, let's go, everyone! It's time for us to fight! To revenge the death of Pontifex Hawkins. To eliminate the criminal scums! To bring the justice back to our world! To preserve our world's justice!"

"HAAAAAAAH!"

* * *

 **-About an hour later... At the Hidden Village of Dragon…**

"…Are you sure that this is a good idea?" Damos asked after hearing a plan from the Dragonite.

"Probably." Xavier said.

"Probably?" Damos said. "This isn't the answer that I want!"

"Well, I am sorry that I don't have a better answer for you." Xavier said.

"You little…" Damos mumbled. "Whatever! But since I have asked you for a plan, and you have already created one, I will place a trust on your plan."

"Great that we finally reach our conclusion." Xavier said.

Over two hours had already passed since the denizens of Hidden Village of Dragon had come and met each others at the center square of the village, and right now, everyone was also here too, except that all of them were armed with their weapon, and their bodies were covered in their armor suit. This also applied to a group of the dragon who came from the world outside this valley. (Except that all of them were still in their usual uniform, which meant that Anastasia, Zetarus, Rachael, Richard, Freya and Snow were wearing cloth, Claura wore a light armor suit, and Xavier, Baromyteus and Diego wore a heavy armor suit.)

"And what about you all?" While Damos was standing in the middle of the center square and explained their plan to everyone, Xavier turned his attention to his friends and asked them a question. "Did you all understand what you must do?"

"Yes." Diego said. "According to your plan, I'm going with Zetarus…"

"…Which is perfectly fine, as long as I'm with Diego." Zetarus said.

"With Zetarus going with Diego, Xavier, I'm with you, right?" Claura said.

"Right." Xavier nodded to his cousin.

"…I don't have any problem with the role you gave me." Baromyteus spoke. "But why did you have to make Anastasia come with me?! My role is the most dangerous one! While I myself don't have any problem, making Anastasia come with me would only put her in a grave danger!"

"I have already told you that I will be alright, brother!" Anastasia said. "I am not afraid of those invaders, and I will prove that I could be useful in a battle too!"

"Sigh…" Baromyteus said. "Just… Do not leave my side, Anastasia."

"Okay, brother." Anastasia nodded to her brother.

"And so, that would leave Onii-chan and I at the rear." Rachael said.

"While we are at the rear, not a front line like the rest of you, our role is important too." Richard said. "Failing this role may equal to the instant defeat of our side."

"And while you all have a fight to do, Freya and I will stay here and support everyone." Snow said.

"I… I am not good at fighting, so supporting is the best I can do." Freya said. "But I promise that I won't let you down!"

"And before I forgot, here're your weapon." Diego said before he handed over three weapons that were given to him earlier back to their respective owners, which were Freya, Snow and Anastasia. "They are now at the second tier, so I am sure that, at least, it would make you all live a litter longer."

"T… Thank you… W… Wow!" Freya said as she received her healing rod back from the Mega Charizard X, and saw that her weapon was a bit different than before. First, the carving of the vine that coiled around the handle of her staff now possessed several thorns, and the color of the rose at the tip had turned into crimson red.

"I add some thorns at its handle to increase its damage, after all, what's with a rose without thorns? Oh, and don't worry about those thorns, and it will never hurt the owner of that weapon." Diego explained. "And for the rose, I add some red gemstones I found while I was in the Fireview Kingdom in order to increase its healing capacity and its range, so that it is not only able to heal someone beside you, but also someone who's not too far from you too. However, because I added several red gemstones, the rose's color had changed from pink into crimson red. I hope that you won't get mad at me for this."

"No! I… I am not mad, but I am happy that y… you did it for me." Freya said. "A… And since the rose at the tip isn't pink anymore, I… I will now call it 'Crimson Rose'."

"Glad you like it." Diego said before turning his attention to Snow, who was holding his newly-upgraded dagger in his paw. While the dagger itself wasn't much different than before, one could notice that the blade this dagger had changed from white to pale blue, and it was now having several carvings in the shape of snowflake on the blade.

"For your dagger, I mix some light blue gemstone I have into its blade to make the blade sharper and more durable. I also throw in the carvings of snowflake as a bonus, as it fits your name."

"And my gratitude is also yours too, Diego." Snow said. "Since now it has the carvings of snowflake at its blade, I shall now give it a name 'Snowflake Dagger'."

"Suit yourself." Diego said and turned his attention to the last Pokemon who had just gotten her weapon back from him, Anastasia. "How about you, Anastasia? What do you think of your newly-upgraded weapon?"

"…You amazed me, Diego." Anastasia answered and looked at her harp, which its handle was now having a beautiful and exotic abstract carving. While it may don't seem like that Diego had done anything else to upgrade this harp, when Anastasia played it, the sound it made is more beautiful and serene than before. "It's very hard to upgrade a magical harp, but you are still able to do it, and you did a great job for someone who isn't an expert instrument maker."

"Yes, it's very hard, but I manage to upgrade it." Diego said. "The carving doesn't only make it more beautiful, but it also gives you a better handling over this weapon. And I upgrade the string a little so that it would play a better sound."

"And from the bottom of my heart, I thank you, Diego." Anastasia said. "Now I shall call my newly-upgraded magical harp 'Tenor Harp'."

"And so, everyone here now has a decent weapon." Baromyteus said. "And look, it seems like that guy has just finished his job."

Everyone then turned their attention to Damos and saw that he seemed to have already finished explaining their plan to other villagers, and he was now managing everyone according to the plan. Also, as everyone expected, after Damos finished explaining his plan, Elder Baldr and Korben were then heading toward a group of ten dragons from the world outside this valley.

"So, according to the plan, I will stay in the rear and act as a figurehead of everyone, right?" Elder Baldr asked.

"Right." Xavier said. "I know that, like everyone, you want to fight with everyone to protect your home, it would be better if you stay on the back line and act as a figurehead of so that it would boost the moral of everyone here, as you are respected by everyone."

"Ho! Ho! Ho!" Elder Baldr said. "If this plan would bring a victory onto us,then I will be happy to oblique to your plan!"

"And I will stay with Elder Baldr in order to guard him." Korben said. "You all can leave this job to me."

"Don't overdo yourself, Korben." Richard said. "If you found yourself in a tight spot, do not be hesitate to call Rachael and me, as we will be not too far from you, and we will go and help you immediately."

"Thank you, everyone." Korben said and turned his attention back to Elder Baldr. "Let's go, grandpa. The battle will start soon, and you shouldn't be on the front line."

"Okay." Elder Baldr said and turned his attention to everyone for the last time. "Everyone, may the Dragon God bless all of you!"

After finished speaking, Elder Baldr started flying toward the south of the village, and Korben was about to follow him when he was called by someone...

"…Korben."

"Hm?" Korben turned his attention to the owner of the voice and realized that the owner of the voice was a Pokemon in the black armor suit, Baromyteus.

"W… What's wrong, Baromyteus?" Korben asked with a hint of fear in his voice.

"…Don't die out there, kid." Baromyteus said. "If you die, I will never forgive you."

"…Yes, I promise." Korben answered. "I promise that I will survive, at least until the end of this battle."

"Are you sure?" Baromyteus continued asking. This time, however, he asked the Hakamo-o with a sinister voice. "The things I hate most in my life are lies and deception, and you should know that I don't take kindly to the people who break their promise."

"..." Korben said nothing in response after hearing Baromyteus' words.

"Forget it…" Baromyteus said. "Now go!"

"Okay, Baromyteus." Korben said and quickly run away from the center square of the village to join with Elder Baldr, leaving a group of Pokemon from the world outside this valley alone at the center square.

"…Xavier, can I ask you something?" Richard spoke up to the Dragonite after seeing that Elder Baldr and Korben had already left. "What will happen if your plan fail, or if we are defeated?"

"Simple, we die." Xavier answered with a nonchalant voice. "We don't have anywhere to run, so, if we don't win, those invaders will not show us their mercy."

"…" Richard said nothing after hearing Xavier's answered.

"Look!" Claura said as her attention was focused on the entrance of the village. Everyone then turned their attention toward the entrance of the village and saw that, other than themselves, there was no one else at the center square of the village, and they saw that the dragons of this village were now standing at the entrance of the village. Moreover, they could see an army of invaders not too far from the entrance of the village, and they were moving toward the entrance of the village!

"It's finally the time." Baromyteus said. "I will go and join their battle now."

"Won't you say anything else, Baromyteus?" Zetarus asked. "This may be the last time we met each other, so won't you give a single farewell word to us."

"For what?" Baromyteus asked. "If it's for that I may be dead, forget it. I am already dead. You can't kill a man who's already dead. But if it's for your funeral, forget it. You don't deserve one from me."

After finished speaking, Baromyteus turned his attention to his younger sister. "Let's go, Anastasia. And do not ever leave my side. I promise that we both will live through this battle together."

"Okay, my brother." Anastasia said, and then the Goodra and the Shiny Haxorus ran up toward the entrance of the village to join up with the warriors from this village.

"Such an arrogant bastard!" Claura grumbled and turned her attention to her cousin. "Let's go, Xavier. "

"Okay, Claura." Xavier said. "But don't die in this battle, okay? Because I don't want to carry your fat-filled body back to Kingdom of the Dragonking for the funeral."

"XAVIER!" Claura roared at her cousin, but Xavier was too fast as he had already ran away from the center square of the village, making the Kingdra quickly ran after them, leaving only six Pokemon at the center square of the village.

"… To think that that Dragonite is still able to joke at a time like this…" Diego mumbled before turning his attention to Zetarus. "Zetarus, you have already survived my blade since the first time we met each other, so… Don't die here, okay?"

"Heh…" Zetarus looked at the Mega Charizard X. "Don't tell me that you are so worried about me?"

"S… Shut up you bastard!" Diego said and turned his face away. "I… I am sure that you won't die since you still haven't finished your mission yet. It's not that I am worried about you or anything!"

"Hehehehe…" Zetarus let out a crafty laughed before turning his attention to Freya. "I will be going now, Freya. Promise me that you will survive, okay? I don't want to get scolded by Terrus if you die."

"O… Okay, brother." Freya said. "You too, brother. Take care."

"Hm." Zetarus nodded to his younger sister before turning his attention to Diego. "Let's go, Diego."

"Right behind you." Diego said before he and Zetarus started running away from the center square of the village, leaving only four Pokemon here.

"And everyone has already gone…" Rachael said. "Let's go, Onii-chan. We also have a work to— Onii-chan?" Rachael's words were cut off when she noticed that her brother was neither looking at her nor paying his attention to her words.

"…" Richard said nothing.

"Onii-chan!" Rachael said again. This time, her voice was able to reach her brother's mind.

"Oh, hm?! What's wrong, Rachael?" Richard quickly turned his attention to his younger sister.

"What were you doing, Onii-chan?" Rachael asked. "You seem to have something on your mind. Is there something that troubles you?"

"…Xavier's words." Richard answered with a serious voice.

"Xavier's words?" Rachael said.

"…I don't like this." Richard said. "That Dragonite said that, if we don't win, we will all die. I don't like this."

"…" Rachael said nothing after hearing her brother's words.

"We came here because we want to find a place that we could call home, not to die." Richard said. "I won't accept this. I won't die here, and I won't let you die here either, Rachael."

"Onii-chan…" Rachael said.

"…Let's go, Rachael." Richard said. "For now, all we can do is doing according to Xavier's plan."

"Okay, Onii-chan!" Rachael said, and then both of them started flying away from the center square, leaving the last two Pokemon here, who will also stay here during the battle to support them.

"Everyone…" Freya preyed. "Please… Be careful… Please… Be safe…"

"Please, oh mighty god..." Snow preyed. "Please grant your protection to everyone…"

* * *

 **-Meanwhile… Not too far from the entrance of the village…**

"So… This is the village where those criminal bastards are hiding?" The Lucario said. Right now, he, along with General Gallade, was standing at the back line of the Venturnome Army, which was now standing not too far from the entrance of Hidden Village of Dragon. From that spot, they could see that the dragons of the village, armed with weapons and cloaked in armor suits, were now assembling at the entrance of the village, preparing for the battle that would erupt within a few minutes.

"Yes." General Gallade answered. "It seems like they are assembling at the entrance of the village, just like what you say."

"Which mean that our plan should be effective." The Lucario said. "General Gallade, what would do next?"

"According to your plan, we will charge and hold onto them until Leafburg Army, Fireview Army, Riverbrine Army and Dustorm Army are able to cross the river." General Gallade said. "But… First, following the code of the warrior, the general of each army shall exchange their words about their identity before the battle begins."

"… In my opinion, this won't be necessary as I see them as no mere a group of criminal scum." The Lucario said. "And so, I will leave this honor to you, General Gallade."

"Thank you, sir." General Gallade said. "I shall go to the front line now. Sir, please stay at the back line and cover the rear for all of us."

"Of course." The Lucario said. "But should the front line needs a help, I will go and help you fight those criminal scum."

"Thank you, sir." General Gallade said before he started walking from the back line of Venturnome Army to the front line of the same army. Right now, the only thing that separated him from the group of dragons were a short distant between the Venturnome Army and the entrance of the village.

"Hear my words, dragons of this valley!" General Gallade started speaking to the army of dragons in front of him. "I am General Gallade of the Theocracy of Venturnome. We come here by the authority of—"

"Shut those bxxxxxxt up!" One of the dragons, which was a Haxorus armed with a long sword, spoke up. "What do you all want from us?! And why did you have to send an army to invade our home?!"

"We have a report that this place is a lair of the criminals who have fled from the law's justice." General Gallade said. "Moreover, about a month ago, Pontifex Hawkins, the pontifex of Theocracy of Venturnome, was murdered, and we have a report that the criminal who had committed this sin had fled into this valley. And so, we could not allow you to continue living anymore."

"This is bxxxxxxt!" The same Haxorus spoke up again. "That's just your excuse for killing all of us!"

"And so…" General Gallade continued speaking. "The dragons of this valley, you don't have anywhere else to run, so, if you surrender, then we will at least grant you a quick and justified death—"

"Never!" The Haxorus roared. "We dragons would choose to die rather than bow our head and plea for mercy from you!"

"So, you choose to continue resisting the law of justice?" General Gallade said. "If that's so, then we don't have anything to speak with each other."

"Right!" The Haxorus said and turned his attention to the army of Dragon type Pokemon behind him. "Everyone! This is it! This is a fight for our home! Let's go and teach those bastards the might of dragon!"

"RAAAWWWRRRRR!" The dragons of Hidden Village of Dragon roared out after hearing the Haxorus' speech.

"Everyone, now it's time for us to fight!" While the Haxorus was speaking to the army of dragons behind him, General Gallade turned back to speak to the Venturnome Army behind him. "This is a fight for our land! For our land! For our Pontifex! For justice!"

"HAAHHHHH!" The Pokemon of the Venturnome Army roared out after hearing a speech from their commander.

"EVERYONE, CHARGE!" General Gallade ordered.

"WITH ME, EVERYONE!" The Haxorus roared.

"HAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!"

"RAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWRRRRRR!"

* * *

"W… What is that?!" Freya spoke up after a loud noise of roar started echoing through the entire area of Valley of No Return, which were soon followed by a sound of weapon clashing. "D… Don't tell me that…"

"The battle…" Snow spoke with a serious voice. "The battle has already begun."

* * *

 **-Meanwhile… At the east side of the village…**

"The battle has already begun, huh?" General Lurantis said. "Which mean that the Venturnome Army is keeping those dragons occupied right now."

"Let's not waste any time, General Lurantis." General Walrein said. "While the Venturnome Army is keeping those dragons occupied, we must cross the river and meet up with Fireview Army and Dustorm Army as soon as possible."

"Right." General Lurantis said before turning her attention toward the Leafburg Army. "Let's go, my comrade!"

"The Army of Riverbrine, follow my lead!" General Warein spoke to the Riverbrine Army.

"HAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"

The Leafburg Army and the Riverbrine Army, both which were lurking at the east side of the village then started moving toward the river the separated their army from the Hidden Village of Dragon.

"Now, the Riverbrine Army! Cross the river!" General Walrein ordered as the Riverbrine Army reached the river that separated themselves from the village. "Once we cross the river, we shall march ourself upon victo—"

General Walrein's words were suddenly cut off, which made everyone in the Riverbrine Army, as well as the Leafburg Army, turned their attention to him and realized that he was now lying on the ground without moving any part of his body, and there was an arrow stuck in his chest. In other words, he was already dead.

"Wha— ARRRGGGGGGGG!" The Riverbrine Army and the Leafburg Army were suddenly bombarded by a rain of arrow flying from the other side of the river! Those arrows were fired from none other than a legion of dragons from the village!

"WHAT?!" General Lurantis spoke up with a surprised voice. "Those dragons?! Why are they here?! And how could— ARRRRRR!" General Lurantis' words were cut off when she had to take a cover from the rain of arrow that were bombarded onto her army, as well as the Riverbrine Army.

* * *

 **-Meanwhile… On the other side of the river…**

"Nice shot, Xavier." Claura commented. "You have done a great job getting rid of the enemy's general with a single shot."

"Yawn…" Xavier yawned. He was holding a crossbow within his paw right now.

"And they really deserve that shot! That Walrein is nothing more than a pathetic fxxxxs!" Claura said. She was also holding a simple crossbow within her grasp. "But it seems like your plan work, Xavier."

"Hm, hm…" Xavier said and looked at a legion of Dragon type Pokemon beside him, who were firing the arrow from their bow and crossbow at the Leafburg Army and Riverbrine Army on the other side of the river. "Judging by the nature of the Dragon type Pokemon, the army of invaders would surely use the plan of having a single army as a decoy while other armies will try to cross the river from both sides of the village, and then they will trap our legion within their grasp…"

"… Which you could easily grasp their tactic." Claura said. "And then you make a plan to counter their tactic, by sending only some but the most powerful warriors of our side, including Baromyteus and Anastasia, to fight the decoy army. And for the rest of us, you separated everyone else into two legions and sent them to guard each side of the river."

"That's right." Xavier said. "And what we, as well as the legion that guards the west side of the village, must do right now is preventing the army of invader from crossing the river, and the main legion of our side must defeat the decoy army as soon as possible. If the main legion of us could defeat the decoy army before other invader armies cross the river, we could easily turn the tactic they used against us to be used against them instead."

"But if other invader armies could cross the river before our main legion could defeat their decoy army, we could still win by fighting them with our legion at a close range!" Claura said. "This doesn't count the 'surprise' we have for those invaders if they manage to cross the river."

"But right now, for this side, we have an upperhand, as we have just killed one of the enemy's general." Xavier said. "This would drastically decrease enemy's moral, giving us an opportunity to strike them with ease."

"But what about the west side?" Claura said and glanced back to somewhere behind her. "Are you sure that leaving the west side with those two would be a good idea?"

"It's either us or those two who must go with either side, so it's not much difference if we go with the west side or the east side." Xavier said. "But judge by the army in front of our eyes, I think that we staying with the east side is good enough, as, by the look at it, the armies we are facing right now are the Leafburg Army and Riverbrine Army. Sure, the Leafburg Army isn't much of a threat to us, but the Riverbrine Army is dangerous due to being an army that consists of Ice type and Water type Pokemon, giving them an advantage of crossing the river. This is why I, the tactician of our side, should continue staying with this side in case that the Riverbrine Army could cross the river."

"But what about the west side?" Claura said while firing the arrow from the crossbow at the armies on the other side of the river.

"Without the Riverbrine Army, it shouldn't be a problem." Xavier answered. "And if the army that the west side must face consisted of either Fireview Army or Dustorm Army, or both, we should almost have a perfect chance of victory since Fireview Army is weak to water, and over half of Dustorm Army is also weak to water too."

"But as far as I know, Dustorm Army consisted of not only Ground type Pokemon, but also Flying Pokemon too, isn't it? So they could easily fly across the river."

"And the arrow to their wing will make a short work out of them." Xavier said. "Especially since one of the best sniper among us is with the legion on the west side."

* * *

 **-Meanwhile… At the west side of the village, across the river…**

"ARRGGG! WHAT ARE YOU ALL DOING?!" General Infernape roared. "THEY ARE JUST A SMALL LEGION OF CRIMINAL! WHY CAN'T YOU ALL DEAL WITH THEM?!"

"But General Infernape, their arrows prevent us from crossing the river!" One of the soldiers in the Fireview Army said.

"WHAT ABOUT THE DUSTORM ARMY?!" General Infernape asked. "HOW'RE THEY DOING RIGHT NOW?!"

"Not good, sir! Their situation is even worse than us!" Another soldier in the Fireview Army answered. "The Flying type Pokemon of the Dustorm Empire were shot down by the enemy's arrow, making them unable to continue fighting!"

"GRRRRRRR!" General Infernape roared. "STEP AWAY! LET ME SHOW THOSE DAMNED DRAGONS OUR STRENGTH— ARRGGGGG"

General Infernape suddenly fell down onto the ground, and he was no more moving as he was shot by an arrow in his face at the spot between his eyes!

"G…General Infernape!" The soldiers of Fireview Army yelled out with a shaking voice as their leader was killed in front of their eyes!

* * *

 **-Meanwhile… On the other side of the river…**

"Headshot!" Zetarus said and looked at the Mega Charizard X beside him, who was holding a crossbow in his paw. "Good job, Diego."

"Hm!" Diego grumbled as he continued shooting the enemies with the crossbow in his paw.

"I knew that you are a great physical attacker and a good magic user…" Zetarus continued speaking. "But I have never thought that you are also a decent long-ranged attacker too."

"That's because I am a gladiator, Zetarus." Diego temporary stopped shooting the enemies with his crossbow to speak with Zetarus. "While I was in the Brawl Arena, I have to survive using any weapon I could find, so I have quite a bit of experience with many types of weapon, but I found myself being the best at using a Naginata, which is the reason why it's my weapon of choice."

"I see…" Zetarus said. "This means that we both are equal to each other."

"And what does that mean?" Diego asked.

"It means that you are a user of pole weapon with a skill of using a long range weapon, while I am a long range weapon with a skill of using a pole weapon." Zetarus answered.

"You? Pole weapon?" Diego said with a skeptical voice. "I have never seen you using a pole weapon, Zetarus."

"Oh, you want to see me using one?" Zetarus spoke with a crafty night. "Okay, tonight I will show you how I handle my spear—Ouch!"

Zetarus' words were cut off when his face was bashed with a crossbow of the Mega Charizard X, who seemed to be flustered by the Garchomp's words.

"Shut up, Zetarus." Diego said while Zetarus was rubbing his face at where he was bashed with Diego's crossbow. "Now, less talking and more fighting. We still have a lot of fxxxxxg bastards to crush."

"Aww… You are no fun at all at a time like this…" Zetarus mumbled as Diego turned his attention back to shooting the enemies with the crossbow. "But… This is also what I like about you, Diego."

* * *

 **-Meanwhile… Near the entrance of Hidden Village of Dragon…**

"GRRAAAAAAAWWWWW!"

"CLANNNKKK!"

A body of a Venturnome Soldier fell down onto the floor when his body was slashed by a sharp blade at his chest, immediately killed him within a single hit.

"Pathetic…" Baromyteus mumbled as he continued slashing the soldiers of Venturnome Army around him. Right now, a legion of the strongest warriors from the Hidden Village of Dragon was fighting against the Venturnome Army. While the Dragon Side was at the disadvantage due to their lessor number, they made up with their ferocity, which made this battle even.

"Brother, are you alright?" Anastasia said as she attacked the enemy who tried to attack her by playing her Tenor Harp, which generated deadly melodies to attack the enemies. "Here, let me help you."

Anastasia started singing a beautiful song, as well as playing her Tenor Harp, to her brother. This time, the Tenor Harp generated soothing melodies, which get rid of Baromyteus' fatigue!

"Thanks, Anastasia." Baromyteus said. "Damn it… The enemies are tougher than I thought…"

"W… Will we be alright?" Anastasia said. "Some warriors on our side had already got injured beyond their fighting capacity!"

"Did you tell them to go back to the center square yet?" Baromyteus asked while slashing the enemy in front of him with his claws, attacking them with the move Dragon Claw.

"Yes." Anastasia answered before releasing a light blue beam at the enemy who tried to attack her off-guard, attacking them with the move Dragon Breath. "Freya and Snow are now healing them."

"Their healing process is going slowly." Baromyteus said before attacking the enemy by crossing his claws in the x-shape, attacking them with the move X-Scissors. "This won't do good for a long-term battle! We must do something, and fast!"

"I know!" Anastasia said while evading the attack from a Venturnome Soldier. "Brother, why don't you use your Sword Dance?"

"Sword Dance?!" Baromyteus roared as he slashed his Dragon Claw Swords at the Venturnome Soldier who tried to attack Anastasia earlier. "I can handle myself just fine without wasting my time by using that move!"

"Brother, it's not like that!" Anastasia said as she continued attacking the enemy with her Tenor Harp. "Trust me, brother!"

"Fine!" Baromyteus roared, and then he crossed his swords in the X-shape in front of him before he started performing a drastic and violent dance using his swords, increasing his attack by two states. However, his Sword Dance didn't only affect him, but it also affected Anastasia, as well as the other warriors on his side who were not too far from him, giving them more vitality for the battle!

"It works!" Anastasia said. "Your Sword Dance didn't only affect you and me, but it also affected everyone around here too!"

"But how could that be?" Baromyteus said before he quickly shielded himself and Anastasia from the Venturnome Soldier who tried to attack them by using one of his Dragon Claw Swords to block their attack, and then he countered back with another Dragon Claw Swords that wasn't being used to block the attack. "My Sword Dance would only affect the one I consider my allies… Wait, don't tell me that…"

"You start to consider others as your allies…" Anastasia said while bashing the enemy with her Tenor Harp. "… Unlike before when you always shunned others out and lives alone without anyone else in your life."

"Heh… Whatever…" Baromyteus said and continued slashing the enemy with his Dragon Claw Swords. "But they are still just my 'allies', not my friends, Anastasia."

"That may be true." Anastasia said and played a song from her Tenor Harp to remove Baromyteus' fatigue. "But while you may still haven't considered everyone as your friends, at least you already have some friends, right?"

"… Let's not talk about them right now." Baromyteus answered and attacked the enemy with the move Dragon Claw. "For now, let's focus on surviving this fight!"

"Right!" Anastasia said and attacked the enemy with the move Dragon Breath.

* * *

 **-Meanwhile… On the other side of the village's entrance…**

"Damn those dragons!" General Gallade said as he fought against the dragons who tried to attack him, which he soon was able to defeat them.

"Sir, are you alright?!" One of the Venturnome Soldiers asked.

"I am fine, at least for now." General Gallade said. "Now tell me the situation of our troops!"

"This is bad, sir!" The same soldier answered. "Our defensive tactic doesn't work against them!"

"What about the other armies?!" General Gallade asked. "Have them cross the river yet?!"

"Not yet, sir!" The Venturnome Soldier answered. "They were ambushed by another enemy legions! None of them could cross the river right now!"

"Damn it…" General Gallade said. "We can't hold them for much longer, if this continues, we may—"

"General, look out!"

"!" General Gallade had just noticed that there was a dragon rushing up to him and tried to attack him off-guard! It was so fast that he couldn't do anything to defend himself from their attack!

But…

"ARGG!"

Instead of General Gallade, it was the dragon who tried to attack him who was attacked and killed! But the one who killed this dragon wasn't General Gallade himself, but the…

"H… Hero of Justice?!" General Gallade said after seeing the Pokemon who had just saved his life by killing the dragon that tried to attack him. This Pokemon was none other than a Lucario in a battle gi, who was known as the Hero of Justice.

"Are you alright, General Gallade?" The Lucario asked after he had just defeated the dragon that tried to kill General Gallade. "Wait, what I am saying, of course you don't! We are in the middle of battle, after all!"

"Thank you so much, Hero of Justice." General Gallade thanked. "But… Why are you here?"

"I have seen that the situation has grown worse, so I rush here to your aid." The Lucario said.

"Thank you for your help, Hero of Justice." General Gallade said. "But… No offense, but it seems that our side is at the disadvantage here."

"You are right." The Lucario said. "I didn't think that those criminal scums would possess this much threat."

"What should we do, sir?" General Gallade asked.

"Send the messenger to our camp!" The Lucario answered. "Tell General Manectric to send the reinforcement to us at once!"

"Okay, sir!" General Gallade said before he turned his attention to one of the Venturnome Soldier to give them the order, and then that soldier quickly left the battlefield for the camp.

"And now, shall we go, General Gallade?" The Lucario spoke up after General Gallade finished ordering his underling. "Let's eliminate these low-lives together."

"I'm with you all the way, Hero of Justice." General Gallade answered.

* * *

 **Meanwhile…** **At the center square of the village…**

"…There…" Freya said as she pointed her Crimson Rose at the Hydreigon in front of her, who was just being healed by the Flygon's healing rod. "This should be alright for you."

"Thank you, Freya!" The Hydreigon roared as she had regained her strength after being injured in a battle. "Now it's time for me to continue this battle!"

After finished speaking, the Hydreigon quickly flew toward the entrance of the village to continue her battle with the Venturnome Army, and the Flygon moved to heal the next injured dragon.

"Freya!"

"Hm?" While healing an injured Altaria, Freya turned her head toward the owner of the voice and saw an Altaria and a Deino quickly rushed up to her. Both Pokemon were none other than Lyzia and Unos.

"W… What's wrong, Lyzia, Unos?" Freya asked with a shaking voice as she saw Lyzia and Unos quickly dashed up to her.

"Father!" Lyzia cried and quickly approached the injured Altaria whome Freya was healing. "A… Are you alright?! Please, don't die!"

"I am still alright, Lyzia…" The male Altaria, whose injuries were finally healed by the Flygon, answered while he was able to stand up again. "It's all thank to this Flygon."

"T… Thank you so much, Freya!" Lyzia turned her attention to the Flygon and thanked her. "I… I don't know what to say… I really, really thank you…"

"And now, I will return to the battle. Be safe, my daughter!" The male Altaria said as he flew toward the east side of the village.

"B… But…" Unos said as he looked around, as if he was trying to find someone. "Where's my mother?! I heard that she was injured in the battle!"

"O… Oh, don't worry about her…" Freya answered. "I… I have just healed her… A… And she has just gotten back to the battle."

"Oh! I am so relieved!" Unos said. "Thank you so much, Freya!"

"Right!" Lyzia said. "Not only you saved my father's life, but also the life Unos' mother too!"

"I… I just want to be a bit of use to everyone here…" Freya answered. "B… By the way, why are both of you here? I thought that you two would be at either the West Legion or the East Legion…"

"Oh, that's right!" Lyzia said. "Freya, have you seen Rachael and Richard?"

"Rachael and Richard?" Freya repeated the name of the dragons she had just heard.

"Right!" Unos said. "Both legions that guard both sides of the village almost run out of their arrows, so we need their back-up, and fast!"

"I… If I remember correctly… T… They should be at Elder Baldr's house." Freya said.

"That's where Elder Baldr and Korben are, right?" Lyzia said. "Elder Baldr was staying there as a figurehead of our side, and Korben is guarding him."

"R… Right." Freya said. "Rachael and Richard choose to stay not too far from them in case of emergency."

"Got it." Unos said and turned his attention to the Altaria beside him. "Let's get moving, Lyzia."

"Right, Unos!" Lyzia said before she started rushing toward Elder Baldr's house, and Unos quickly followed her.

"…Freya."

Shortly after Unos and Lyzia had already left, another voice called the name of the Flygon again. This time, however, wasn't the Pokemon of this village who called her name, but it was…

"S… Snow?" Freya said as she turned her attention toward the Draconic Lapras, who was standing beside her. "I… Is there any injured Pokemon that needs healing right away?"

"Freya…" Snow said. "You seem to overdo yourself. Why don't you take a little break?"

"I… I can't." Freya said. "Everyone is out there, fighting to protect their home, and I can't afford to be comfortable alone at a time like this."

"But—" Snow was about to continue speaking, but Freya continued her words first.

"M… Moreover, the one who's overwork is you, Snow." Freya said. "I can see that you are tired right now, but you hide it within the façade of yours. You should be the one who could use a little break."

"…" Snow said nothing after hearing Freya's words.

"Snow, what's wrong?" Freya asked. "Did you have something on your mind?"

"…I am just worried about everyone." Snow answered.

"Me too…" Freya said. "I… I hope that everyone is alright right now…"

"… Please be safe, everyone…" Snow said.

* * *

 **-Meanwhile… At the east side of the village, across the river…**

"General Lurantis!" One of the soldiers of the Leafburg Army approached General Lurantis. "The enemy seems to almost run out of arrows!

"Finally!" General Lurantis said. "Now it's time for us to resume our assault!"

"Another report, madam!" Another Leafburg soldier appeared and spoke up. "The Riverbrine Army is now crossing the river! It shouldn't take long before they succeed in crossing the river!"

"Excellent!" General Lurantis said. "But we can't lose to the Riverbrine Army either! Now let's proceed and—"

"BOOOMMM!"

"ARRRRGGRGRGRGRGRRR!"

Suddenly, a giant bolt of lightning stuck down upon the Leafburg Army and Riverbrine Army, as well as the entire river (East side) that separated both armies from the village! The bolt of lightning, while didn't do much damage to the Pokemon of the Leafburd due to their type advantage over the electric attack, it caused a serious damage to over half of the Riverbrine Army!

"W… What's that?!" General Lurantis said.

"Madam!" One of the soldiers of the Leafburg Army spoke up. "The lightning bolt had just defeated over half of the Riverbrine Army, as well as all soldiers who were in the process of crossing the river!"

"How could that be?!" General Lurantis said. "And where did that lightning bolt come from?!"

"It seems like it was the enemy who conjured that lightning bolt, madam." The same Leafburg soldier answered.

"The enemy?!" General Lurantis said. "That's impossible! It takes a very powerful mage and a very powerful tome to conjure that lightning! There shouldn't be one among the enemy!"

"W… What should we do next, madam?!" Another Leafburg soldier asked.

"Continue crossing the river!" General Lurantis ordered. "While that spell is very powerful and effective, it takes some time for one could cast the spell, and this is our chance to proceed!"

"Yes, madam!" The Leafburg soldier said before quickly passed their general's message to other soldiers.

"Those dragons…" General Lurantis mumbled as she looked across the river. "We couldn't underestimate them anymore…"

* * *

 **-Meanwhile… Somewhere near Elder Baldr's house…**

"Onii-chan!" Rachael said. "Your spell seems to work!"

"See? I told you that it would work." Richard said. Right now, both siblings were staying at a large courtyard in front of Elder Baldr's house. "Do not ever underestimate the holder of the Chronicle of Darkside, like me."

"I was so worried when Lyzia and Unos came here a while ago to ask us to hurry with our plan." Rachael said. "But it seems that everything turns out just fine."

"In truth, they shouldn't waste their time by coming here just to rush me." Richard said. "This kind of work couldn't be rushed, or else I might miss the point where I want the lightning bolt to strike, which could damage our allies instead."

"And that won't be a good thing…" Rachael said.

"That's right." Richard said. "Moreover, in order to effectively cast this spell, I must wait for them to be in the process of crossing the river, so that the lightning bolt would do the most damage, as water, not the pure one, is conductor, meaning that the lightning bolt would deal a great damage to the enemies while they are in the river as, like water, the body of living creature is also a conductor due to—"

"Okay, that's enough, Onii-chan." Rachael interrupted her brother's rambling. "And shouldn't you start preparing for the next lightning bolt to damage the enemies on the west side of this village?"

"That won't do, Rachael." Richard answered. "According to Unos' words, the armies that invaded the west side of the village are the Fireview Army and Dustorm Army. Of course, being disadvantaged to water, both armies wouldn't want to step into the river much, so they would try to find another way to cross the river without swimming. Moreover, the Ground type Pokemon of Dustorm Army are immune to the Electric attack too."

"And what about the enemies at the entrance of the village?" Rachael asked.

"Absolutely not, Rachael." Richard answered. "What if the lightning bolt hit our allies too? You don't want Baromyteus to rush here and cut our head off, right?"

"EEEEKKK!" Rachael screamed a bit after hearing a threatening words from her brother. "D… Don't say anything like that, Onii-chan!"

"Whatever…" Richard said.

"But with your spell, there's no way that we can lose, right?" Rachael asked.

"I think so." Richard mumbled. "I don't want to die here, and I don't want you to die here either, so I will do anything in order to survive this ordeal… No matter the cost…"

"Onii-chan?" Rachael looked at her elder brother.

"… Anyway…" Richard continued speaking. "Other than a powerful tome and a skilled magic user, you will also need a right condition in order to execute this spell. The 'condition' I mentioned is that the weather around here must be similar to the weather when the natural lightning bolt strikes."

"So…" Rachael said. "You mean that the weather must be either rainy or cloudy in order to cast this spell?"

"Right." Richard answered. "Luckily, the atmosphere of the Valley of No Return has created a good simulation to the perfect condition for casting this spell."

"Oh, that's right!" Rachael said. "Valley of No Return has an almost-completed roofing over the entire area, making the atmosphere here darker than other place, just like when it's cloudy!"

"Moreover…" Richard continued speaking. "While there's a single opening on the roofing over this valley, which allowed the living creatures in the area of this valley to enjoy the sunlight, the mist that covered the opening on the roofing of this valley made it impossible to see through it. In other words, while sunlight is able to pass through the mist that covers the roofing, anyone who's outside this valley couldn't see through the mist, as well as the living creatures of this valley, which couldn't see the world outside this valley through this valley too."

"And the mist is similar to the cloud, making it seems like this valley is always cloudy!" Rachael said. "I got it!"

"Right." Richard said. "As long as the roofing of this valley is still being covered by the impenetrable mist, the spell of mine would still work effectively."

* * *

 **-Meanwhile… Near the entrance of Hidden Village of Dragon…**

"YAHHH!"

"ARRGG!"

A Venturnome soldier was stabbed by a broadsword, killing him immediately. The one who killed him was a dragon from the Hidden Village of Dragon who was assigned to fight at the entrance of the village, despite being younger than everyone else here.

"Still alive, huh?"

A familiar voice turned the attention of this dragon to the owner of the voice, who were a Pokemon in the black armor suit, as well as his sparring partner. Beside this Pokemon was a beautiful female Goodra in the songstress dress.

"You too?" Dimitri said as he stuck his broadsword on the ground and wiped his sweat. "I am surprised that you didn't get your head chopped off during the first ten minutes of this fight."

"Insolent brat…" Baromyteus mumbled. "Why are you fighting here alone? Where are your friends? Did they abandon you because they couldn't stand a chance against your rotten nature?"

"You seem to be ignorant, big guy." Dimitri said. "Korben is guarding Elder Baldr, and Unos, Lyzia and Noctus are fighting with either the west legion or the east legion, so that's why they aren't with me right now."

"And your father?" Anastasia asked. "Where is he? I haven't seen him around here since the battle begins…"

"He rushed ahead just a while ago." Dimitri answered. "He told me that he would go and bring down the enemy's general."

"Stupid Damos…" Baromyteus mumbled. "Did he really want to die that much? He should ask me to cut his head off instead. It's much easier than doing this sxxt."

"You underestimated my father, big guy." Dimitri said before he quickly cut down the Venturnome soldier who tried to attack him off-guard. "He is stronger than he looks, and I doubt that you would be stronger than him."

"And that just gives me an idea." Baromyteus said as he attacked the Venturnome soldier with Dragon Claw. "After this battle ends, I would challenge your father in a duel-to-death. Sound good?"

"Not good." Dimitri answered. "I don't want to continue the rest of my life knowing that your rotten corpse is being buried around here."

"I didn't ask you, kid." Baromyteus said. "Whatever… Kid, wanna have a little contest to see who could kill the most enemies? The loser must let the winner cut one of their toes, sound good?"

"My name isn't 'kid', so I am not sure who are you talking too." Dimitri said. "But if you are talking to me, there's no way for me to refuse your challenge."

"Excellent." Baromyteus said. "Now let's get going and—"

"Brother!" Anastasia suddenly called the name of her brother.

"You can't stop me, Anastasia." Baromyteus. "This is a fight between—"

"No, brother!" Anastasia continued speaking. "Brother, Dimitri! Everyone! The sky! Look at the sky!"

"The sky?" Baromyteus and Dimitri, as well as everyone else around here, both dragons and Venturnome soldiers, looked up to the sky above them. Because of the nature of Valley of No Return, the only part where they could see the sky was a single opening on the roofing, which was always covered by the impregnable mist. However…

"W… What's that?!"

"The mist?! W… Why?!"

Usually, the image they would see when they look at the opening on the roofing would be the blanket of pale white mist, but now, the picture they could see was an unlimited sky above, which means that the mist that covered above Valley of No Return had just suddenly disappeared!

And that's not all…

"T… The sky! The sky is turning dark!"

Without the mist, the image they could see should be the blue sky, but now, what they saw wasn't the blue sky, but, despite being in the middle of daytime, the sky right now was almost as dark as the sky at nighttime!

… Which still wasn't the worst part yet…

"The sun?! W… What's happening to the sun?!"

The sun, or the glowing orb of light that could be seen all the time during the daytime, was turning black! No, the sun was not turning black, but the sun was being swallowed by the dark shadow on the sky!

"W… What's that?!" Anastasia said. "Why did the sky turn dark?! And why did the sun is being swallowed by the dark shadow?!"

"... I have never seen anything like this before." Baromyteus said.

* * *

 **-Meanwhile…**

"Zetarus, what the hell is going on?!" Diego asked as he looked at the sky above.

"I don't know!" Zetarus answered. "How could I know why the sky becomes like this!"

* * *

 **-Meanwhile…**

"Xavier, what's happening to the sun?!" Claura asked. "And why did the mist disappear?"

"…I don't know." Xavier answered. "But I'm having a bad feeling about this right now."

* * *

 **-Meanwhile…**

"O… Oh no!" Freya said as she looked at the sky. "Why did the mist disappear? And why does the sun being swallowed by the black shadow?!"

"It… seems like a bad omen, no, evil omen…" Snow mumbled. "I don't like a feeling of this, but… I can feel that… Something bad would happen soon…"

* * *

 **-Meanwhile…**

"Onii-chan! Why do all of these things happen?!" Rachael asked as she was looking at the sky. "Does this mean that something bad is going to happen?!"

"…That's Solar Eclipse." Richard answered. "It's a rare natural phenomenon that doesn't happen very often…"

"Just a natural phenomenon?" Rachael said. "So… Nothing bad is going to happen from this?!"

"It should be." Richard said. "However, because the mist has disappeared, I could no more conjure the lightning bolt to attack the enemy, damn it..."

"What?!" Rachael said. "This is bad!"

"That's right. This is bad, especially since we're having an upper hand over the enemies." Richard said. "Wait… Could this be the start of… something even more… peril?! Damn it!"

"Onii-chan, what should we do?!" Rachael asked.

"Right, we must do something, and fast!" Richard said. "Before something worse happens!"

* * *

 **-Meanwhile… At the camp of six armies…**

"…So…" General Manectric spoke up. "The Venturnome Army has requested a reinforcement?"

"Yes, sir!" The Venturnome soldier who came to deliver General Gallade's message said. "Our enemies are stronger than we thought, and we're afraid to say that our tactic may not work according to our plan!"

"Understood." General Manectric said. "I will dispatch the Civilight Army immediately. Tell this to General Gallade."

"Thank you so much, sir!" The Venturnome soldier said before he quickly ran back toward the battlefield.

"Hm… It seems like the Venturnome Army isn't as strong as I thought…" General Manectric mumbled before turning his attention toward one of his underlings. "Soldier, tell everyone to be ready! I will be there shortly, and I want everyone to be ready as soon as I go!"

"Yes, sir!" The Civilight soldier said before he quickly ran out of the camp, leaving General Manectric in the camp alone…

… Or not?

"… And so, it's time for Civilight Army to advance…" Once he realized that no one was around here, General Manectric started speaking again. "And now, the sky is dark because of the Solar Eclipse is happening…"

General Manectric paused for a bit before he continued speaking.

"And since it's time for the Civilight Army to show their might, might as well as the time for us to use our 'secret weapon'."

Again, General Manectric paused a bit before continued speaking.

"President Voltson has entrusted this thing into my grasp, as it's our only 'secret weapon' remains after the incident a few months ago at the laboratory…"

General Manectric paused a bit, before looking up at the sky and continued speaking.

"Moreover, the sky is dark! What a perfect time for us to debut the might of our 'secret weapon'! With this, none would stand a chance against us!"

General Manectric paused for one last time before turning back to face something, which was behind him all the time.

"And now, after helping us opens the entrance of the cave that leads us here, it's time for you again. This time, use your power to slaughter everyone who stands in our way. Let the world see how powerful a 'weapon' created by us can be, Experiment Delta."

 **To Be Continued…**

* * *

 **Dragon of Vale: Now, after a few chapters of peace and harmony, one of the most serious parts of the entire story has begun. The story of this part would be the thing that changes the entire story, as well as the life of someone… forever…**


	59. Tail 6-9: Corrupted Justice

**A Dragon's Tail**

 **Tail 6: Baromyteus' Tail - Deception**

 **Tail 6-9: Corrupted Justice**

"The sky…" Elder Baldr mumbled as he gazed into the sky above his head.

"Grandpa, what happened to the sky?!" Korben asked as he stood beside his grandfather. "And… Is that thing in the sky the 'sun'? But why is it pitch black? I thought the sun was a bright circle in the sky, not a void of light like this."

"… Korben…" Elder Baldr slowly turned his attention toward the Hakamo-o who stood beside me. Right now, both of them were standing on the southern balcony of Elder Baldr's house. "My grandson, there's something that I must tell you."

"Yes, grandpa?" The Hakamo-o looked at the Drampa and saw a hint of calmness in his eyes.

"First, Korben, please take this." Elder Baldr said as he handed over something to the Hakamo-o. "Your mother wore this thing when she came back to Valley of No Return again after several years of her disappearance, so I figure that it would belong to her too."

"What is it, grandpa?" Korben said as he looked at the thing his grandfather gave him. It was a large ornament that looked like a tiara and a circlet that was made from pure silver with several strange carving in an exotic style, and was decorated with several colored gemstones, which the most outstanding one was a large black gemstone, that glittered like a reflection of the moon in the water, that was placed at the center of this ornament.

"It's a diadem, my grandson." Elder Baldr answered.

"A diadem?" Korben said and looked at the diadem in his paw again. However, this diadem was too large for him to wear, at least while he was still a Hakamo-o… "Thank you, grandfather, but I don't think that I will be able to wear it, at least right now…"

"Korben, if you look closely at the carving on this diadem, you will notice that the art style of this carving isn't what we, the Dragon type Pokemon of Hidden Village of Dragon, used, and I also remember that she didn't own this diadem during her time in this village, which meant that…"

"She got it sometimes after she left this village?" Korben said before he had just realized something. "Wait, grandfather, could it be that—"

"Korben, I want you to take this diadem for yourself, not only as a memento of your mother, but also of me too." Elder Baldr.

"Memento… Of… Wait, what does that mean, grandpa?!" Korben said after hearing his grandfather's words. "D… Don't tell me that…"

"Soon, you will know, my grandchild…" Elder Baldr said and lowered the last part of his words.

" _And I afraid that it won't be very long before you acknowledge it…"_

* * *

 **-Meanwhile… Near the entrance of the village…**

"Psycho Cut!" General Gallade roared as he released a curved blade of psychic energy from his arm to attack his enemy, which immediately tore the body of his foe in half.

"I will never lose to you all, criminal scum!" General Gallade roared before he released another Psycho Cut to attack the dragon who tried to attack him.

After defeating the dragon who tried to attack him, General Gallade looked around to search for the next enemy for him to defeat. However, his attention was soon caught by a Dragon type Pokemon who stood in front of him. That dragon was a Haxorus who was equipped with a long sword, and he was also having his attention on him.

"I remember you." General Gallade spoke to the Haxorus in front of him. "You are the enemy's leader who spoke with me before the battle begins, right?"

"…" The Haxorus didn't answer him. Instead, he started approaching him, and his paw firmly gripped onto the handle of his long sword. It seemed like he was ready to strike his weapon at General Gallade at any moment.

"So, you are a type of Pokemon who prefers blade over word, hm?" General Gallade said and folded his right arm to extend the blade from his elbow. "Very well, then… Let's not waste any more words with each other…"

"Finally…" The Haxorus said and pointed his long sword at General Gallade. "I will start cutting your body into the countless pieces, and then I will shower your blood onto the land, before I trample EVERYTHING about you under my feet, you bastard!"

"Bring it!" General Gallade said.

After they finished exchanging their words, General Gallade and the Haxorus quickly rushed toward each other. General Gallade was holding his blade elbow forward, as well as the Haxorus who was holding his long sword forward, preparing for a duel!

* * *

 **-Meanwhile… At the east side of the village…**

"Teehee! Now it's our turn!" General Lurantis said with a snobby voice. "Now! Show those damned dragons the might of Leafburg Army!"

Right now, the Pokemon of Leafburg Army were standing on the very ground of Hidden Village of Dragon, as they had just used the moment of confusion when the sky turned dark to finish crossing the river, which was why the Leafburg Army was finally in the area of the village. The Riverbrine Army, on the other hand, had already lost over half of their soldiers, including their general, and the rest of its soldiers had already lost their moral and willpower to continue this fight. In other words, the Riverbrine Army had already lost, but the Leafburg Army still hadn't given up yet.

"GRAAAAWWWWWW!"

"HAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"

The sound of battle cry and weapon-clashing started echoing through the entire village as the Leafburg Army began their fight against the East Legion of Hidden Village of Dragon. And if one listened closely, they could hear the very same sound echoed from the west side of the village, indicating that the armies that occupied the west side of the village had also finished crossing the river, and were now clashing their blades with the West Legion of Hidden Village of Dragon too.

"Teehee! That's right! Kill them! Kill them all!" General Lurantis said. "Kill those weak and pitiful dragons! Kill them all!"

"…Weak, pitiful?"

A voice suddenly caught the attention of General Lurantis. She then turned her attention toward the voice and saw a female Kingdra and a male Dragonite standing not too far from her. Both dragons, without doubt, stood on the opposite side of her.

"Ho! Ho! Ho! What do we have here?" General Lurantis let out a snobbish laugh. "An ugly Kingdra and a fat Dragonite! They think that they could defeat such a glorious and gorgeous general like me! Ho! Ho! What a wasteful attempt!"

"…" Both Kingdra and Dragonite didn't say anything after hearing the insulting words from General Lurantis.

"Dragon type Pokemon is among the worst types of Pokemon ever!" General Lurantis continued her insult. "A Dragon type move couldn't even deal a super effective damage to any type other than their own type! What a barbaric move, just like the uncivilized creatures who only know to kill their own kind! And a Dragon type move couldn't even deal any damage to the Fairy type Pokemon, the type of good and righteous! This further proved that a Dragon type Pokemon is the type of all bad things and pure evilness!"

"Grrrr…" The Kingdra suddenly drew out her weapon, which was an anchor with a long chain attached to its end. She seemed to be very angry after hearing General Lurantis' words.

"…You know what?" The Dragonite beside the Kingdra spoke to General Lurantis with a nonchalant voice. "You shouldn't have done that…"

"Wha—" General Lurantis was about to speak another words, but it was too late as the Kingdra had already rushed up to her, with her weapon in her grasp and her rage within her body, and what happened later marked this word as the last word that came out of General Lurantis' mouth, not counting her scream of pain…

* * *

 **-Meanwhile... At the west side of the village**

While the Leafburg Army was dealing with the East Legion of Hidden Village of Dragon, the Dustorm Army was also dealing with the West Legion of Hidden Village of Dragon too, as the Dustorm Army had just succeeded in crossing the river, with the lead of General Gliscor. The Fireview Army, on the other hand, didn't succeed in crossing the river as their general had already been killed, and the entire Fireview Army was weak to water, so it could be said that the Fireview Army, like the Riverbrine Army, had already lost, leaving Dustorm Army to deal with the West Legion of Hidden Village of Dragon.

"And now, Dustorm Army, charge!" General Gliscor ordered. "Show them the might of the strongest army on the continent of Symmetria! For Dustorm Empire! For Emperor Garland!"

"… For Emperor Garland?"

A voice suddenly caught the attention of General Gliscor, which immediately sent shivers into his entire body, as it was the voice that reminded him of his sovereign.

"!" However, the shiver he got from hearing that voice couldn't be compared to the shiver he got when he finally saw the owner of the voice, who was a Dragon type Pokemon. However, other than being a Dragon type Pokemon, this Pokemon was also a Ground type Pokemon, and he was… a male Garchomp with an appearance that greatly influenced him to think of him as…

"E… E… Emperor Garland?!" General Gliscor's body was frozen with fear as he saw the Garchomp before quickly changed his tone of voice and continued speaking with a shaking voice. "I… mean… Y… Your majesty, w… what are you doing right here?!"

"…" The Garchomp didn't say anything to him, but it could be seen that the Garchomp was not in a good mood.

"W… Wait…" General Gliscor took another look at the Garchomp in front of him. First, this Garchomp was dressed in a cowboy uniform, which was a uniform that he had never seen his sovereign wore before, not that he had seen his sovereign in any of his private uniform before. Second, this Garchomp was holding a pistol as his weapon, but his sovereign's weapon of choice was a rifle, not a pistol. Last, his Garchomp wore an eyepatch on one of his eyes, just like his sovereign, but while his sovereign wore his eyepatch on his left eye, this Garchomp wore the eyepatch on his right eye! All of this could be concluded that…

"Y… You are not Emperor Garland!" General Gliscor spoke up again, still with a shaking voice. Sill, while he had just realized that the Garchomp in front of him wasn't his sovereign, the appearance of the Garchomp greatly resembled the Garchomp who was his sovereign. However, a second later, a sudden memory suddenly flew into his mind, which immediately sent down a greater shiver into his entire body.

"T… Then you must be Emperor Garland and that bxxxh Sharon's…" General Gliscor continued speaking with a shaking voice. "W… Why are you still alive and out here?! I… I thought that we had already sent you to Desert Prison since the day you were born 21 years ago!"

"!" An invisible exclamation mark suddenly appeared on the Garchomp's head as he heard the words of General Gliscor, as those words had just piqued his memory about his early life, as well as the mystery about his origin…

"Y… You!" The Garchomp roared. "W… What did you done to me 21 years ago?!"

"No…" General Gliscor had just realized that he had just said something he shouldn't say, but it was too late as his neck was suddenly gripped by the Garchomp, who miraculously dashed up to him and grasped his neck within a blink of an eye.

"What have you done to me 21 years ago?!" The Garchomp spoke with a blood-hungry voice, telling General Gliscor that he would snap his neck if he didn't answer, not that he wouldn't if he answered.

"Wha—" General Gliscor was about to say something, but his words disappeared when the Garchomp tightened his grip on his neck.

"ANSWER ME, NOW!" The Garchomp spoke with a furious voice, which was the most intimidating voice he had ever used in his entire life.

"N… No, you couldn't force the answer from me!" General Gliscor tried to speak while clinging onto the Garchomp's grip. "Dustorm Empire is not a place for the bastard son of a bxxxh, you half-breed Garchomp! We will never let you have our land! URGGGRGRAAG—"

General Gliscor's voice ended when his neck was snapped by the Garchomp's grip, immediately killed him within a single second by the wrath of the Garchomp.

"He…." The Garchomp mumbled, with his paw covered in the blood of General Gliscor. "He did it to me… He was the one who sent me to that hell… He must pay… HE MUST PA—"

"Cut it out, Zetarus!"

A voice suddenly returned the conscious back to the Garchomp, who then quickly turned his attention toward the owner of the voice and saw a Mega Charizard X standing not too far from him.

"D… Diego?!" Zetarus spoke with a shaking voice as the Mega Charizard X approached him. Judged by his expression, the Mega Charizard X seemed to have already heard the entire conversation he had with General Gliscor.

"Zetarus…" Diego continued speaking. He tried to make his voice as comfortable as possible for the Garchomp. "… Are you alright?"

"…" Zetarus didn't say anything.

"Hey, knock it off, wouldn't you?" Diego said before placing his paw on Zetarus' shoulder. "I understand that a sudden and unexpected truth may give you a shock, but now it's not a time for this sxxt! Get a hold of yourself, or I will stab your arm with my claw!"

"Geez! Hard and serious as usual…" Zetarus was finally able to regain his speech. "You are not going to go easy on me, aren't you?"

"That's who I am, Zetarus." Diego said. "And I am not sorry for being myself."

"And I don't blame you for being one." Zetarus said. "And that's another thing I like about you, Diego."

"Whatever…" Diego said. "Now get those thought away and let's strike our enemies down! You will have much more time to think about that bastard's words, but I swear if you think of it right now…"

"You will cut me where I stand, right?" Zetarus said. "Fine, I will think about it later. Now let's defeat our enemies!"

"You got it!" Diego said.

After finished their conversation, Diego and Zetarus returned to the battle against the Dustorm Army, which was at the disadvantage now that they had just lost their leader. However, General Gliscor's words still lingered in the mind of the Garchomp.

 _"I… I was sent to that hell 21 years ago by that bastard…"_

 _"But… Why?! I don't understand! Why did all of this happen?!"_

 _"And what did he mean by 'Dustorm Empire is not a place for someone like me' and 'We will never let you have our land'?! What did all of these mean?!"_

 _"I don't understand!"_

* * *

 **Meanwhile… Somewhere near Elder Baldr's house…**

"This is bad…" Richard mumbled as he gazed at the sky above him, at the dark sun above his head. However, he didn't forget to summon an eye-shielding barrier to shield his eyes and his sister's eyes while they were looking at the Solar Eclipse, or else they may suffer a great consequence.

"Onii-chan, what should we do next?" Rachael asked.

"… With the mist is gone, we could no more conjure the lightning bolt to attack the enemies…" Richard said.

"What?!" Rachael said. "T… Then, we should do something else… That's right! We have—"

"It's too risk to use it." Richard answered and reached his paw toward the Luster Pendant he was wearing. "You have already seen the power of the Legendary Pokemon whom we and everyone else formed a pact with when we unsealed Cave of Ages, right? The power of Legendary Pokemon is too powerful to be used in a situation right this, or we may be at a risk of hurting our allies, especially for Lord of Blindness since his eyes are completely useless."

"Oh…" Rachael mumbled.

"Moreover…" Richard continued speaking. "If we summon our Dragon Legend here, everyone from Hidden Village of Dragon, as well as our enemies, will immediately know that we have formed a pact with Legendary Pokemon, and thus, the consequence of this action would be… quite drastic."

"…" Rachael said nothing after hearing the words of her elder brother, as she was able to grasp the hidden meaning in his words…

"Anyway, I will go to the center square of the village and help Freya and Snow…" Rachael started speaking again after saying nothing for a few minutes. "Do you want to come too, Onii-chan?"

Richard nodded in agreement to his younger sister. After all, right now, this would be the best thing for them to do right now, as both of them were not good at fighting at the frontline, and Richard didn't want either himself or his sister to get hurt.

"Then, let's go, Onii-chan." Rachael said before she quickly flew toward the center square of the village. Richard then was about to follow his younger sister when a voice suddenly echoed in his mind.

 _'… Don't you have anything better than going around and help those people who are about to die?'_

"… I have never known before that you are without compassion, Lord of Blindness." Richard spoke after hearing the voice of his Dragon Legend.

 _'…'_

"Whatever…" Richard mumbled after realizing that his Dragon Legend didn't say anything after he spoke to him. "Tell me the reason why do you speak to me at a time like this, Lord of Blindness."

 _'… Tell me one thing, Richard—'_

"One thing." Richard said.

 _'… VERY funny, you stupid Latios…'_

"Come on, hurry up and tell me what do you want, Lord of Blindness." Richard said.

 _'… Do you think that we would win this battle?'_

"… I don't know." Richard said. "I didn't mean that everyone on my side is weakling and idiot, but…"

 _'… And what would you do if we lose?'_

"… I won't die here, and I won't let Rachael die here too." Richard answered. "I will do anything in order to save my life and Rachael's life, no matter of the cost I have to pay, except my life and Rachael's life, of course."

 _'And what is the thing that you would do?'_

"…" Richard said nothing.

 _'Listen, if you are at your utmost desperation, talk to me again and I will tell you what to do to ensure that both you and your sister would survive throughout this battle.'_

"… At what price?" Richard asked.

 _'And again that you have proven to me that you are not an idiot… Because what you have to pay… is your soul.'_

"… That's a metaphor, right?" Richard said.

 _'You are too clever, Richard, but still not at the rank of me, of course.'_

"…" Richard said nothing and started heading toward the center square of the village, dismissing his conversation with his Dragon Legend…

 _'Heh… I really want to see what you would do and what choice would you choose, Richard… Will you choose the very same choice I chose 247 years ago? Or will you choose the different one? The answer is inevitable…'_

* * *

 **Meanwhile… Near the entrance of Hidden Village of Dragon…**

"TAKE THIS!"

Dimitri slashed his broadsword at a Venturnome soldier, killing him in a single hit.

"Still alive?" Baromyteus said as he approached the Fraxure. Right now, he was holding onto his Dragon Claw Swords, which were dripping with the blood of his enemies. Behind the Pokemon in the black armor suit was his younger sister, Anastasia. She was holding onto her Tenor Harp, and she had a worried look on her face.

"You stole my words, big guy." Dimitri said and slashed another Venturnome soldier with his broadsword. "But yeah, I am still alive."

"Good to know that I still have a chance to cut your limbs apart." Baromyteus said before crossing his swords in an X-shape and slashed the Venturnome soldier who tried to attack his younger sister.

"YAH!" Dimitri and Baromyteus slashed their blade at the remaining Venturnome soldiers around here, killing them within a blink of an eye.

"Phew! I think that's all around here." Dimitri said and looked around. Right now, the only Pokemon who were still alive around here were Baromyteus, Anastasia and Dimitri himself. They were surrounded by several corpses of the fallen warriors, be their enemies or their allies…

"Um…" Anastasia reluctantly spoke up. "Shouldn't we head back to the village? I think we have come a bit too far from the village."

After Baromyteus and Anastasia were joined with Dimitri, the three of them fought and rushed from the village's entrance into the Valley of No Return, which was now occupied by the enemy force. This action was the thing that only the strongest warriors from Hidden Village of Dragon would do. Of course, this was a suicidal action, which explained why there were no other warriors from Hidden Village of Dragon who were still alive around here…

"Yeah, right." Baromyteus said. "There's no point of us being in the enemy's territory any longer."

"Wait a minute, big guy." Dimitri said as he looked around, as if he was trying to find someone or something. "Did you see my father around here? I thought that I saw him rushing here just a bit before we did."

"I saw that too." Baromyteus said. "But I don't think that I have seen his corpse around here, which means that…"

"… Damos is still alive, and he must be around here…" Anastasia said. "However, since he wasn't in the area between the village and the area where we were right now, he must be somewhere deeper in the Valley of No Return."

"Wait, don't tell me that he tries to head to the enemy's camp by himself?!" Baromyteus said. "Geez… I thought that I am a mad Haxorus, but my madness couldn't even compare to that dragon's madness."

"For your ignorant, big guy, my father is not mad, and I am sure that he knows what he is doing." Dimitri said. "And I am going to follow him."

"Great, now we are having another mad dragon…" Baromyteus mumbled. "I think your family must have some kind of 'Madness DNA' or something like that."

"If we really have something like that, the 'madness' you said would also apply to you too, big guy." Dimitri said. "After all, we both have the same surname, so we must be somehow related to each other."

"Maybe…" Baromyteus mumbled. "I will have to ask my old man about this… After all, he is—"

"What are you rambling about, big guy?" Dimitri said. "Whatever, I am going now. If you go back to the village, tell everyone that—"

"Sorry, kid, but I am not your messenger." Baromyteus said. "If you want me to work for you, the only role I would work for you is to be your sword."

"So, you mean that you want to go with me?" Dimitri said. "As I thought, both of us are really mad dragons."

"Brother, are you sure that you would go deeper into the enemy's territory?" Anastasia asked.

"Yes, Anastasia." Baromyteus said.

"Sigh… That's just like you." Anastasia said. "Okay, if you go, then I will go with you."

"Are you sure?" Baromyteus asked.

"Yes." Anastasia looked at her brother with a determined face. "If I stay beside you, then there's nothing for me to fear, and you wouldn't have to break your words too."

"Break my words?" Baromyteus said. "Did you mean—"

"Right." Anastasia said. "You told me that you will keep me safe by having me stay beside you during the battle. If I go with you, you wouldn't have to break your words, especially since what you hate most is lie and deception."

"… Fair enough." Baromyteus said. "Okay, you can come, Anastasia."

"And how long would both of you continue your rambling?!" Dimitri said. "Move your axxxs, both of you!"

After finished speaking, Dimitri started running toward the inner part of Valley of No Return, and Baromyteus and Anastasia quickly followed him…

However…

While three dragons quickly ran toward the inner area of Hidden Village of Dragon, neither of them did notice a corpse of a Gallade in the Venturnome general armor suit, which were heavily damaged, and so do his body, which meant that this Gallade had battled with a very strong dragon warrior before he was fallen…

* * *

 **-A Few Minutes Later…**

"!"

After running into the inner area of Valley of No Return and fought a few enemies that were on their way, Dimitri, Baromyteus and Anastasia found themselves in a small plain where Rachael, Richard, Zetarus, Diego, Claura, Xavier, Anastasia and Baromyteus encountered Dimitri, Noctus, Lyzia, Unos and Korben for the first time. However, right now, other than Dimitri, Baromyteus and Anastasia, there were two other Pokemon here. It seemed like they were fighting each other!

… Or not?

Between two Pokemon, one was kneeling down on the ground while trying to hold onto his long sword, which was stuck onto the ground. It was clearly visible that this Pokemon was heavily injured, and it was most likely that his injury came from the other Pokemon, who was standing in front of him with a serious-looking face. It wasn't hard for anyone who was around here to realize that the injured Pokemon was a Haxorus, while the other Pokemon was… a Lucario.

"You fought well, dragon." The Lucario said as he slowly approached the injured Haxorus, in a manner of a grim reaper that approached a near-dead soul. "However, in the end, victory would always belong to the side of justice! Now, die, you miserable creature!"

After finished speaking, the Lucario raised his fist and immediately punched the injured Haxorus right through his chest, instantly cut his life away from his body!

"Hm!" The Lucario mumbled as he drew his fist back from the lifeless body of the Haxorus before throwing the Haxorus' corpse away. "Disgusting. The blood of injustice, so disgus—"

"DIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEE!"

Suddenly, the Lucario noticed another Pokemon rushing up at him at a full-speed and tried to strike him with his broadsword. The Lucario, however, was able to block the attack and sent his attacker jumped back to the spot where he was. This was the moment that the Lucario noticed that there were three more Pokemon around here, which all of them were Dragon type Pokemon, and one of them, who seemed to be very angry, was the one who attacked him a second ago.

"YOU BASTARD!" Dimitri roared as he pointed his broadsword at the Lucario. "YOU… YOU! YOU KILLED MY FATHER!"

"Hm? This pathetic dragon is your father?" The Lucario said and looked at the corpse of Haxorus, which was now lying on the side of the plain. "So… You are no more than... a spawn of injustice. So, I must get rid of you too."

"TRY ME, YOU BASTARD!" Dimitri roared. "I AM GONNA KILL YOU! I AM GONNA KILL YOOOOOUUUUU!"

After he finished roaring, Dimitri rushed up to the Lucario in order to strike him for the second time. This time, the Lucario was able to dodge the angry Fraxure's attack by jumping away at the moment the Fraxure slashed his broadsword at him. However…

"GRAAAAARRRRR!"

At the very same moment the Lucario jumped away to dodge the Fraxure's attack, another blade suddenly slashed at the Lucario! This time, because he was in the midair, the Lucario couldn't dodge the attack by jumping away, so he had to hold his paw out in order to block it!

"Hey!" The Lucario said with an unpleasant voice after he was able to dodge the surprise attack. "This surprise attack is against the law of justice! You are doing against rule of jus—"

The words of the Lucario were cut off when the Lucario saw the creature who attacked him off-guard…

"…" The Pokemon who attacked the Lucario was a Dragon type Pokemon, but the Lucario couldn't tell what kind of Pokemon he was as he was wearing a black demonic armor suit to cover his entire body, giving him an appearance of a demon from the afterlife. However, despite his intimidating appearance, it still couldn't be compared to a sinister aura that started emitting from his body, giving the Lucario a sudden chill and goosebump…

And it was not just that…

"Y… You…" The Lucario said before he quickly jumped away from the Pokemon in the black armor suit, who also jumped away from the Lucario after realizing that his ambush failed. "T… This feeling… W… Why did I feel it again?"

"…" The Pokemon in the black armor suit didn't say anything. However, if anyone could see through his demonic helmet, they would see that he was having a gaze full with rage and vengeance at the Lucario.

"T… The last time I have this feeling was 30 years ago…" The Lucario continued speaking as he slowly turned his attention toward the Pokemon in the black armor suit. "But… It can't be… No… He is already dead… I have seen it with my own eyes… There's no way that he is still alive… No wa—"

The Lucario's words were cut off again when he noticed the presence of another Dragon type Pokemon, who was hiding behind the Pokemon in the black armor suit. This Pokemon, however, was a female Goodra in a songstress dress…

"Wait…" The Lucario spoke as he tried to look at the female Goodra, who tried her hardest to hide from the Lucario. "… Anastasia?!"

"…" Anastasia said nothing, but she avoided making eye contact with the Lucario.

"Anastasia, i… is that really you?!" The Lucario said with a shaking voice. "B… But… You… It can't be…"

"…" Anastasia still said nothing.

"Anastasia…" The Lucario said and slowly approached Anastasia, but he was stopped when the Pokemon in the black armor suit suddenly stepped into his way before he pointed his blade at him and let out an intimidating roar.

"GRAAAWWRRRRRR!" The Pokemon in the black armor suit roared at the Lucario. It seemed like he was ready to strike his blade into the Lucario's body at any moment.

"Wait…" The Lucario mumbled as he looked at the Pokemon in the black armor suit in front of him. This time, it gave him much more goosebump than before. "T… Then… Y… You must be… No… How could it be…"

"…" The Pokemon in the black armor suit said nothing as he continued gazing at the Lucario.

"… Heh… Heheheheheh…" The Lucario suddenly let out a sinister laugh. "Well? I have never thought that both of you would crawl back from the deepest pit of hell to plague this world again, especially since I have already banished you 30 years ago…"

"!" The Goodra and the Pokemon in the black armor suit were greatly shocked and disturbed after hearing the Lucario's words.

"Hehehe…" The Lucario let out a sinister laugh again as he looked at the Pokemon in the black armor suit in front of him, as well as the Goodra in the songstress dress behind him, before continued speaking. "Anastasia Wyrmscale the Goodra and Baromyteus Drawyvern the Shiny Haxorus, it has been 30 years since the last time we met each other, as well as it has been 30 years since the moment my friends and I banished you from this world, and we never thought that we would see each others again… But… The story of living creature's existence is truly unfathomable, right?"

"…" Both Dragon type Pokemon in front of the Lucario said nothing.

"Hey, big guy!" Dimitri, who had been watching the whole scene for quite some time, asked as he approached the Pokemon in the black armor suit. "Who is this dumbass? Do you know him?"

"…" Anastasia and Baromyteus said nothing. All they did was look at the Lucario in front of them.

"It seems like one of you couldn't grasp who I am." The Lucario said. "So, before I send you all back to the law of justice, let me introduce myself. I am the current Hero of Legend who holds the power of Fighting type, as well as one of 14 Hero of Legend who saved Symmetria from the Fallen Crisis 30 years ago, but now, I am just a Dojo Master of Solar Village Dojo. I am also known by the name of Hero of Justice, and my name is **Rucas Couraura the Lucario**."

"…" Anastasia and Baromyteus still said nothing, but both of them seemed even more restless after hearing the Lucario's introduction, while Dimitri just shrugged his shoulder as if he had just heard some sort of nonsense story.

"Rucas? What's you with a name like that?" Dimitri said. "Are you sure that you didn't mishear your name when your mother gave you a name 'Ruckus'? Because all you did is making a ruckus to our home by destroying it in the name of your corrupted justice!"

"Shut up, brat!" Rucas roared and pointed his paw at Dimitri. "I won't allow anyone to insult the law of justice in front of me, the embodiment of justice! Never! I shall never tolerant your impertinence! You shall die today, in the name of justice!"

"Sigh…" Baromyteus mumbled before speaking up for the first time to the Lucario in front of him. "Hero of Justice… I have heard your name for all of my entire life, and I have always wished to pierce my blades into your chest, cut your veins, tear your heart off, roar like a savage beast before devouring it with my own maw. And now, the chance of doing all of these is right here in front of me, and I can hardly control my body."

Baromyteus then took a step forward before pointing one of his Dragon Claw Swords at Rucas. "Hero of Corrupted Justice, now it's time for us to fight each other! This time, there's no running, no regret, no vengeance and no redemption. One of us will live to see another day while the other shall perish within the grasp of the victor, and I promise you that the death I grant you will be a slow and painful one, just like everything you did to us!"

"I am not afraid of your intimidation, you abomination creature!" Rucas roared and pointed his paw at Baromyteus. "No more talking! Now it's time for me to bring the order of the world back to the law of justice! FOR THE GLORY OF JUSTICE!"

 **Hero of Justice**

 **Rucas Couraura the Lucario**

Baromyteus and Dimitri got their weapon ready in their paws as they gazed at the Lucario in front of them with a fiery look in their eyes, like a starved predator that had an eye on their prey.

"Brother…" Anastasia said as she slowly approached her brother.

"Anastasia, I know what you are thinking." Baromyteus said to his sister. "While I don't truly understand your feeling, I know that you don't want to fight him, so you can leave—"

"No, brother. I will not run away from this fight." Anastasia said with a resolute voice. "I will fight him alongside you, brother."

"Can you really do that?" Baromyteus asked again. "Can you really fight the guy you—"

"Yes, I am, and I still am even right now." Anastasia said. "But… This Lucario… He isn't Rucas I know. He is someone else… Rucas I know is the hero who always strikes for the justice of the world, not for the corrupted justice like this, so… This isn't Rucas. This is just a Pokemon who tried to destroy the Hidden Village of Dragon, and I cannot forgive him for doing that!"

"... You don't understand one thing, my sister." Baromyteus said before shifting his attention to the Lucario in front of him, who was now in the defensive stance. "This Lucario is the very same bastard you knew 30 years ago, not someone else."

"But—" Anastasia was about to say something else, but her brother didn't let her do it.

"And this is the true color of him." Baromyteus said. "What we saw about him 30 years ago was just a mask of his true core, which he concealed it within his lie and deception. I can smell it since the moment I met him, as it takes one to know one. And maybe he is even worse than me, as I am evil, and I still live in the identity of evil, but this guy… He lives in the identity of the world's hero while he is just a savage beast!"

"Brother—" Anastasia was about to continue her words, but again, she couldn't as the Lucario in front of him had already made a first move!

"TAKE THIS! FORCE PALM OF JUSTICE!" Rucas roared as he dashed toward Baromyteus and Dimitri, before he reached his paw forward and released a light blue wave of enemy from his palm, which covered a large area, making it impossible for his enemies to dodge this attack!

"HERE THE BASTARD COMES!" Baromyteus roared before he stepped forward and crossed his Dragon Claw Swords in the X-shape, which created a small shield of dark force that's enough to shield him, Anastasia and Dimitri from the Lucario's attack!

"Heh! Not bad for a villain!" Rucas said after the light blue wave from his Force Palm attack disappeared, and Baromyteus lowered his blades. "NOW, HOW ABOUT THIS?!"

Rucas released a purple pulse from his mouth at the Dragon type Pokemon in front of him, which was easily dodged by all of them, but it still gave a bit of shock to Anastasia.

"T… That attack…" Anastasia said. "I… Isn't it…"

"Yes, of course… Dragon Pulse." Rucas said. "I learned this move 30 years ago, thanks to you, Anastasia. And now, I am going to use the very gift you bestowed upon me to banish all of you back in the name of justice!"

"I… I…" Anastasia mumbled.

"GRAAWWWRRRRR!" Baromyteus roared as he dashed up toward the Lucario, before he slashed him with his Dragon Claw Swords!

"HIYAH!" Rucas was able to dodge Baromyteus' attack, but he then was attacked again by a Fraxure who suddenly appeared from behind and struck him down with his broadsword!

"TAKE THIS, YOU BASTARD SON OF A BXXXT!" Dimitri roared as he slashed his broadsword at Rucas' back!

"AUGH!" Rucas roared a bit as he was attacked off-guard, but he didn't flinch by this surprised attack. Instead, he used the moment that the Fraxure attacked him to kick him with his leg!

"UGH!" Dimitri mumbled after he was kicked by the Lucario, who was now dealing with Baromyteus.

"GRAARRRWWRR!" Baromyteus roared as he madly slashed the Lucario with his weapon, which Rucas could easily dodge all of them.

"Where are you aiming for, you earth-scum?" Rucas mocked as Baromyteus paused his attack to catch his breath. "Come on! I remember that you are far more intimidating to me 30 years ago, Baromyteus! You always tried to stab me in my back, and now, you are not even able to land a single blow on me! Shame on you, you abominable creature!"

"GRAWWWRRR!" Baromyteus roared before he continued to madly attack Rucas, who, again, was able to dodge all attacks.

"W… What's that?!" Dimitri spoke out with a surprised voice after seeing Baromyteus attacking Rucas. "H… He is so ferocious! I… I have never seen anyone so vicious like this before in my life!"

"My brother… He hates this Lucario to the deepest part of his heart." Anastasia answered with a sad voice while trying to tend the Fraxure's wound. "Normally, in the battle, Baromyteus will give up some of his conscious and let his instinct take control some part of his body to draw out his potential. But… With the hatred toward this Lucario in his heart, Baromyteus gave up his entire conscious and let his instinct to take a full control over his body to maximize his potential."

"W… What?!" Dimitri said. "T… Then, he is now no more than a wild Pokemon!"

"Sadly, this isn't even the worst part." Anastasia answered with a sad voice. "If he continues doing this, Baromyteus will soon… degenerate into a creature no different than a wild Pokemon, in which he would attack everything in his sight, be his enemy, his friend, or… his sister."

"T… This is bad!" Dimitri said.

"Yes, it's bad…" Anastasia said. "This situation happened once 30 years ago, when my brother and I fought this Lucario, as well as his friends, for the first time. Luckily, that battle soon ended with our lose before the situation could become worse, so Baromyteus is still able to hold onto his conscious. But…" Anastasia said and sadly looked at Baromyteus, who still fought Rucas like a savage beast. "If this keeps going on, my brother… He will…"

"So, all we have to do is end this battle before the big guy becomes a savage beast, right?" Dimitri said as Anastasia had just finished tending his wound. "Sure, I may not be the smartest dragon around here, but if it involves a battle, I think that I could do it!"

"Dimitri, wait—" Anastasia tried to say something again, but Dimitri didn't listen to him and quickly dashed toward Rucas to resume his battle!

"DRAGON CLAW!" Dimitri attacked the Lucario with his sharp claws at the moment that Rucas dodged Baromyteus' attack!

"WHAT?! HIYAH!" Being able to sense the Fraxure's attack, Rucas quickly grabbed onto Dimitri's claws as he tried to attack him and swiftly flipped his body over Dimitri's head and landed behind the Fraxure!

"H… How could—WHAT?!" Dimitri had to quickly cut off his words when he had to dodge Baromyteus' vicious attack before it hurt him!

"Geez! That lass didn't kid about the big guy…" Dimitri mumbled after he was almost attacked by the berserk Shiny Haxorus, who gradually became more and more ferocious as the battle went on. Right now, there was only a single line that divided him from a wild Pokemon…

"Now it's two against one?! That's against the law of justice!" Rucas said as Baromyteus, once again, paused his attack to catch his breath. "So, it's time for me to reveal my full potential!"

Rucas then raised his paw toward the sky, summoning a veil of aura to cloak around his body!

"T… That power!" Anastasia said. "I… It can't be!"

The second after Anastasia's words ended, the veil of aura that once cloaked Rucas' body disappeared, leaving only Rucas there. However, Rucas was now not a Lucario…

"How do you like my Mega Evolution form?" Rucas said after he had just Mega-evolved into a Mega Lucario. "This is the secret power of mine that I have mastered after I was able to defeat the remaining injustice within my heart, all by myself!"

"GRAAAAWWRRR!" Hearing Rucas' words seemed to make Baromyteus even more ferocious than before. He then quickly rushed up toward the Mega Lucario and started slashing his blades at the Mega Lucario!

"Hm! Amateur!" Rucas mumbled before he used his knuckle-equipped paws to catch Baromyteus's swords!

"GRA?!" Before Baromyteus could do anything else, Rucas suddenly did an uppercut on his chin, making him lose his grip toward his weapon and stagger back!

"I see that you still use this rusted swords as your weapon…" Rucas said and threw Baromyteus' weapon away, which landed just beside Damos' corpse. "However, you need to do much better—"

"GRAAARWWWWRRRR!"

Even without his weapon, Baromyteus still continued attacking Rucas. This time, he used his claws and his tusks as his weapon to attack the Mega Lucario!

"Grrrr… You overgrown abominable lizard!" Rucas said as he was forced to constantly dodge Baromyteus' vicious attack again.

"And here I come!" Dimitri said before slashing his broadsword at the Mega Lucario at the same time Baromyteus struck his claw toward Rucas too!

"HAH!" Rucas said as he was able to dodge both attacks, but he soon was attacked when Baromyteus ferociously swung his tail to slam his body!

"UGH!" Rucas roared as he fell down on the ground, but Baromyteus didn't stop at that. He then quickly grabbed Rucas' tail and constantly smashed him to the ground!

"URRGGH!" Rucas roared in pain after being constantly attacked by the berserk Shiny Haxorus.

"Oh… No…" Anastasia cried out while she ran up to Damos' corpse to retrieve her brother's weapon. "Baromyteus is now at the last moment of his self-conscious! At this rate…"

"W… W… WHAT?!" Dimitri, too, was shocked by Baromyteus' sudden increase in his ferocity. It was so much that it also generated a wave of fear that started to overcome his body, making him unable to move any part of his body, not even an inch!

"GRAAAWRRRRR!" After smashing Rucas toward the ground for several times, Baromyteus flung Rucas to the ground one more time. This time, Rucas was flung away from the berserk Shiny Haxorus and landed just beside Dimitri!

"Urrr…" Rucas tried to stand up again, but the berserk Shiny Haxorus won't let him as he then rushed up toward him while raising his sharp claws, as he determined to land the ending blow with his sharp claws at the Lucario and ended the battle once and for all!

But then…

"N…. NO WAY!" Rucas roared before he quickly reached his paw toward Dimitri's tail!

"Wha—"

Before Dimitri could do anything, Rucas grabbed the Fraxure at his tail and flung Dimitri's body toward him to use him as a shield to block the berserk Shiny Haxorus' attack!

"!"

At the very same moment his claw reached Dimitri's body, Baromyteus suddenly regained his consciousness back, but it was already too late…

"!"

Everything happened within just a second, but it seemed like a very long moment for everyone there as Baromyteus' claws directly pierced the Fraxure's body at his chest, sending the Fraxure's blood splash everywhere around there…

"!"

A second later, the Shiny Haxorus stopped his attack, but the blood of his victim was still being splashed everywhere around there, but the body of his victim wasn't, as the Fraxure's body was still stuck in his claw.

"N…. No…." Anastasia cried as she saw the Fraxure's body that was being pierced by the Shiny Haxorus' claw still stuck onto Baromyteus' claw, and, even from her spot, she could see that Baromyteus' claw had directly pierced Dimitri at his heart!

"D… D…. Dimitri!" Baromyteus spoke with a shaking voice.

"B… Brother!" Anastasia said as she quickly ran toward her brother.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Baromyteus roared. Now, a hint of anger and ferocity that were once in his eyes had already disappeared and replaced with a hint of sadness and regret as he had just realized everything that happened.

He had just killed his comrade…

He had just killed his friend…

He had just killed Dimitri…

With his own claw…

"W… What have I done?! WHAT HAVE I DONE?!" Baromyteus roared again as Dimitri's lifeless body fell off his claw to the ground below, soaking the ground red with the Fraxure's blood…

As well as Baromyteus' entire body…

* * *

 **-Meanwhile… At the east side of Hidden Village of Dragon…**

"Xavier!" Claura said. "What's the meaning of this?!"

Right now, while Claura, Xavier, and the Dragon type Pokemon who guarded the east side of the village, were fighting the remnant of Leafburg Army and Riverbrine Army. At first, they thought that it would be an easy victory as they had already killed the enemy generals, but it seemed like they were wrong…

"The enemy has just gotten the reinforcement…" Xavier mumbled while he crushed the body of an enemy with his halberd. "And… Judge by their force, I would say that the reinforcement is the Civilight Army.

"I knew that!" Claura said. "What I want to know is why they are so strong?! They had already defeated half of our legion!"

The tide of battle had turned into the enemies' favor after the Civilight Army sent their reinforcement, all who were armed with long-ranged weapon of high technology, which could easily countered the strategy being used by the Dragon type Pokemon! And this also includes Claura and Xavier too. Right now, Claura was injured at her fin while Xavier was injured at his right wing.

"Their reinforcement has a highly developed weapon, which is hard for our side to grasp their attack and counter them effectively…" Xavier said. "But…"

"But what?!" Claura asked.

"Strange…" Xavier said as he looked at the enemies force, who still attacked the Dragon type Pokemon with their weapon. "If they have such a good weapon like this, why didn't they use it in the first place? Moreover, there's something fishy about the them."

"Something fishy?!" Claura asked.

"Look over there…" Xavier said and gazed at the enemy force. "Before the enemy reinforcement comes, we still have quite a bit of Leafburg Army and Riverbrine Army to deal with, but now… I could hardly see any Pokemon who belongs to those two armies, as what I could see right now are the Pokemon of Civilight Army… Where did they go? Retreat? I don't think so…"

"Whatever!" Claura roared as she smashed her anchor at her enemy. "Our force is at a disadvantage! Xavier, we need a plan, and fast!"

"… Everyone, retreat!" Xavier roared. "We need to fall back to regroup with other force! Fall back to the center square of the village!"

* * *

 **-Meanwhile… At the west side of Hidden Village of Dragon…**

"W… What the fxxk is that?!" Diego roared while he fought against the enemy force, which, like the enemy force on the east side of the village, had just received a reinforcement from the Civilight Army…

However…

"A… Are they really Pokemon?!" Zetarus said as he fought against the soldiers of Civilight Army, who, while being either Electric type Pokemon or Steel type Pokemon, didn't look like Pokemon, not even a bit!

"ARRGG!"

The soldiers of Civilight Army fought against the Dragon type Pokemon on the west side of the village with their full power… But… Are they really Pokemon?

"T… They look like they were infected by machines!" Diego said.

All soldiers in Civilight Army who fought at the west side of the village, while didn't have an advanced weapon like the Civilight soldiers on the east side of the village, had some parts of their body, like their arms or their legs, removed and replaced by the very same organs, except they are made of machine!

"ARGGOOO!"

While fighting against the Dragon type Pokemon, the Civilight soldier didn't show any emotion on their face, not any joy, sadness, fear, satisfies or anger. All of this seemed like they were fully controlled by the machines that were attached to their body!

"What in the world they are thinking?!" Diego roared. "Blasphemy! Blasphemy!"

"Knock it off, Diego!" Zetarus roared while he shot the Civilight soldier who tried to attack both of them. "Our enemies are no more Pokemon! They are just a mindless machine who fight without thinking! And we can't deal with this sxxt!"

Like the east legion, the legion of Dragon type Pokemon who guarded the west side of the village also couldn't stand a chance against the enemy force like this!

"AURGR!"

Zetarus roared in pain after he was attacked at his shoulder. He then quickly knocked the enemy who attacked him by shooting at their 'head'.

"Diego, are you alright?!" Zetarus said as he turned his attention to the Mega Charizard X and saw that Diego was injured too, but at his left arm.

"Fxxk it!" Diego roared. "I can't deal with these sxxxs!"

"What should we do?!" Zetarus asked.

"Fine!" Diego roared. "Everyone, retreat! Get your fxxxxxg butt back to the center square of the village! We will deal with this sxxt later!"

* * *

 **-A minute later… At the center square of the village…**

"Claura! Xavier!"

"Zetarus! Diego!"

Rachael, Richard, Freya and Snow were shocked after seeing a sudden retreat of the east legion and the west legion, including their comrade.

"W… What's wrong, everyone?!" Snow asked. "W… Why did you retreat?! And— Oh! All of you are hurt!"

"It's nothing." Diego said. "Our injury is just a trifle."

"Right." Claura said. "If you want to help, you should help others instead. Everyone else got hurt even more than us."

"O… Okay…" Snow said before him, along with Freya, left to heal the injured Pokemon of the east legion and the west legion, leaving only Richard and Rachael with Xavier, Claura, Zetarus and Diego.

"So, tell me what happen there." Richard turned his attention back to Claura, Xavier, Zetarus and Diego after seeing that his sister had already gone to heal the injured Pokemon. "I thought that your plan is at least decent, Xavier, so something unexpected must have happened there, right?"

"Right!" Zetarus said. "You wouldn't believe in what we saw there!"

"Such a blasphemy!" Diego roared.

"… Since when did you learn to use that word, Diego?" Richard mumbled.

"Anyway…" Zetarus said. "The enemy on the west side has just gotten the reinforcement, and all of them are half-Pokemon half-machine!"

"W… What?!" Rachael said.

"… Are you serious?" Richard asked.

"Do you think that we will joke at a time like this?!" Diego said. "They all have some parts of their body being replaced by machines, making it seem like they were infected by the machine!"

"!" Hearing Zetarus and Diego's words reminded Richard and Rachael of their time in the Civilight Laboratory just before them, along with some other Pokemon, escaped from Republic of Civilight. It reminded him of a Cyborg Pokemon they had to fight before, the Experiment Alpha.

"W… Wait…" Rachael said. "D… Don't tell me that…"

"… Is the reinforcement the Civilight Army?" Richard asked.

"Wait, how do you know?!" Zetarus asked.

"Cursed!" Richard mumbled. "They always have some kind of weird and unnatural experiment like this! And they even dare to use it in the real life! How dare they?!"

"Oh, no!" Rachael cried. "This is terrible! Truly terrible!"

"…" Diego and Zetarus said nothing after hearing Richard and Rachael's words.

"… What about you two?" Richard turned his attention toward Claura and Xavier. "Did you encounter the Cyborg soldiers from the Civilight Army too?"

"Well… We did encounter the Civilight Army, but they aren't like what Zetarus and Diego said." Claura said.

"On the east side, they are still Pokemon, but they have some kind of advanced weapon, which could easily knock us out." Xavier said.

"Advance weapon?" Rachael said.

"Yeah, like this." Xavier said before showing everyone some kind of strange weapon. "I picked this up from the corpse of Civilight soldier, so I may be able to analyze it and make a plan to counter the enemy. Richard, could you analyze this weapon and tell me how does it work?"

"Leave it too me." Richard said before he received the weapon from the Dragonite, which he then opened the Chronicle of Darkside and started analyzing the weapon using the knowledge he extracted from the Chronicle.

"T… Then, while Onii-chan is analyzing the weapon, I will heal all of you." Rachael said before she took out four bottles of healing potion. "First, drink this healing potion, and then I will bandage your wound."

"Thanks." Zetarus, Diego, Claura and Xavier said as they received the bottle of healing potion from the Latias. And while they were drinking the healing potion, Rachael took out a bandage kit and started bandaging them.

* * *

 **-Meanwhile… Near the entrance of Hidden Village of Dragon…**

"Well? Isn't this beautiful?" General Manectric said as he observed the combined force of Civilight Army and Venturnome Army killed the Dragon type Pokemon who fought at the entrance of the village. Unlike the west legion and east legion, the Dragon type Pokemon who fought at the entrance of the village refused to retreat even when they were at the disadvantage. As a result of this, the Dragon type Pokemon at the entrance of the village were all defeat, or, in the other word, massacred, by the Venturnome soldiers and Civilight soldiers…

Actually, only very few Venturnome soldiers and Civilight soldiers were at the entrance of the village to fight the Dragon type Pokemon as most Venturnome soldiers were already killed by the Dragon type Pokemon, and the majority of Civilight Army was fighting on the east side and the west side of the village…

So, the one who did the massacre of the Dragon type Pokemon was neither Venturnome soldiers nor Civilight soldiers, but…

"… Very beautiful, Experiment Delta." General Manectric said as he observed the Type: Null ferociously killed the Dragon type Pokemon who stood in its way. "You have done a magnificent job."

"GRAAAWWRRR!" The Type: Nulll roared ferociously as it proceeded to kill any Dragon type Pokemon who stood within its sight, all who soon fell into oblivion by its claws and fangs, leaving only their blood soaked on the ground, as well as on the body of the Type: Null.

"Ah… Such a tool of destruction…" General Manectric mumbled. "Your only purpose is to follow our command and destroy anyone who stands in our way. As long as we have you under our grasp, Experiment Delta, we will be unbeatable!"

"…" Type: Null gazed around it. Right now, it had already killed ALL Dragon type Pokemon who fought to protect their village at the entrance of Hidden Village of Dragon, making everywhere around there soak red with the Dragon Blood, including the body of the Type: Null too.

"And now, what should you do next?" General Manectric said as he approached the Type: Null, who stood still without doing anything else. "Well… Let's see… We have got a report of the remnant of the enemy that are now gathering at the center of this place. That's perfect opportunity for us to—"

"General Manectric!"

"Hm?" General Manectric turned his attention to a Civilight soldier who had just appeared and called his name. He seemed to be in a hurried state.

"Forgive my interruption, general." The Civilight soldier said. "But our spy has just gotten a very important information about the enemy."

"Pass it on to me." General Manectric said.

"Okay…" The Civilight soldier said before he approached General Manectric and whispered something into his ear, which made a sinister smile appear on the face of the Manectric.

"…"

"… Are you sure about this?" General Manectric asked after hearing something from the Civilight soldier.

"Absolutely, general." The Civilight soldier said. "There's no mistake about this."

"Well? Isn't this a great news?" General Manectric said. "Thank you for this information. Soldier, now you're dismissed."

"Thank you, sir." The same Civilight soldier said before he walked away from General Manectric.

"… Well, now…" General Manectric mumbled and turned his attention toward the Type: Null. "Experiment Delta, we have a new objective for you, and it will be an important one."

"…" The Type: Null turned its attention to General Manectric.

"Now, listen well…" General Manectric said before he started saying something to the Type: Null…

* * *

 **-A Few Minutes Later… At the Center Square of Hidden Village of Dragon…**

"…"

Meanwhile, at the center square of the village, the remaining Dragon type Pokemon were gathering there to heal their wound from the previous battle, but they had gotten a very little time to rest, as the enemy forces were moving toward the center square too, so the Dragon type Pokemon who were still able to fight decided to take a gamble and went to fight the enemy forces that were moving toward the center square, even thought they knew that they may not win or survive, but at least they would be able to hold the enemy forces off and defend the center square in order to give an opportunity for everyone at the center square to come up with something that would help them win this battle, at a cost of their lives…

"…This is bad…"

Freya and Snow approached Rachael, who were tending to a wound of Xavier, who still remained in the center square of the village while Claura, Zetarus and Diego, all whom Rachael had already tended their wound, had gone back to the battle to defend the center square of the village, leaving Xavier here to wait for Richard's analysis about the enemy's weapon

"W…What's wrong, Freya, Snow?" Rachael said as she realized that both Freya and Snow had a very grim look on their face. It seemed like they really want to cry.

"I am sorry for being so useless…" Freya said. "I… I can't save anyone…"

"W… What?" Rachael said. "W… What do you mean by that?"

"… We may be able to tend the wound of the Pokemon who has gotten a minimal injury…" Snow said. "But… For the rest… We couldn't save them."

"What?!" Rachael said before she started crying. "Oh, no…"

"Moreover…" Freya spoke up. "We have heard a grieve news about everyone who fought at the entrance of the village… They all… They all were killed by the enemies."

"Oh, no!" Rachael said. "T… Then… Oh, no! Then Anastasia, Baromyteus and Dimitri—"

"No." Snow said. "The Pokemon who bore this news mentioned that he couldn't find the corpse of Anastasia and Baromyteus, as well as Dimitri and Damos anywhere at the entrance of the village, so, there's still a chance that they are still alive… But… The only explanation why they are not at the entrance of the village, as well as anywhere around the village, if they are still alive, we have is… They went into the enemy's territory."

"Are they mad?!" Rachael said. "Going into the enemy like that is such a madness! It would be suicidal to do something so reckless like that! I won't believe it!"

"Sadly, I couldn't think of any other explanation about their situation." Snow said.

"Oh, no…" Rachael said. "Why?"

"And now, with everyone who fought at the entrance of the village being killed by the enemy, we have already lost over two-third of the village population…" Freya said. "A… And this also includes…"

"Include who?!" Rachael said. Right now, she had a very bad feeling about this.

"… Unos and Lyzia."

The one who spoke these names wasn't either Freya and Snow, but was an injured Noibat who was now walking beside Freya. It seemed like he was crying a lot recently.

"Noctus?!" Rachael said.

"This poor Noibat…" Snow said. "He was the one who bore the grieve news about everyone at the entrance of the village with a heavy heart, only to come back to find that… Two of his friends…"

"What?!" Rachael said and turned her attention back from Snow to Noctus, who seemed like he was crying before. "T… Then… Unos and Lyzia… D… Don't tell me that…"

"While retreating from the east side and the west side, Unos and Lyzia… T… They… They were…" Noctus said before he couldn't hold back his tear anymore.

"Oh… No…" Rachael said before she turned her attention toward Snow and Freya, in hope that they would have a good news for her, but her hope was lost when Freya looked away from her with a teary look on her face, and Snow shook his head.

"We try our hardest…" Freya said. "B… But… In the end We couldn't save their life…"

"Unos and Lyzia are already gone…" Noctus said. "And I don't know where Dimitri is, so the only one left are Korben and me…"

"… I am sure that that Hakamo-o would be safe right now, since he was staying with Elder Baldr…" Xavier spoke up after saying nothing for several minutes. "But for Dimitri, as well as Anastasia, Baromyteus and Damos… I am sorry that I, like any of you all here, don't know anything about their situation right now…"

"… But our situation right now has gone far beyond our grasp…"

A grim voice echoed from someone who stood just beside Xavier, who was none other than Rachael's elder brother, Richard.

"R… Richard!" Noctus said.

"Onii-chan, what did you mean by that?!" Rachael said. "That's not a nice thing to say at a time like this!"

"You all know nothing…" Richard said with a grim voice as he looked at Rachael, Noctus, Freya, Snow and stopped at Xavier.

"… Did your words have something to do with the enemy's weapon?" Xavier asked.

"That would be the only thing you could grasp, Xavier." Richard said. "… And not even I could fathom about this… This is very bad… I couldn't believe that they would sink so low into this."

"W… What do you mean by that?!" Noctus asked.

"First…" Richard continued speaking. "Do you know anything about 'Essence of Soul'?"

"Essence… of Soul?" Noctus said. "It's some kind of energy that has something to do with the living creature's soul, and this is the very same kind of energy that the living creature would release when they die, right? I have read about this once in the scroll."

"Correct." Richard said. "Normally, the Essence of Soul is a very complicated and delicate thing, so it couldn't exist on its own, so it would usually exist within the body of living creature. The only time that we could detect this thing is when the living creature dies. The moment that the soul departs from its soul, it will also release the Essence of Soul out. But, as I said before, the Essence of Soul would only exist for a very short time before it degenerates into nothing."

"Okay…" Rachael nodded, despite than she still didn't understand half of her brother's words.

"… And the enemy's weapon." Richard continued speaking and showed Xavier, Rachael, Noctus, Freya and Snow the weapon he got from Xavier. "It feeds off the Essence of Soul as its source of energy."

"WHAT?!" Rachael, Noctus, Freya and Snow said.

"I know that it sounds stupid, but this is true." Richard said. "I don't know how could they invent such… an abomination weapon like this, but this weapon will gather the power from the Essence of Soul after the Pokemon died. The Essence of Soul, while being very hard to be detected, it also holds a huge potential within itself, and when someone tries to use it as a source of power doing something, the result would be… very drastic."

"How could they?!" Rachael said.

"And because having more Essence of Soul means having more powerful weapons, this weapon would be very powerful when being used in a battlefield where many dead Pokemon exist."

"… That's why they wait until the final moment of the battle, where many Pokemon were already dead, before they reveal this weapon…" Xavier said.

"That's not even the worst part…" Richard said. "While being used in a battlefield with many dead Pokemon would improve this weapon, there's one more way, and a more effective way, to increase the power of this weapon. And that way is to absorb the Essence of Soul directly… with this weapon."

"What?!" Noctus said. "So, does that mean that, when they kill anyone with that weapon, the weapon will absorb the victim's Essence of Soul and power up itself?!"

"Correct." Richard said. "Normally, the essence of the fallen soul is a very complicated and delicate thing, that even someone like me still couldn't grasp how it works, so that it be disturbed by any mean… To think that they would invent a weapon to take an advantage from such a thing like this… Disgusting… Absolutely disgusting…"

"…" Noctus, Rachael, Freya, Snow and Xavier said nothing after hearing the words of the Latios, as they also felt the same way as he felt toward the enemy too.

"But… There's still one more thing that I don't understand…" Richard continued speaking. "This weapon Xavier gave me had absorbed quite a high quantity of the Essence of Soul… But… Considered that the enemies have at least hundred of this very same weapon, all of them that are as powerful as this one… They would need quite a lot of the Essence of Soul, and… Even if they kill everyone in this village, they would still get enough Essence of Soul to power-up less than half of their weapon… So, how could they get enough Essence of Soul? I don't understand this…"

"… I think that I may have the answer you seek, Richard." Xavier spoke up with a grim voice. "Before we retreat, Claura and I noticed that the number of the soldiers that belong to other enemy armies, which are Leafburg Army and Riverbrine Army, has been drastically decreased since the Civilight Army joined the battle, even thought that we hardly kill any of them as all we could do was survive the attack of the Civilight Army… So…"

"!" Richard, Rachael, Noctus, Freya and Snow were all shocked after hearing Xavier's words, as they made them realize something…

"Damn it!" Noctus roared. "How could they do all of this?! I couldn't even find a word to describe how low they are!"

"Terrible… Truly terrible…" Freya mumbled. "Why… Why did they have to be so cruel?"

"…I don't understand this…" Snow said. "Is it really necessary to sacrifice so many people just to achieve their greedy ambition?"

"… I have seen many bad and mean people before…" Rachael said. "But… This one is too much…"

"…" Richard said nothing, as it seemed like he was completely frightened by what he had just heard.

"… And so…" Xavier mumbled and slowly stood up again and grabbed his halberd. "I will go to join the battle again. And… If Claura, Zetarus and Diego are still alive, I will also warn them about the enemy's weapon too… Well, then… And… I don't know if I would have another chance to talk to all of you again, so… So long, everyone…"

After finished speaking, Xavier flew up to join the battle to defend the center square of the village, leaving Rachael, Richard, Freya, Snow and Noctus here, along with other injured Pokemon, as well as the Dragon type Pokemon who had already succumbed to their injuries…

"Onii-chan…" Rachael spoke up and looked at her brother with a sad look on her face. "… Are we going to die here?"

"…" Richard didn't say anything. All he did right now was looking at the ground below him, but Rachael could see that her brother was trying his hardest to hold off his tear.

"Onii-chan…" Rachael mumbled

"…Rachael…" Richard raised his head and looked at his sister with a grim look on his face. It was quite clear that he was trying to smile, but he couldn't. "Rachael, I did promise that I would keep you safe, remember?"

"Onii-chan, that's…" Rachael said.

"Rachael, while I may not be very strong, but… I will do anything to ensure our safety…" Richard said. "Both of us mustn't die here. I won't allow it, and I will—"

"GRAAAAAAAWWWWWWRRRRR!"

Before Richard finished his words, a loud roar suddenly echoed through the entire center square of the village. But it wasn't a dragon's roar, but it was…

"Wha—"

Before any of Rachael, Richard, Freya, Snow and Noctus could say anything else, a figure of something, soaked red with the blood of dragon, suddenly appeared from the direction of the entrance of the village, and it was sprinting toward the center square!

"GRAAAAAAAWWWWWWRRRRR!"

Just as it reached the center square of the village, the incoming figure suddenly stopped sprinting and jumped across the entire center square!

"That's…" Rachael suddenly exclaimed.

For Rachael and Richard, it seemed like time had slowed down when they looked at the figure who jumped across their heads, as well as the entire center square, but it was enough for both of them to take a look at the incoming figure, as well as to grasp its identity.

"!"

At the same time that Rachael and Richard looked at the incoming figure, the very same figure also had a glance at the Latios and Latias, and while no one could grasp their emotion right now, it was quite clear for Rachael and Richard to see that this figure was surprised to see them… again.

"Grr..."

After jumping across the entire center square, the figure stopped a bit to glance at Rachael and Richard one more time before it continued sprinting to the direction opposite of the village's entrance.

"W… What is that Pokemon?!" Freya said after the blood-soaked figure had already left. "I have never seen any Pokemon like that!"

"Neither do I…" Snow said. "But… It was soaked red with blood… And the direction it goes…"

"Oh, no!" Noctus said. "That's the direction of Elder Baldr's house!"

"…"

"…"

While everyone else was talking about the blood-soaked figure that had just appeared and left, Rachael and Richard looked at each other, and both of them seemed to know what the other was thinking right now.

"Wait, Rachael, Richard?!"

And before everyone could say or do anything else, they realized that Rachael and Richard were now following the blood-soaked figure!

"Where are you going, both of you?!" Noctus asked.

"Do not follow us!" Richard said as he and his sister was following the blood-soaked figure. "Stay at the center square, and don't let anyone else follow us!"

"Wait—" Freya tried to say something, but it was too late as Rachael and Richard had already gone from their sight.

"What are they going?!" Snow said. "And why did they follow that blood-soaked creature?!"

"S… Should we follow them?" Freya asked.

"…They told us not to, and we should respect their words." Snow said. "Moreover, while none of us here don't know what to do, both Rachael and Richard seem to know something about that blood-soaked figure we saw."

"Fine…" Noctus said. "But… I hope they know what they are doing…"

"Rachael, Richard… Be careful…" Freya said.

* * *

 **-Meanwhile…**

"Onii-chan, that Pokemon we saw earlier… " Rachael said while she and her brother were flying toward Elder Baldr's house.

"Hm." Richard nodded to his sister's words. "Yes, no mistake. That's the same Pokemon we met in Civilight Laboratory for sure."

"But… Why is that Pokemon here?" Rachael asked. "And… Where is that Pokemon going?"

"… Considered that this Pokemon is the 'Experimental Specie' created in the Civilight Laboratory…" Richard said. "And that Pokemon's body is soaked red with blood… Which I think that it is the blood of Dragon type Pokemon…"

"What?!" Rachael said. "D… Don't tell me that… They will use that Pokemon as the 'weapon' to kill us all?!"

"… Again, considered that they really like to turn a living creature into a mindless weapon…" Richard said. "Don't forget what happen to Experiment Alpha we fought before we escaped from the Civilight Laboratory."

"But…" Rachael said. "That Pokemon isn't a mindless weapon! We both saw it with our own eyes at the Civilight Laboratory."

"Yes, we did." Richard said. "But that was several months ago. What if they did modify that Pokemon and turned that Pokemon into a mindless weapon already?"

"That's impossible!" Rachael said.

"… Don't you see that Pokemon's body?" Richard said. "That Pokemon's body was completely soaked red with the blood of Dragon type Pokemon, which meant that that Pokemon must have killed many Dragon type Pokemon just before that Pokemon appeared before our eyes, and we have heard that everyone who fought at the entrance of the village was killed…"

"But, but…" Rachael tried to say something, but she couldn't.

"…I know what you are thinking, Rachael." Richard said. "We both made a grave mistake back at the Civilight Laboratory, and the mistake we made has filled us with a feeling of regret, that we should do as our heart told, and now… With everything goes on like this, we may not have another chance to correct our mistake."

"…No, Onii-chan." Rachael said. "I don't believe that we may not have another chance, because I believe that we still have a chance!"

"Do you?" Richard said. "Well, if you really believe that, then all I can do is hope that you are right, because I really want to follow what my heart told too."

"We are in this together, right, Onii-chan?" Rachael asked.

"Right." Richard said. "We will do anything in order to save that Pokemon, and this time, without mistake."

"Me too!" Rachael said, and then both of them continued heading toward Elder Baldr's house, which was not too far right now.

But…

While talking with his younger sister did relieve the dark feeling within his chest quite a bit, Richard still couldn't shake away the feeling that things might not be as they thought, and the worst may happen…

As well as…

'… Why did that Pokemon head toward Elder Baldr's house?' Richard thought to himself. 'Wait, don't tell me that… No… It can't be… Please, don't let what I am thinking come true, please!'

* * *

 **-Meanwhile… Back to somewhere in th** **e Valley of No Return…**

"GRAAAAAWWWWWRRRRRR!"

The sound of Dragon's roar echoed through the entire Valley of No Return. It wasn't the sound of rage and anger, but it was the sound filled with grief and regret.

"No…. NOOOOOOO!" Baromyteus roared over the corpse of Dimitri, whom he had just killed. While it was an accident, it still changes nothing, and it still didn't change the fact that he was the one who killed Dimitri.

"Brother, calm down!" Anastasia said and tried to embrace her brother in order to calm him down, but it didn't seem like Baromyteus would calm down easily.

"Heh? What a pathetic creature…" Rucas said as he stood in front of Baromyteus and Anastasia, with a sinister smile on his face. "Back before, 30 years ago, when you travelled with me and other 13 Hero/ine of Legend, you are such a ferocious killer who killed anything that stood in your way without any remorse, but now, look at this! You have just killed a single bastard and now you act like a lunatic who has just lost their mind. Pathetic! Truly pathetic!"

"Rucas!" Anastasia said while looking at the Mega Lucario with an angry face. "Why? Why are you doing all of this time?! You weren't like this 30 years ago! Tell me, why?!"

"After seeing your brother like this, I thought that you would already know the answer, Anastasia…" Rucas said. "The answer is time, Anastasia. Time is like a stream of river. It always flows forward, and it would never flow backward, no matter how much effect you try to force it. And, like the stream of the river, the stream of time always carries something with them. Sometime, it brings a new thing into your life, while sometime, it washes away the old thing. In other words, time always brings the change, no matter what. Don't forget that 'The story of living creature's existence is truly not fathomable."

"T… That's…" Anastasia said and, without realizing, reached her paw toward the bracelet she wore around her wrist. "That's… not true, right?"

"Sadly, there's no way to prove that what I am saying is wrong, Anastasia." Rucas said. "If you meet everyone else who travelled with us 30 years ago, be Zira, Joshua, Ellisk, Magnus, Leonel, Fenrir, Nyxier, Kamui, Tyrus, Sharon, Garland, Iris or Hawkins, you will see that all of them, like your brother, you and me, had been changed by the stream of time. And if you still don't believe me, think of what happened 30 years ago."

"!" Anastasia quickly looked away from Rucas.

"When we met each other for the first time, you are such a cheerful and energetic Pokemon who always lifted my spirit up." Rucas said. "But then… You changed. You, as well as your brother who had just joined up with us, isolated yourself from us and refused to speak with anyone other than your family. And in the end, you are just a bane of justice that only exists to bring the injustice to the world."

"T… That's…" Anastasia said.

"Well… Thanks to myself 30 years ago, who grant mercy toward your abominable souls, both you and your brother are still alive, despite that I didn't know until today. But now, with myself right now and right here, I am not the same Rucas you know 30 years ago, and this time, I will not let any of you go. I will finish you, Anastasia, and your brother, in this place, and then I will carve your hearts from your bodies and throw them into the deepest abyss I could find, as well as I would pour your blood from your corpse and taint this filthy area with it, so that this valley, with your filthy blood, shall be void of any living creature, and then the injustice will finally—!"

"… How long do you plan to continue your rumbling?"

"Hm?!"

Suddenly, while Rucas was speaking, another voice echoed into Rucas and Anastasia's ears, but it was neither Rucas nor Anastasia's voice. It was the voice of a Shiny Haxorus who was crying over the corpse of Dimitri.

"B… Brother?!" Anastasia said after she realized that her brother had already stopped roaring and crying over Dimitri's death. Right now, Baromyteus was looking at Rucas, with a face full with a feeling of disgusting toward the Mega Lucario in front of him.

"Y… You?!" Rucas seemed to be a bit surprised after he realized that Baromyteus had already stopped crying.

"Sure, I won't deny that I am pathetic, crying and roaring like a lunatic like this." Baromyteus said. "But while I am pathetic, you are far more pathetic than me, Rucas, as, not only you are far more pathetic than me, but you are also disgusting beyond disgusting."

"D… Disgusting?! M… Me?!" Rucas said with a confused voice.

"Right, you are both pathetic and disgusting, Rucas… No, even saying your name has left a foul taste in my own mouth." Baromyteus said. "You bastard, you said that the source of your change, or should I say, your corruption? Anyway, the thing that turns you into a disgusting thing like this is time, right? That's absolutely bxxxxxxt. Time is just a tiny part of what made a disgusting creature out of you. The thing that truly made you into this thing is yourself!"

"M… Me?!" Rucas said. "Don't be absurd, you pathetic creature!"

"You can deny, but the truth will never change, you disgusting thing!" Baromyteus said. "And in the truth, nothing of you have been changed! It's just that the mask that concealed your true self had been slowly removed throughout the time of 30 years between the Fallen Crisis and today! Back before, you conceal your disgusting self with the mask of lie and deception, in the name of Hero of Justice just to lie to everyone and yourself about who you really are, you bastard!"

"Y… You!" Rucas roared. "How dare you?!"

"Now, you have proved who you really are to Anastasia and me, you bastard." Baromyteus said. "The mask of lie and deception had been removed, and revealed your rotten core to the world! Aren't you disgusting of yourself, not even a bit, you bastard?"

"Stop!" Rucas roared. "You insolent injustice! You have pushed your luck too far, to the point of no return! I was planning to show a little mercy to you and your sister by giving a quick and painless death, but now, your action had sealed your luck out, you abominable creatures! Now, I shall give you the most painful moment in your pathetic life, so painful that you will beg for me to grant you the death you really wish for, but I won't be merciful anymore! I shall make you remember this very moment for the rest of your pathetic existence, even in the next life, if there is one!"

"Hm! If that's so, then you are no different than the Fallen Dragon who plagued Symmetria 30 years ago…" Baromyteus said before he reached his paw to the demonic helmet that he always wore on his face. "Very well, then… You leave me no choice, you bastard…"

After finished speaking, Baromyteus slowly removed his helmet for the first time in this week, revealing his face to the Mega Lucario in front of him, which immediately made the Mega Lucario stepped away with a frightened look on his face.

"Cursed!" Rucas roared and pointed his paw at Baromyteus. "Blasphemy! You are such a blasphemy! You abomination creature is truly the bane of injustice!"

"… Since when did you pick up Leonel's speech?" Baromyteus mumbled with his arms crossed. Without his helmet, it could be seen that his head, as well as his entire body, didn't possess any flesh and skin. The only thing he had on his head was his bare skull, which was black, as well as his axe-like jaws on each side of his 'cheek'. On his skull, at where that was supposed to be his eyes, were two black hollowed hole with a small blood red spot, which were his eyes. Moreover, his head was also cloaked with a sinister black aura that made him look dreadful and eerie. And, while it still couldn't be seen because he was still wearing his armor suit, his entire skeletal body was black, just like his skull. "Since you have just revealed your true face, I suppose that I should do the same thing, as someone I knew always poured his words about equality into my ears, which I have picked some of them up, if only a tiny part."

"And how did you get that abominable body like that?!" Rucas asked.

"Don't you remember anything about me? Not even a bit? Didn't Fenrir tell anything about me to you?" Baromyteus said. "Whatever… I am a dragon who was born into this world with a cursed blood, which was considered as a bad omen, resulting in my exile from the place I was born since my youngest age, and I have to live alone in the dreadful world for several years, until the time of Fallen Crisis, when my cursed blood started to take a toll out of me and put me under the Fallen Dragon's grasp Soon, my sister, who was knowing nothing about me, discovered me, she, being the one who shared the same blood with me, fell under the Fallen Dragon's grasp too. Together, both Anastasia and I, we befriended you and other Hero/ine of Legend in order to work behind your back and plague the world, under the Fallen Dragon's command. And at the end of your journey, when you and other Hero/ine of Legend ventured into the Fallen Dragon's lair deep under the land of Symmetria, we revealed ourselves who we really are and battled all of you, in hope that I could defeat someone whom I hate to the deepest part of my heart."

"Hate me?" Rucas said before revealed a sinister smile again. "Of course, I am not surprised that you hate me. I am justice, and you are injustice. Both of us are complete opposite of each other, and never that we would see other as a friend."

"Sure." Baromyteus said. "And in the end, we failed to kill any of you and were defeated by all of you, but you all did spared us, despite it wasn't your intention, and you, as well as other Hero/ine of Legend, thought that both Anastasia and I were already dead, but we both are still alive. However, we both have betrayed you, the Hero/ine of Legend, as well as the whole World of Pokemon. This is such a disgusting action, even I always felt disgusting about what I have done 30 years ago. Because of all of these, we decided to start living alone by travelling together around the World of Pokemon, where we encountered many things, as well as spending time together to make up for the time we lost in our childhood. However, in the end, the cursed blood of mine finally took a full toll on my body, which, combining with the crime I had done during the Fallen Crisis, it removed blood and flesh out of my body, turning me into an undead Shiny Haxorus who will continue living in this miserable life of atonement for the rest of my life."

After finished speaking, Baromyteus glanced at Anastasia a bit before turning his attention back to Rucas and continued speaking. "For Anastasia, her crime was much lesser than mine, and too much had already happened to her heart and soul, especially what you have done to her, you bastard, as well as she wasn't born with a bad omen like mine, so she was spared from the curse of flesh like mine."

"Heh? You speak as if I should feel bad about you…" Rucas said. "Well? The answer is never! No injustice shall receive an act of mercy from me, never! You heard me?! NEVER!"

"Sigh…" Baromyteus sighed to himself before he turned his attention to his sister who, as if she knew what he was thinking, quickly handed over his Dragon Claw Swords she retrieved earlier back to their owner, and again, with the Dragon Claw Swords in his grasp, Baromyteus continued speaking. "Other than your attitude and what you have done to Anastasia, there's still one more thing that I detest about you. It's your broke words."

"Broken words?" Rucas said.

"Just a night before the final battle before the Fallen Dragon, I did ask you the first and the last request of mine, and you promise to keep your words… But now… Look at what you have done…"

"Your words?" Rucas said. "I don't remember promising anything to the bane of injustice like you!"

"Sigh… And I thought that I couldn't hate you even more…" Baromyteus said. "Very well… No more talking. You bastard, let's end this."

"Of course! I am tired of speaking with the like of you!" Rucas roared. "If I listen to your words any longer, my own justice will be tainted by your own injustice! And now, it's time for me to bring the justice back to this filthy place! FOR THE GLORY OF JUSTICE!"

After finished speaking, Rucas started charged an orb of aura around his fist, preparing for the move Aura Sphere!

"I will finish this battle, right now and right here!" Rucas roared while putting more and more aura force into his Aura Sphere in order to increase its damage!

"… Palkia, can you hear me?" Baromyteus mumbled as he reached his paw toward the bracelet he always wore on his wrist. "Lend me your power."

 _'… Well? This is rare. You normally rely on your own strength, so you almost never summon me… Very well, since we have formed a pact together, take my power and defeat any foe that stood in your way!'_

After finished speaking, a dark purple aura started flowing out of Baromyteus' bracelet and it cloaked around the Shiny Haxorus' entire body, which absorbed it to increase his power. The remaining dark purple aura that wasn't absorbed into Baromyteus' body then gathered around Baromyteus' Dragon Claw Swords, making the blades glow with a mysterious dark purple light!

"… I am ready…" Baromyteus mumbled.

"AND NOW, TAKE THIS, IN THE NAME OF JUSTICE!" Rucas roared before he released the sphere of aura he was charging at his paw! "AURA SPHERE OF JUSTICE!"

"YOUR MISERABLE LIFE ENDED, NOW!" Baromyteus roared before he crossed his blades in the shape of X and then slashed them forward, creating two dark aura waves in the shape of crescent forward. "SPACIAL REND!"

"I will help you too, brother!" Anastasia said as she quickly her paw to the bracelet on her wrist. "Dialga, grant me your power! ROAR OF TIME!"

Immediately after she finished speaking, Anastasia released a huge light blue beam from her mouth, which then combined with Baromyteus' Spacial Rend and moved toward the Mega Lucario!

"CRRRRASHHHHHHH!"

"BOOOOOOOOOM!"

Rucas' Aura Sphere crashed with the combination of Baromyteus' Spacial Rend and Anastasia's Roar of Time at the spot right between both sides, creating a giant blast that covered the entire area that the battle took place in, and it also created a veil of black dust that temporary covered the entire area, making it impossible to see what happened to the three Pokemon after their attacks clashed with each other…

However…

There's one thing that both of them knew…

They knew that…

One of them had just grasped onto the victory, while the other had just lost…

* * *

 **-Meanwhile… Somewhere in the Hidden Village of Dragon…**

"Grandfather…" Korben spoke up. Right now, he was still standing on the balcony of Elder Baldr's house, along with the owner of the house, as well as his grandfather, Elder Baldr. "How long will this battle go on?"

"Not too long, my grandchild…" Elder Baldr said. "Soon, not very long, the battle will end."

"Really? Well, that's a relief to know…" Korben said.

"… I wish I could say that…" Elder Baldr said.

"Hm?" Korben looked at his grandfather and saw a faint smile on the face of the Drampa. "What did you mean by that?"

Elder Baldr looked into the eyes of the young Hakamo-o with his old and grim eyes before he spoke up.

"I mean that—"

"GGGRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWLLLL!"

Suddenly, a loud roar echoed through the area around here, chilling the blood of everyone who heard it. However, it wasn't the sound of the dragon's roar. It was a sound of the beast's roar.

And before Korben and Elder Baldr could do anything, something suddenly appeared on the roof of Elder Baldr's house out of nowhere!

"!" Both Korben and Elder Baldr were both startled by the sudden appearance of this figure, as it, while it seemed like it was a Pokemon, it was a Pokemon that they hadn't seen before anywhere. It was a quadruped Pokemon that looked like a combination of several kinds of living creatures, or it could say that it was the Chimera Pokemon. Its torso, which was usually black, was now soaked red with the blood of dragon. It had a blue fish-like tail, which was now soaked red too. Its rear legs, which were usually black and covered with several purple scales, were both soaked red with blood too. Its front legs, which were usually insectoid and green, were soaked red with blood too. It had a gray mane, which was now soaked red with blood, around its neck, and there was a black collar wearing around its neck. The most outstanding thing of this Pokemon was its head, as its head was enclosed in a strange-shaped brown mask with four hinges at each edge of the mask, forming the shape 'X'. It had some sort of enclosed hair above its head, and there were two holes on its mask at the spot that should be its eyes, as well as the spots in each hole, which seemed to be its eyes, but right now, its eyes were both blood red, just like the eyes of a blood-hungry predator that preyed onto its victim!

"GRAAAWWRRR!" The Type: Null jumped down onto the balcony of Elder Baldr's house, facing the Drampa and Hakamo-o in front of it!

"Grandpa, step away!" Realizing that this Pokemon wasn't their ally, Korben quickly stepped in between Elder Baldr and the Type: Null in front of him, preparing to fight his enemy!

"GRRRAAAAWWWRRRR!" Type: Null suddenly charged forward the Hakamo-o, who quickly got himself prepared for his enemy's tackle, but his enemy didn't tackle him. Instead, it stopped just right in front of him before it raised its claws and attacked him with it!

"URG!" Because he wasn't prepared for a claw attack, Korben was easily knocked out of the way, leaving no one between this Type: Null and Elder Baldr!

"Oh dear…" Elder Baldr said as he saw the Type: Null right in front of him, who was gazing at him, like a starved predator who preyed on its prey. "… Over two thousand years of my life that I have never encountered anything like this before…"

"Grandpa!" Korben said as he tried to stand up, and at the same time…

"Elder Baldr! Korben!"

Suddenly, two Pokemon appeared by flying up from the ground below and landed on the balcony just beside the Hakamo-o. This time, both Pokemon weren't the enemy, as they were none other than Rachael the Latias and Richard the Latios!

"Oh, no!" Rachael said after she saw what was going on at the balcony of Elder Baldr's house.

"No!" Richard said, but...

It was already too late…

"GRRRRRAAAAAWWWWRRRRR!"

"ARG!"

The Type: Null charged toward Elder Baldr and then bit him right on his neck, and then it flung the Drampa's body right above the house!

"!"

Because of the Type: Null's action, Elder Baldr's body was flung above the house, making it possible for everyone within the area of Hidden Village of Dragon to see this!

But that wasn't enough…

"GRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWRRRRRRRRR!"

After flinging Elder Baldr into the sky, the Type: Null then jumped into the sky, toward the Drampa's body. It then stretched its sharp claws toward the Drampa.

And then…

"SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHUUUUUUUNNNNNNKKKKKKK!"

"…GRANDPA!" Korben roared after he saw his grandfather's body being penetrated by the Type: Null's claws right through his chest, ripping his body into several parts, sending his dragon blood splashed around the entire area, just like a firework…

But… It wasn't a firework of celebration…

It was a firework… Of blood…

And it was the blood… of a dragon…

 **To Be Continued…**

* * *

 **Dragon of Vale: …The only thing I have to say in this chapter's author's note is that some parts of me have died while I am writing this chapter…**


	60. Tail 6-10: The Dragon Massacre

**A Dragon's Tail**

 **Tail 6: Baromyteus' Tail - Deception**

 **Tail 6-10: The Dragon Massacre**

Three Dragon type Pokemon, a Latias, a Latios, and a Hakamo-o, gazed at the sky in horror as Elder Baldr's body was torn and ripped apart by the chimera Pokemon, who proceeded to murder the Drampa without showing any sight of mercy, even when the Drampa was no longer alive…

"Oh, no…" Rachael said. "We are too late…"

"…" Unlike Rachael, Richard didn't say anything, but it could be seen that he was completely frightened by the scene right before his eyes.

Not only the three Pokemon who stood on the balcony of the house, but everyone else who was in the area of the Hidden Village of Dragon also saw the whole scene involving Elder Baldr and the Type: Null too, as this incident occurred in the sky right above Elder Baldr's house.

"Oh my Arceus…" Snow said as he looked at the sky from the center square.

"EAHHHH!" Freya quickly covered her eyes, as she couldn't stand to watch the whole bloody scene like this.

"NOOO! ELDER!" Noctus cried as he saw the elder of the village being killed, while he couldn't do anything to stop this.

"OH NOOOOO!"

"ELDER BALDR!"

"IT CAN'T BE!"

"NOOOOOOOOO!"

Like Noctus, upon seeing Elder Baldr being brutally killed right in front of their eyes, all residents of the Hidden Village of Dragon started roaring and crying, as they were now at the disadvantage in this battle, and their leader was just killed right in from of their eyes. This created a huge confusion and panic that spread to the entire village!

"HEY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Zetarus roared as everyone who fought by his side started panicking after they saw their leader getting killed.

"FXXK IT!" Diego roared as, not only everyone on his side started panicking, but they also stopped fighting against the enemies, giving the enemy a great advantage in this situation!

"HEY! GET A HOLD OF YOURSELF!" Claura roared as she tried to stop the panicking, but her action didn't make anything better.

"… It's over…" Xavier mumbled. "The enemy must have learned about Elder Baldr, who is the figurehead and the source of moral and willpower of our side, so they sent an assassin to kill him, and the assassin flung him into the sky before killing him just to let everyone on our side saw that their leader getting killed. This will greatly decrease the moral and willpower of everyone on our side, as well as making everyone lost their will to fight… So… It could be said that… We are already lost…"

And while the death of Elder Baldr had given a huge grief and confusion to the entire population of the Hidden Village of Dragon, it still couldn't be compared to the grief of the Hakamo-o who was guarding Elder Baldr before he was killed, as well as Elder Baldr's grandson, Korben the Hakamo-o.

"NOOOO!" Korben roared and cried, just like a lunatic who had just lost their mind. "GRANPA!"

"GRAAAWWRRR!"

After tearing Elder Baldr's body into countless pieces, the Type: Null softly landed on the balcony again, facing at the three other Pokemon who were on the balcony too.

"…" The Type: Null didn't do anything. All it did was gazing at Rachael, Richard and Korben in front of it.

"…"

"Wait—" Rachael spoke up as she caught something in the eyes of the Type: Null in front of her, but before she could do or say anything else…

"YOU, BEAST!"

"Wait, Korben!"

"!"

The feeling of grief and regret within the mind of a young Hakamo-o had kindled the flame of anger and vengeance, which soon overcame his mind and spirit as he saw the Type: Null landing in front of him, making him charged at the Type: Null recklessly. The only thing he had in his mind right now is…

"I WILL KILL YOU! I WILL KILL YOU!" Korben roared like a lunatic while trying to hold back his tear as he charged at the Type: Null and holding his fist in front of him. The only thing he had in his mind right now was destroying the creature in front of him, who had just killed his grandfather.

"!" Seeing the hostile Hakamo-o charging at it, the Type: Null raised its claw to block the Hakamo-o's attack at the last moment before it countered back with a move Crush Claw!

"ARG!" Korben roared in pain after being knocked away by the Type: Null's counterattack, but he still didn't give up as he pushed himself forward and attacked the Type: Null again!

"I WON'T FORGIVE YOU, YOU BEAST!" Korben roared as he tried to punch the Type: Null again, but the Type: Null, again, was able to dodge his attack and countered back with its Crush Claw.

"AURGG!" Korben roared again as he tried to stand up after being knocked away by the Type: Null again, before he charged at the Type: Null to attack it again, but the result was still not different than before…

"Oh, no! I can't stand this!" Rachael said as she watched Korben being knocked away by the Type: Null, again and again, but Korben still didn't give up and continued attacking it. "W… We must do something about this!"

"…" Richard didn't say anything in response.

"Onii-chan, I knew that this Pokemon…" Rachael said as she looked at Type: Null, who dodged Korben's attack and countered back with the move Crush Claw again. "… Had just killed Elder Baldr, but…"

"… Say no more, Rachael." Richard said and turned his attention to his younger sister. "There's only thing that we can do. Rachael, you go and help Korben distracted this Pokemon."

"And what about you?" Rachael asked.

"Don't ask right now!" Richard said as he noticed that Korben's started to be overcame by injury and fatigue, despite he still didn't give up. "Now go!"

"Okay..." Rachael said before she quickly moved toward Korben. "Korben! Let me—"

"NO, I DON'T NEED YOUR HELP!" Korben roared. "I WILL KILL THIS BEAST WITH MY OWN FISTS! I WILL DO IT BY MYSELF!"

"But your body couldn't bear it!" Rachael said. "You are both tired and injured, Korben! At least let me heal—"

"I SAID I DON'T NEED YOUR HELP!" Korben roared as he charged at the Type: Null again, and again, he was knocked back by the Type: Null's Crush Claw!"

"AUURGGG!" Korben roared in pain as he tried to stand up again, but he had lost too much energy from the battle, so in the end, he fell unconscious and fell down onto the floor once again…

While…

"…" This time, instead of standing still at one spot, the Type: Null started to walk closer to the unconscious Korben and Rachael!

"No!" Rachael said. "W… What are you trying to do?!"

"!" The Type: Null paused a bit after it heard Rachael's words before it lowered its head for a bit, but then it raised its head again before it continued walking toward!

"NOOO!" Rachael cried as the Type: Null reached her and Korben, who was still unconscious. It then raised its claw upward, preparing to attack her and Korben…

But then…

"NOW!" Richard roared.

"Click!"

"Grrooooo…."

"Huh?!" Rachael was surprised after she realized that the Type: Null attacked neither her nor Korben. Instead, it suddenly lowered its claw before lowering its head onto the floor! And beside the Type: Null, she saw that her brother was standing there, holding the Chronicle of Darkside in one of his paw and something else in his other paw…

"Just when I thought that I couldn't hate those corrupted scoundrels from the Republic of Civilight…" Richard said before he put away his Chronicle of Darkside and placed his paw that was holding the Chronicle onto the Type: Null's back. "Are you alright? Does it still hurt?"

"Grr…" The Type: Null growled softly at Richard as it raised its head once again, but as its raised its head, Rachael could see that the blood-hungry spark in the Type: Null's eyes had already disappeared and was replaced with a spark of confusion and sadness.

"Onii-chan, what's the meaning of this?" Rachael asked.

"… You saw it too, right?" Richard turned his attention back to his younger sister. "A single spark in this Pokemon's eyes just before Korben attacked this Pokemon."

"Oh, right!" Rachael said. "I remember that spark! It was the very same spark I saw in this Pokemon's eyes back when we were in the Civilight Laboratory! And this means that…"

"… This Pokemon…" Richard turned his attention at the Type: Null again. "… Is the very same Pokemon we met while we were in the Civilight Laboratory, both in the physical state and the mental state."

"I know it!" Rachael said. "But… Why? Why did this Pokemon—"

"… The cause of everything this Pokemon did to everyone in this village was this." Richard was before he showed Rachael the thing that he was holding in his paw for the whole time. It was something that looked like a black collar, which Rachael remembered that it was the very same thing that was wrapped around the Type: Null's neck since it appeared in this village, but it wasn't there when Rachael and Richard met this Type: Null at the Civilight Laboratory several months ago. "This collar is the thing this Civilight corrupted scoundrels used to keep this Pokemon under their control. This collar will record the order that was given to this Pokemon and forced this Pokemon to follow their order."

"That's truly terrible!" Rachael said. "So, if this Pokemon didn't follow the order, this Pokemon will get zapped by electricity or something like this, right?"

"Yes, but far worse than that." Richard said. "Instead of electricity, when this Pokemon disobeys the order, this evil collar will inject some sort of toxin that will generate a great amount of pain to this Pokemon's entire body without decreasing this Pokemon's energy and ability so that this Pokemon wouldn't be hampered."

"Evil! Truly evil!" Rachael spoke with a hint of anger in her voice, which was a rare occasion that she showed this emotion.

"Right, it's truly an evil thing that shouldn't exist by any mean." Richard said before he summoned a small lightning bolt to destroy the collar into a useless piece of scrap metal. "Luckily, this collar was made using the same technology that was used in the Civilight Laboratory, so I was able to hack its system in order to remove and destroy it for good, so that no one will ever suffer under its grasp again."

After finished speaking, Richard and Rachael turned their attention to the Type: Null who looked around itself with a spark of sadness in its eyes. "… Um…" Rachael called the Type: Null, which made it immediately turned its attention to her. "… Do you remember Onii-chan and me? We met each other at the Civilight Laboratory several months ago…"

"…" The Type: Null didn't say anything. Instead, it answered Rachael's question by nodding gently at her!

"Oh! You remember us! I am so happy!" Rachael said happily before quickly changed her tone of voice to the tone of sadness. "But I am so sorry that we didn't rescue you from that terrible place… If we did, maybe you will not have to suffer a terrible fate like this…"

"So do I." Richard spoke up. "While my ability to sense the emotion of a living creature isn't as great as my sister's, I could sense that you really don't want to do everything you have done here, and you truly regret everything you have done, right?"

"…" Again, the Type: Null didn't say anything. However, this time, it turned its head away from Richard and Rachael.

"… When Korben tried to attack you, you attacked him back is just what your instinct told you to do so…" Richard continued speaking. "You didn't want to hurt anyone, but your death instinct prevents you from doing so."

"Right…" Rachael said. "And you also don't want to kill Elder Baldr, but…"

"… The last order that was recorded in your collar, as far as I could interpret, was that you will kill the Elder of this village in order to destroy the source of everyone's willpower and moral, and then, you will kill any Dragon type Pokemon in your sight." Richard said.

"So, it means that you were ordered to kill everyone, including Onii-chan and me too…" Rachael said. "But before you attacked me, you tried your hardest to resist your order, resulting in you…"

"…" The Type: Null said nothing after hearing everything from Rachael and Richard, but if anyone could read its mind, they would know that everything Rachael and Richard said was the truth...

"But…" Rachael continued speaking. "Why did they have to do all these terrible things to this poor creature? I don't understand…"

"… As much as we hate, we still couldn't escape from the truth." Richard said before he picked up a thick yellow file, which was the same file he dropped on the floor last night, and it was the same file he picked up while he and his younger sister was in the Civilight Laboratory. The words on the cover of this file could be read as 'Experiment Delta'. "And I was speaking of the purpose why did those Civilight corrupted scoundrels create this guy."

"…" Rachael said nothing after she heard her elder brother's words, and the Type: Null lowered its head.

"If I have to guess, those Civilight corrupted scoundrels sent you here to demonstrate your power as a 'weapon', according to the purpose of your creation, right?" Richard asked.

"…" The Type: Null slowly nodded to the Latios.

"And... You being here also explained how could those scoundrels break the seal at the entrance of Cave of Ages." Richard said as he opened the file and looked inside it. "You, a Type: Null, were created by fusing the DNA of all 18 types of Pokemon in order to create an ultimate Pokemon, however, as a result of this, you went berserk, so those corrupted scoundrels suppressed your power with that ugly helmet you are wearing. However, despite all of this, while the DNA of all 17 types in your body were suppressed, turning you into a pure Normal type Pokemon, those DNAs are still exist within your body, and so… The seal at the entrance of Cave of Ages must have recognize you as a Dragon type Pokemon due to the DNA of Dragon type Pokemon, enabled you to destroy the seal and let those—"

"Brother, that's enough!" Rachael said as she looked at the Type: Null, who was lowering its head the whole time while listening to Richard's words. "You don't have to say all of that cruel things!"

"… That's right. I have gone quite too far." Richard said and turned his attention to the Type: Null before bowing his head a bit in the manner of apologizing. "I sincerely apologize for the offensive words I have said to you."

"…" The Type: Null nodded in the manner of forgiving to the Latios.

"And that's enough of that…" Richard continued speaking and turned his attention back to his younger sister. "Rachael, I think that we may have forgotten about someone..."

"Oh!" Rachael had just realized that she completely forgot about Korben, who was still lying unconscious on the floor. "Korben, are you alright?! Can you answer me?!"

"…" Korben did neither say anything nor move any part of his body, but it was clear that he was still alive.

"… Thanks goodness…" Rachael said. "Korben had just fallen unconscious. I am sure that he will recover and wake up soon, so there's nothing to worry about him."

"Great, because we have another thing to worry about, a huge one, indeed." Richard said as he looked at the entire Hidden Village of Dragon, which was now in a state of disturbance and chaos after everyone from this village had observed Elder Baldr being killed in front of their eyes, so they lost their will to fight and were now panicking. This resulted in the enemy force was able to break through the defend line and were now moving toward the center square of the village!

"Rachael! Richard! Korben!"

Before Rachael and Richard could do anything else, they heard two familiar voices calling their name, and a second later, two Pokemon appeared from inside the house and stepped onto the balcony.

"Freya! Snow!" Rachael called the name of two Pokemon who had just appeared.

"Rachael, Richard! Thanks goodness that both of you are safe!" Freya said.

"We saw what happened to Elder Baldr while we were at the center square, and everyone was panicking, so we decided to come here and—ARR!" Snow said before the last part of his words was cut off when he noticed the presence of the blood-soaked Type: Null, the very same Pokemon who had just murdered Elder Baldr out of cold blood.

"!" Same as Snow and Freya who quickly stepped away after seeing it, the Type: Null quickly stepped away after it heard Snow and Freya's scream.

"Relax, both of you. This Pokemon won't do any harm to us anymore!" Rachael said.

"H… How could you say something like that?!" Snow asked.

"T… This Pokemon had just killed Elder Baldr, as well as everyone who were fighting at the entrance of the village!"

"No time to explain right now." Richard said. "Snow, Freya, what about everyone else at the center square?! What about Noctus, Claura, Xavier, Zetarus, Diego?! And did Damos, Dimitri, Anastasia and Baromyteus come back yet?!"

"I… I don't know about Damos, Dimitri, Anastasia and Baromyteus…" Snow said. "For Noctus, like others from this village, became panic after Elder Baldr was killed. And because the center square is no longer a safe place since everyone started panicking, and the defend line was already lost, I quickly took Freya with me and escaped from the crowd before any danger could befall us. Call me a coward if you want to."

"… No." Richard said. "If Rachael and I are in the same situation, I would do the same thing you did, Snow, so no need to apologize."

"F… For Claura, Xavier, Diego and Zetarus… W… We don't know exactly what happen to them right now…" Freya answered. "B… But I am quite sure that they are still in the midst of battle and confusion near the center square."

"… This is the worst!" Richard said. "I don't blame everyone in this village for being panicked after seeing their elder being killed, because, despite being a Dragon type Pokemon with a strong and sturdy heart, they had lived a peaceful life without conflict and chaos for so long, resulting in their heart being softened. But now…"

"…" Freya and Snow said nothing after hearing Richard's words.

"… Onii-chan, what should we do now?" Rachael asked. "… Are we really going to die here?"

"…" Richard didn't say anything, because he didn't know what to tell his sister…

With their elder being killed, everyone had already lost their will to fight…

The enemies were far too strong for them to defeat…

Because of the location of the village, there's no way for any of them to escape from this place…

So… Right now, Richard didn't know what to do…

He was now at the end of the road…

He was at the utmost desperation…

Wait, the utmost desperation?

"… Fine." Richard mumbled before he touched the Luster Pendant that he was always wearing. "Lord of Blindness, I need your help, RIGHT NOW!"

 _'Finally? I knew that someone with an inferior wisdom like you would eventually crawl back and beg for my help…'_

"Save your insult for later!" Richard said. "Tell us… No, please tell us what to do at a time like this!"

 _'That's better… Okay, listen well…'_

"Um…" Freya spoke up after she saw Richard started speaking to himself with strange words. "Richard, are you—"

"Shh!" Rachael quickly told Freya to be quiet for now, so the Flygon decided to say nothing more despite she still didn't understand what is Richard doing. The same thing also applied to Snow too, but Snow decided not to say anything from the start, as he thought that maybe it's something that he shouldn't know.

"… Got it." Richard said before he turned his attention to Rachael, Snow and Freya. "Everyone, we have a work to do right now. This work will determine the fate of everyone in this village."

"Really?!" Rachael said. "So… It meant that we can save everyone here?!"

"Yes, but we need to be quick, and do not question me about all of this right now." Richard said. "First, you must tell everyone to evacuate to the shrine of this village."

"The shrine?" Rachael, Snow and Freya said as the image of the sacred shrine that's located to the south of the village appeared in their mind. "Why did we have to go—"

"I said no question right now!" Richard scolded. "I need everyone at the shrine, right now! Can you all pass this message to everyone in this village?"

"… I don't think this will be easy…" Freya said. "Right now, everyone was panicking, and the enemies have almost reached the center square... And I don't think that I am good at passing the message to everyone at this state…"

"Me too…" Snow said.

"And me too…" Rachael said. "If it was someone like either Claura or Diego, I think that they would be able to do it, but without a way to contact them…"

 _'Then… Leave this to me…'_

"Hm?!" Rachael looked at her Mist Pendant that she always wore after she heard a voice of her Dragon Legend. "Can you do it, Ilia?"

 _'Yes. I think I may be able to contact the Dragon Legend of other Pokemon who have formed a pact with Legendary Pokemon around here with my power, so, I will try to contact to the Dragon Legend of Diego and Claura.'_

"That's great!" Rachael said before she remembered something. "Well… Ilia, if you can, could you contact to Zetarus, Xavier, Anastasia and Baromyteus too? Just in case that they got separated from others, or if something happened to Diego and Claura…"

 _'Understood… I will see it through at once.'_

"Thank you, Ilia!" Rachael said.

"Hm… That really helps a lot…" Richard said. "But I'm starting to wonder, if Ilia could contact everyone, then why didn't Lord of Blindness contact everyone else by himself? No, I know the answer. It's because his communication skill is at the lowest rank…"

"Um… Rachael… Richard…" Freya spoke up again. "You spoke to yourself again… And… I think I heard you say the name of someone…"

"Save your question for later." Richard said. "For now, Rachael was trying to contact Zetarus, Diego, Claura, Xavier, Anastasia and Baromyteus to pass my message. So, the only thing we must do right now is going to the village shrine as soon as possible!"

"Wait a minute, Onii-chan." Rachael said. "What about this Pokemon?"

Rachael turned her attention to the Type: Null, who had been silenced for several minutes as it gazed toward the chaotic village below.

"… Hey, Type: Null…" Richard said as he approached the Type: Null.

"?" The Type: Null turned its attention to Richard and looked at him with gentle eyes.

"Right now, we need to evacuate to the shrine of this village." Richard said. "It's not safe anymore to stay anywhere else in this village, so, you should come with us."

"!" The Type: Null quickly shook its head and took a step away from Richard after hearing his words. It seemed to disagree with the Latios' idea.

"Please…" Rachael said as she approached the Type: Null too. "You can't stay here! Those Pokemon from Civilight will kill you if they found out about this! Please!"

"…" The Type: Null still shook its head.

"Please…" Rachael continued speaking. "Onii-chan and I had left you in the misery once, and we both regret our action very much… So… Please…"

"…" This time, the Type: Null didn't do anything. All it did was lowering its head.

"… If you still think of yourself as a murderer that will not be accepted by anyone, stop that thought for just this moment." Richard said. "We don't have much time left, and while we are wasting our time here, the enemies are killing everyone! So, stop that thought for this moment, there's still a time for redemption, but not now!"

"…" The Type: Null finally nodded after hearing Richard's words.

"Finally…" Richard said. "Okay, everyone. Let's move!"

"Okay!" Rachael and Snow said, but Freya still hesitated a bit.

"Wait a minute…" Freya spoke up. "Where's Korben? I thought that he was here with you too."

"Oh, he's here." Richard said as he quickly approached the unconscious Hakamo-o and picked his body up. "He has just fallen unconscious, nothing to worry about him right now."

"And we can't leave him here, so we must take him to the shrine with us, somehow." Rachael said.

"… Type: Null… Can you help me about this?" Richard spoke to the Type: Null. "Can you carry this guy on your back as we all go to the village shrine?"

"…" The Type: Null nodded to Richard before it walked up to the Latios and stopped beside him to let Richard placed Korben on its back.

 _'… Rachael, can you hear me?'_

"Hm?" While Richard was placing Korben's body on the Type: Null's back, Rachael heard a voice of her Dragon Legend again. "Ilia, did you contact everyone yet?"

 _'Yes, and I can confirm that Zetarus, Diego, Claura and Xavier are still alive, and they all did receive my message. However, while I can confirm that I was able to pass my message to the Dragon Legend of Anastasia and Baromyteus, I can't confirm that both of them did receive my message, as well as their status.'_

"Oh, no…" Rachael mumbled. "But… Both Baromyteus and Anastasia are strong, so… I hope nothing bad happens to them…"

"Finally…" Richard said after he finished placing Korben's body on the Type: Null back. "Make sure that you don't drop his body, okay?"

"…" The Type: Null nodded in response.

"And now, let's not waste any more time." Richard said. "Everyone, to the village shrine!"

"Right!" Rachael, Freya and Snow said (While the Type: Null just nodded in response), and then everyone left the balcony of Elder Baldr's house (By flying or jumping down from the balcony since there was a pile of hay near the house, so Snow and the Type: Null could land softly on the ground while Richard, Rachael and Freya flew down from the balcony.) and then all of them started running toward the south of the entire village. Their destination this time was… the village shrine…

* * *

 **-Meanwhile… Somewhere in the Valley of No Return…**

"ARGGG!"

"Huurrrgggg…"

After the veil of black smoke disappeared, the sound of two Pokemon roaring echoed through the Valley of No Return at the same time, before the owners of both voices collapsed on the ground at the same time, leaving only one Pokemon standing there…

"Anastasia, are you alright?!" The only Pokemon who was still standing said as he quickly approached his younger sister who had just collapsed on the ground. He then quickly reached his paw to his pouch and pulled out a Reviver Seed and two Oran Berry before feeding the Reviver Seed and one of the Oran Berry her with both items.

"Arrr…." Anastasia mumbled as she slowly regained her consciousness and opened her eyes.

"… You overused your power again, didn't you?" Baromyteus said while he chewed on the last Oran Berry he had to regain his strength. "You know that I don't like when you did this, right?"

"…I am sorry, brother." Anastasia said. "If both of us didn't use the power of our Dragon Legend, we wouldn't have won. That's the prove that he has become much stronger during the past 30 years…"

"…No." Baromyteus said as he turned his attention to the other Pokemon who was still collapsed on the ground. "Like us having the power of Legendary Pokemon, that bastard also has the power of the Blood of Legend in his veins. If he doesn't have that power, and I haven't formed a pact with my Dragon Legend, he would never be able to defeat me. The worst that could happen is that none of us could defeat each other."

Baromyteus then slowly approached collapsed Rucas, who had already returned to his Lucario form due to losing too much power in the battle. "Anastasia, do you still… you know, about this bastard?"

"Well…" Knowing what her brother hated most, Anastasia decided not to lie to him. "During the past 30 years, I always have this forbidden feeling about him… But… Seeing him just now… And observe what he has done to all of us… No… I don't know about this…"

"Then, take it easy and forget about it." Baromyteus said as he turned his attention to the Lucario on the ground. With him at the most vulnerable state and swords in the paws of the Shiny Haxorus, Baromyteus could easily kill Rucas and eradicated the Pokemon he hated most for good right now…

But…

"… I can't." Baromyteus said. "… I can't kill this bastard."

"You can't?" Anastasia was surprised after hearing her brother's words, especially since she knew her brother's feeling toward this Lucario.

"… Right now, when I see this pathetic Lucario…" Baromyteus glanced at Rucas a bit before turning his attention to his younger sister. "All I saw in front of my eyes is the reflection of myself… 30 years ago…"

"Yourself?" Anastasia asked.

"This guy is pathetic, and so did I 30 years ago." Baromyteus said as he turned his attention to the Lucario again. "After being exiled from the place I was born, I continued living alone in the wilderness as a savage beast who only knows how to kill others, and I refused to contact with anyone else, well… Except a certain Zoroark… And… After several years of living alone, I had grown stronger, but my heart had grown numb of any kind of compassion…"

"That's…" Anastasia mumbled.

"At first, I thought that, being a Pokemon with a cursed blood, I didn't need any kind of compassion in my heart, so I continued to seal my heart out of any feeling. But… 30 years ago… During the journey with those Hero/ine of Legend, the seal of my heart had started to crack, and my heart started to yearn for the compassion."

"…" Anastasia said nothing.

"Come to think of it, I think that I was really desperate for a feeling of compassion." Baromyteus said. "Being exiled and treated like a wild beast at a young age had left a large scar in my heart, a scar that could only be healed by the feeling of compassion, but I refused to acknowledge this and continued to forbid my heart to feel the compassion. That may explain the feeling I have toward her… Since she was the first person in my life to offer her compassion to a creature like me."

"… You spoke about Fenrir, right?" Anastasia asked.

"Hm." Baromyteus nodded to his younger sister. "After being defeated by the Hero/ine of Legend 30 years ago, I started a new life by travelling together with you, Anastasia. During these time, with you by my side, my heart was able to feel the compassion it longed for several decades, and I started to become more and more like 'normal' people. But… I have never known that… Being able to feel the compassion would make me become stronger…

"… Then…" Anastasia said. "Rucas, he…"

"But this guy…" Baromyteus said as he turned his attention to Rucas again. "I can sense from our battle earlier than his heart had grown numb of any kind of compassion, just like me 30 years ago…"

"Something must have happened to him and turned him into a creature like this…" Anastasia said.

"… But even if that's true, it still changes nothing." Baromyteus said. "He has committed a great sin to everyone here, and I can't forgive me for everything he had done, so…"

 _'… Baromyteus.'_

 _'… Anastasia.'_

"Hm?!" Anastasia and Baromyteus quickly looked at their respective Dragon Relic, which were their bracelets, which were glowing with a mysterious pale purple aura, after they both heard a grand and majestic voice of their Dragon Legend.

 _'Anastasia, I have just received a message from Ilia the Latias. She is the Dragon Legend of a Latias named Rachael.'_

"Rachael?" Anastasia said.

 _'She told us to tell you and your sister to come back to the Hidden Village of Dragon as soon as possible, Baromyteus.'_

 _'She also mentioned that the village is about to fall, so you must hurry.'_

 _'Also, she said that everyone will be at the shrine of village, so you and your sister must go there.'_

 _'This is important, Anastasia. Make sure that you follow this.'_

 _'Same to you, Baromyteus. Do not do anything hasty like what you always did, or thing might become worse.'_

After that, both bracelets stopped glowing, ending the words of both Dragon Legend right here.

"Brother, we must go back to the village now." Anastasia said. "The village is about to be destroyed, and we can't waste any more time."

"…" Baromyteus looked at the unconscious Lucario on the ground, and then he looked at the corpse of Dimitri and Damos not too far from him.

"Brother…" Anastasia said. "Don't tell me that…"

"…No, I won't do that." Baromyteus said and put away his swords. "This bastard…" Baromyteus glanced at Rucas. "… is too pathetic for me to kill him, and because he did spare our lives once 30 years ago, I will spare his life, just this once, as a way to repay his little compassion that he offered to us."

"Oh, brother!" Anastasia said.

"And for their revenge…" Baromyteus said and glanced at Dimitri and Damos' corpses, which were laying not too far from the Lucario. "I have no need to do it, as this pathetic Lucario would eventually die, so that both of them would have plenty chances to execute their revenge in the afterlife."

"Brother, I… I am glad that you…" Anastasia said before she shook her head. "No, there's no more time to lose. Brother, let's go."

"Hm." Baromyteus nodded to his sister, and then he glanced at the dead Dimitri and Damos for one last time before he put his demonic helmet back to cover his demonic face (To be more accurate, demonic skull) and then he and his sister started running toward the south of where they were, which was the direction to the Hidden Village of Dragon…

But…

"Arr…"

A moment after Baromyteus and Anastasia had already left, the only Pokemon who was still alive around there had slowly regained his consciousness.

"T… They…" Rucas mumbled as he tried to stand up. "Could it be that they…"

* * *

 **-Meanwhile… At the Center Square of Hidden Village of Dragon…**

Contrast to what Anastasia and Baromyteus heard, the Hidden Village of Dragon, the historical settlement first created about 2000 years ago, by the savior of the Dragon type Pokemon, who gathered the remaining Dragon type Pokemon and brought them to the inaccessible valley, where they built a settlement and continued living there in peace and harmony for almost two millennia, wasn't about to fall soon…

Because…

The Hidden Village of Dragon…

It had already fallen…

"BOOOM!"

"PHEEEWWWW!"

"CRAAAAASSSSH!"

With their leader being killed, the Dragon type Pokemon of the Hidden Village of Dragon had lost their will to fight, resulting in the enemies, which mostly consisted of the soldier from the Civilight Army, were able to reach the entire area of this village, and the order they received from their superior was…

 _"Don't let anyone escape. Kill any Dragon type Pokemon you saw, and don't forget to destroy everything in this village."_

And so, whenever the invaders from the world outside the valley followed their order by killing everyone in this village, be a matured dragon, a young boy, an old dragon, or an dragon whelp, they killed them all.

"ARRGGGG!"

"URGGGG!"

"ARRUUGGG!"

"AHHGGGUU!"

"AHHHH!"

The Hidden Village of Dragon was in the full state of chaos, as the Dragon type Pokemon of this village were running around the entire village, trying to escape from the reaper's grasp as the invaders chased after them and shot them to death at any chance given to them.

"YARHHH!"

"PHEEWWW!"

"ARGGG!"

Some Dragon type Pokemon, when at the last moment of their life as they had no way to run, turned back to fight their enemy for the last time because they were the Dragon type Pokemon. They choose to accept death, rather than abandon their pride…

"BOOOOMMMM!"

"ARRGGGG!"

Some Dragon type Pokemon went into the building to hide from the invader's attack, but that was a very bad idea as the invaders were ordered to destroy everything in this village too, so they blasted every buildings they saw and set everything else on flame, which slowly killed any dragons who couldn't escape from inside in time… While the dragons who could escape in time were immediately killed by their enemies as they stepped outside the house…

"BRINE!"

"SHHHHH!"

"WHAT?!"

Claura roared as she tried to put away the fire that was kindled by the enemies on a house using the move Brine, but for some reason, the salt water that was shot from her snout immediately frozen into ice as it touched the flame!

"It's useless, Claura." Xavier said as he stood just beside his cousin. "If I have to guess, I would say that this flame isn't an ordinary flame, but it's some kind of ice flame that's as cold as a frozen hell instead of as hot as the volcano pit, it freezes instead of burns object, making water useless against them."

"AND WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT THIS!" Claura roared. "THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE INSIDE THIS HOUSE! IF WE DON'T—"

"CRASSSHHHH!"

Before the Kingdra could finish her sentence, the house that she tried to save crumbling onto the ground, turning them into a pile of ruins in a blink of eyes. This also meant that everyone else who was still inside this house was…

"… If you want to, the only thing you can do is pray for their souls." Xavier said. "But now, our first priority is to gather as many survivors as possible!"

After receiving a message from Ilia the Mega Latias, Claura and Xavier quickly roamed around the village, as much as they could, to find any survivors who may still alive. However, whenever they found any survivor, either they were killed right in front of their eyes, or they were quickly killed by the enemy after Claura and Xavier rescued them, resulting in Claura and Xavier were able to rescue no one…

"DAMN IT!" Claura roared in frustrating. "WE COULDN'T SAVE ANYONE! I WAS SUCH A FAILURE!"

"Hey… If you want to blame yourself, at least we must save ourselves first." Xavier said. "For now, we should find—"

"HEY! CLAURA! XAVIER! OVER HERE!"

"!" Claura and Xavier quickly turned their attention to the source of the voice, who was no other than Diego the Mega Charizard X, who was standing in front of Elder Baldr's house not too far from them, along with Zetarus the Garchomp.

"Diego! Zetarus!" Claura said as she and Xavier quickly approached both of them. "Did you find anyone else?"

"And do you see anyone else with us?!" Diego asked. It seemed like he was quite upset that he and Zetarus, like Claura and Xavier, couldn't save anyone else.

"Right." Zetarus said. "We couldn't save anybody else…"

Like Claura and Xavier, Zetarus and Diego also received the message from Ilia the Mega Latias too. So they went to look for the survivors on the west side of the village, while Claura and Xavier went to look for the survivor on the east side of the village. And then both group went down from the center square to the south of the village before they met up with each other in front of Elder Baldr's house, which was the southernmost house in the village. None of them went to the north of the village because they knew that there was nothing left there and no one else was still alive…

"That's really bad…" Claura said. "We, too, couldn't save anyone."

"And… No one else in this village is still alive." Xavier spoke up.

"That's not even the worst part…" Zetarus said. "A while ago, we spotted Noctus the Noibat, who was crying alone in the middle of the burning building."

"Noctus?!" Claura and Xavier said after they heard the name of a young, helpful Noibat who was always helping them.

"But… He isn't here with you…" Xavier said.

"… Don't tell me that…" Claura said.

"… And we tried to save him when…" Zetarus said.

"… When the building crumbling down…" Diego finished Zetarus' sentence.

A moment of silence followed the Mega Charizard X's words, as they truly knew what had just happened to the poor Noibat…

"… Noctus… He had met the same fate that his friends, Lyzia and Unos, had met…" Diego said.

"I can still remember his voice…" Zetarus mumbled. "After the building crumbled, he cried in pain as he was slowly killed by that flame, while neither of us could do anything. It was… just like my time in the Desert Prison…"

"Damn it…" Claura mumbled. "Why did it have to be like this… I don't understand."

"And now, there's nothing else that we can do…" Xavier said. "So, everyone… Let's go to the village shrine. That place is located in the southernmost area of this village… No, of the entire Valley of No Return, so the enemy should have not reached that place yet…"

"Good, that's what I want to say if we aren't in a situation like this." Diego said. "Now let's get our butts moving and—"

"CRASH!"

"WATCH OUT, EVERYONE!"

Suddenly, the whole balcony of Elder Baldr's house (The very same place that Elder Baldr, Korben, Rachael, Richard, Freya, Snow and the Type: Null stayed earlier.) cracked and crumbled down after being damaged by the 'Ice Flame', that it fell directly below, to the spot where everyone was standing!

Luckily, Zetarus, Diego, Claura and Xavier did notice their surroundings when they saw that the balcony was cracking, so they were able to get away just before the balcony fell down and trapped them under the ruin of frozen flame.

"Whew! That was close!" Zetarus said after he and everyone had just survived a near-dead experience.

"Everyone, are you alright?!" Diego asked.

"I am fine." Claura answered.

"So do I." Xavier said.

Four dragons then looked at Elder Baldr's house, which was being damaged by the frozen flame generated from the advanced weapon used by the Civilight soldiers, making the whole house, which was the very same house they stayed during their time in this village, slowly crumbling into nothing more than a pile of ruins…

"… Let's not waste any more time." Claura spoke up. "Everyone, to the village shrine."

"Hm." Xavier, Zetarus and Diego nodded to the Kingdra's words.

After finished their conversation, four Pokemon turned their attention to the south of Elder Baldr's house, and then all of them were about to start moving, when…

"Hey! There're more of them right there!"

"Don't let them escape! Kill them all!"

"Sxxt." Diego said as he saw a group of ten soldiers who had just spotted them started running toward them, with hi-tech weapon in their grasp. "They are here!"

"Leave them to me!" Zetarus said as he touched his Ring of Balance, making it start glowing with a mysterious green light. "Zygarde, I summon you!"

 _'THOUSAND WAVES!'_

"ARRRGGG!" The soldiers of Civilight Army roared as they were attacked by several green waves on the ground, which also trapped them onto the ground!

"That should do it… For now." Zetarus said.

"Come to think of it, we should have just summoned our Dragon Legend and killed all of our enemies." Diego said.

"That won't do." Claura said. "There are too many of them for us to defeat them all."

"And because of the pact we formed with our Dragon Legend, while we could summon our Dragon Legend definitely, every time we summon them, we will have to use a certain amount of our energy, depend on which Legendary Pokemon you have formed a pact with, as well as the move they use." Xavier said. "And so, we can't summon them forever, or we will collapse from exhaustion."

"Yeah, spare your fxxxxxg detail for later!" Diego said. "For now, run!"

Zetarus, Diego, Xavier and Claura turned their back to their enemies, who were still stuck onto the ground by Zygarde's Thousand Waves, and then they started running to the south of the village, to the shrine located in the southernmost area of the Valley of No Return…

"CRASH!"

Just a bit after they left Elder Baldr's house, the house couldn't take the damage from the frozen flame that was destroying it anymore, so Elder Baldr's house, the biggest building in the Hidden Village of Dragon, as well as the house of the elder of this village, crumbled down into a pile of ruin, leaving not any sight of a once-majestic house, just like anywhere else in this village…

* * *

 **-Meanwhile… At the shrine south of the village…**

"Here we are…"

A group of six Pokemon, which consisted of a Latios, a Latias, a Flygon, a Draconic Lapras, an unconscious Hakamo-o, and a blood-soaked Type: Null, reached the ancient shrine located south of the village. This place was the same place that the Latios and the Latias paid a visit during the very first day they arrived at this village.

"Finally, we have arrived here…" Freya said. "This place… It looks so eerie…"

"But it seems like there's no one else around here, so we must be the first group that arrives here." Rachael said.

"… Which is great." Richard said. "Now, let's go inside."

After finished speaking, Richard, along with his younger sister, was about to head into the shrine when they noticed that no one else did follow them.

"What's wrong, everyone?" Rachael asked when she noticed that neither Freya nor Snow did follow them, and the blood-soaked Type: Null seemed to hesitate to follow them into the shrine.

"… Snow and I will stay here, at the entrance of this shrine." Freya said. "If we saw anyone coming, be our friends, we will let them know that we are already here before we let them inside."

"But if it's our enemy…" Snow said. "At least, we warn both of you about them, and then we will try to hold them on as long as we could."

"But—" Rachael tried to say something, but Freya spoke up first.

"It's better than all of us going inside, and the next thing we knew is that the enemy are here, right at the entrance of the shrine, trapping all of us inside with no way to escape." Freya said. "My eldest brother once told me about this before…"

"… And whoever he is, he was right." Richard said. "Well, then… Freya, Snow, I'm counting on you, but if everyone else is already here, I want both of you, along with everybody else, to retreat into this shrine, no exception, okay."

"Okay…" Freya said. "I will do as you say, Richard."

"Trust me, Richard." Snow said. "I will not let you down."

"Thanks." Richard said before he turned his attention to the blood-soaked Type: Null, who was now standing just beside Rachael. He was still carrying the unconscious Hakamo-o on his back. "Type: Null, we need to take Korben to a safe place, so I want you to come with us inside."

"…" The Type: Null nodded to the Latios, and it was clear for Richard and Rachael to see that it seemed to be relieved that it didn't have to stay outside the shrine, despite it, like Freya and Snow, wanted to protect this shrine too, but the situation might become worse if it stayed outside, as the only Pokemon who could get close to it; a blood-soaked Type: Null who has murdered most dragons of the Hidden Village of Dragon, including the elder of the village, were Rachael and Richard.

"Then, let's go." Richard said before he headed inside the shrine, followed by Rachael and the blood-soaked Type: Null, who was carrying the unconscious Hakamo-o on his back, leaving Freya and Snow outside the shrine.

"I don't know what you have in your mind, Richard…" Snow mumbled and looked at the entrance of the shrine after Richard, Rachael and the Type: Null had already entered. "But… You are our last hope, so I will place all of my trust on you, Richard. You are the only one who could save us all…"

"Everyone…" While Snow was looking at the shrine, Freya looked back at the village, which was being destroyed by the army of invaders from the world outside Valley of No Return. "Everyone, I don't know what happen to you right now, as well as where you are, and what you are doing, but… I hope that you all will arrive here safely…"

* * *

 **-Meanwhile… Inside the shrine…**

Inside the shrine, Richard, Rachael and the Type: Null were already in the large, circular hall of the shrine. Right now, the Type: Null had gently placed Korben down on the floor near one of the stone pillars inside the shrine, and Rachael was trying to heal the wound he received from his battle with this Type: Null earlier. Richard, on the other hand, was standing at the center spot of the shrine, in front of the altar where it was usually bathed in several rays of light shone down from all windows in this shrine, but right now, there was no ray of light shining onto the altar because the Solar Eclipse was happening.

"And now, I am here as you told me, Lord of Blindness." Richard spoke up as he stood in front of the altar. He was holding the Chronicle of Darkside in his paw.

 _'Good. Now, the next part is a very important part, so I will speak directly into your mind, so no one else will be able to hear my voice as you are the only one who would be able to hear what I am about to tell you.'_

"… Don't tell me that you want me to do something dangerous?" Richard said.

 _'Not dangerous, at least for you, your sister and every Dragon type Pokemon.'_

"…" Richard said nothing after he heard Holmer's voice.

 _'Well… Let's get started, shall we?'_

"… What do you want me to do?" Richard asked.

 _'… Did you see what those lowly-developed creatures use just to increase the power of their firearm?'_ Instead of telling Richard what to do, Holmer asked yet another question.

"… They use the Essence of Soul harvested from the fallen warriors as a source of their weapon's energy." Richard answered. "And in order to collect enough Essence of Soul, not only harvest from the dead warriors, but they also need to kill any Pokemon, be their enemies or their allies."

 _'Correct. However, there is one thing that the brain of those lowly-developed creatures couldn't comprehend. It's the right method to use the Essence of Soul.'_

"The right method to use the Essence of Soul?" Richard mumbled the words he had just heard.

 _'Those lowly-developed creatures may think that they have just discovered a great source of power for their vain ambition, but their rotten brain would never hope to grasp upon the true power of the Essence of Soul…'_

"You mean that the Essence of Soul has much more potential than what we have seen?" Richard asked.

 _'Correct. If being used correctly, the Essence of Soul would become the most dangerous source of energy in the entire World of Pokemon… And this is what we would do.'_

"What?!" Richard said after he heard Holmer's words.

 _'Other than the true power of the Essence of Soul, there's yet one more thing that those lowly-developed creature's mind couldn't grasp upon. It's the right method of harvesting the Essence of Soul. If being done correctly, they would get enough Essence of Soul to increase the power of all of their weapons from the moment that the Solar Eclipse happened, but because they didn't know the right method, they could only harvest about 20% of the amount of Essence of Soul that was released from a single dead body when its owner died, so they had to corrupt their souls by killing many Pokemon just to harvest enough Essence of Soul for their weapon. All of this resulted in a huge amount of Essence of Soul, which those lowly-developed creature couldn't hope to grasp upon, being left untouched everywhere around this village. And because they were left untouched, some of them had already disappeared while some of them still remained, but for only a few more moments before they disappeared too.'_

"Let me guess…" Richard spoke up. "You want me to use the Chronicle of harvest the remaining Essence of Soul and use them for something, right?"

 _'And again that you have proven that you are a creature worthy of my power, as well as the vast amount of knowledge of this forbidden Chronicle, Richard.'_

"… But I still have one more question, Lord of Blindness." Richard asked. "What would we use the Essence of Soul for?"

 _'Haven't you realized it yet, Richard? The Essence of Soul holds a vast amount of hidden potential, but because of its complication, no one ever dares to put it into good use, or they may suffer a harsh consequence. However, with the knowledge from the Chronicle, we would be able to draw the true power of the Essence of Soul and uses them as we see fit.'_

"Wait…" Richard spoke up, as if he had just realized something. "D… Don't tell me that…"

 _'…You have already seen it, right? The power of the Essence of Soul from the weapons that those lowly-developed creatures use. However, that is but a tiny glimpse of Essence of Soul's real power. And so, with a vast amount of Essence of Soul that still remain in the battlefield, it's our turn to show the them real power of the Essence of Soul.'_

"You want me… to use draw the hidden power from the Essence of Soul and use it to destroy the enemies?!" Richard mumbled.

 _'Finally… You finally understood… What I want you to do is… I want you to perform a ceremony to harvest all remaining Essence of Soul in this place and unleash its true power to destroy the enemies.'_

"Wait a minute…" Richard spoke up again. "From what I have seen, the weapons those invaders used had caused a massive destruction to the whole village, as well as to everyone! But that is just a tiny part of the Essence of Soul's real power, so, if the true power of the Essence of Soul is unleashed, wouldn't it destroy everything in the Valley of No Return, including us all?!"

 _'…You are mistaken, Richard. There are two things that you don't understand correctly. One of them is the reason why we will use this shrine as a place to perform this ceremony here. This shrine… It isn't an ordinary shrine, but it's a sacred shrine built by the Dragon type Pokemon, so it contains a mysterious aura of the dragon. And so, we will use this mysterious aura to control the Essence of Soul so that it would not do any damage to the Dragon type Pokemon, and since everyone on our side is Dragon type Pokemon, all of us will be safe while the enemies will be obligated by the power of the Essence of Soul!'_

"…" While hearing the words of his Dragon Legend relieved the Latios quite a bit, he still felt restless about doing this, as he knew that there was still something that's not right…

 _'And the second thing that you don't understand is… When you unleash the true power of the Essence of Soul, it won't destroy only the Valley of No Return…'_

"Wait, what?!" Richard couldn't believe in the words he had just heard.

'… _Because its power is far more than that, so… When you unleash the true power of the Essence of Soul, it won't only destroy the whole Valley, but its power will destroy everything in a wide area… Which meant that… It would totally destroy… the whole continent of Symmetria… And everyone who resides on it who isn't a Dragon type Pokemon.'_

* * *

 **-Meanwhile… At the entrance of the Hidden Village of Dragon…**

At the entrance of the village, a Manectric in the general uniform was standing there. He was observing the whole village being destroyed right in front of his eyes, which made a smile appear on his face.

"Good…" General Manectric mumbled.

"General Manectric!"

"Hm?" The attention of General Manectric was caught by the voice of a Civilight soldier, who was approaching him.

"How is thing going, soldier?" General Manectric asked.

"Everything goes according to our plan, sir!" The Civilight soldier answered. "We have destroyed every building in this place, as well as killing every Dragon type Pokemon. However, our scouts also spot a remnant group of Dragon type Pokemon is heading toward the south of this place!"

"They try to run away? Hm… Just when I thought that Dragon type Pokemon adores their pride above all…" General Manectric smirked. "But that doesn't change anything… There's nowhere for them to run away from us! Soldier! Tell the troop to pursue them and kill them all!"

"Yes, sir!" The Civilight soldier said before he quickly ran back to the village to continue his work, leaving General Manectric alone at the entrance of the Hidden Village of Dragon.

"Almost there… It's almost there…" General Manectric mumbled. "All other generals are already dead, and I am the only one left, not counting the Hero of Justice. With this, after this battle is over, everyone will acknowledge my deed…"

General Manectric then looked at the sky, which was still pitch black from the Solar Eclipse, which was still happening despite at least a few hours had already passed. "Soon… The fame and glory will all be mine, and I shall no more live under the control of anyone… And soon, I will become the president of Civilight instead of that Voltson, and with all Civilight under my grasp, I shall be the wealthiest and the most powerful Pokemon on this continent! It's just a bit further before everything became mine! Mine and mine alone! Everything will be—AHHHH!"

The words of General Manectric were cut off by his scream of pain, which immediately stopped when he suddenly collapsed on the ground, lying motionless, and it could be seen that he was already dead…

"What a corrupted bastard…" Baromyteus said as he drew one of his Dragon Claw Swords he used to stab General Manectric right at his heart, killing him in a single attack. "I think someone should change the name of Symmetria, from the 'Land of Equilibrium', to the 'Land of Corruption', because there are corrupted bastards everywhere on this continent."

"Brother, you are too pessimistic." Anastasia said as she looked at the corpse of General Manectric before she shook her head. "But I have to agree with your words. What this guy had done is unforgivable…"

"Right…" Baromyteus said as he looked at the village in front of him, which was being destroyed by the Civilight soldier and their 'frozen flame'. "We are too late… Those bastards… They… Look at what they had done…"

"Brother… Please try to control yourself." Knowing what her brother was thinking, Anastasia spoke up first. "I know what you are feeling right now, but…"

"I know…" Baromyteus said. "If it was 30 years ago, I wouldn't hesitate to unleash my rage by killing everyone in my sight, but now… Everything had changed… And I have become… softer… Both my spirit… and my body."

"Brother…" Anastasia approached her brother. "Are you alright?"

"… Let's go, Anastasia." Baromyteus said. "We have to pass through the village, which, if I am correct, has already been conquered by the enemies, so, do not leave my side."

"You always say that, brother." Anastasia said. "But in a time like this… I will."

"Hm." Baromyteus nodded to his younger sister, and then both of them started running into the Hidden Village of Dragon, which was being destroyed and were now fully occupied by the enemies, but because their destination was the shrine south of the village, they will have to cut through their enemy troop.

However…

Unnoticed by both Anastasia and Baromyteus, after both of them had already stepped into the area of the Hidden Village of Dragon, another Pokemon appeared from the Valley of No Return. While it was clearly visible that he was injured quite badly, he was still able to stand up and walk. And now, his attention was at two Dragon type Pokemon who had just entered the Hidden Village of Dragon.

"C… Come back there… B… Both of you…" The Pokemon who had just appeared said as he slowly walked toward the entrance of the Hidden Village of Dragon. "W… We are not done y… yet… T… There's still… I… I can still…"

* * *

 **-Meanwhile… At the shrine south of Hidden Village of Dragon…**

"Freya! Snow!"

"Oh!" Freya and Snow turned their attention to the owner of the voice who had just called their name, which was none other than one of four Pokemon who were running up to them hurrily. Their appearance made a smile appeared on the face of the Draconic Lapras and the Flygon, especially the latter.

"Oh! Zetarus! Diego! Claura! Xavier!" Freya called the name of each Pokemon who were running up to them. "I'm so glad that you are alright! Oh, thanks heaven."

"Me too." Zetarus said as he, as well as three other Pokemon, stopped in front of the Flygon and the Draconic Lapras, which made all of them standing just in front of the shrine of the village.

"We have received a message that you all want us here." Claura said and looked around, as if she was trying to find someone. "Anyway, where're that Latios and Latias?"

"They are inside the shrine." Snow answered. "And Korben is also inside too."

"Korben is still alive?!" Claura said. "Good. At least you could save him..."

"W… What did you mean by that?!" Freya asked. "D… Don't tell me that…"

"…" Zetarus, Diego, Claura and Xavier didn't say anything. All they did was shaking their head in a manner of guilt and regret for their action…

"… At least, you all tried your hardest…" Snow spoke up with a soft-toned voice. "You all are not too blame about this…"

"Well… Maybe not…" Claura said. "We couldn't save anyone, especially Noctus. He died a painful death right in front of us, and all we could do was watching him as he was slowly tortured to death…"

"That's…" Freya said, but she couldn't say anything else because it was too much for her…

"…Anyway" Xavier decided to speak up "Why did Rachael and Richard want all of us here?"

"Well… Actually, we don't know too." Freya answered. "But Richard said that he knew a way that could save everyone from this battle, and in order to do that, he needs to come here."

"… It's a little too late for that, since everyone other than us was already dead…" Xavier said.

"Wait, what about Anastasia, Baromyteus, Dimitri and Damos?!" Freya asked. "Didn't you see them anywhere?!"

"Well, we didn't." Diego answered. "But we doubt that they are already dead, since they are not a kind of Pokemon who would die easily."

"Moreover, we only check around the village, not the entrance of the village and the area beyond that." Claura said. "So, personally, I also think that they are still alive."

"And I hope that they did." Snow said. "Anyway, since all of you are here, please hurry and go inside."

"What about both of you?" Zetarus asked. "And come to think of it, why are both of you here? Shouldn't both of you be inside the shrine with everybody else?"

"We are here because someone must keep an eye on anyone who would approach this place, be friends or enemies. If they are friends, we would let them inside, but if they are enemies, we would try to hold them off and alert everyone inside." Snow answered.

"Not bad…" Xavier said. "Alright, since we are here, we will take your place from here. Both of you can go inside now."

"What?!" Freya said. "B… But…"

"Freya, Snow, you both have already done enough…" Claura said. "From now on, leave everything to us."

"… Are you sure?" Snow asked.

"Snow, you have just recovered, so you shouldn't push yourself too hard." Xavier said. "That's also the reason why I did put you in the battle legion in the first place."

"… If that's your wish, then I will oblige." Snow said.

"And Freya, think about what will happen if something happen to you." Zetarus said. "If he knows that I let something bad happen to you, Terrus will put me back onto the execution block again."

"… Okay…" Freya said. "But… At least, let me do a quick healing to all of you, so you will regain your strength and recover from your fatigue."

"Fine." Diego said.

* * *

 **-Meanwhile… Inside the shrine…**

"I… I can't do it." Richard said.

 _'That answer is invalid, Richard!'_

"But it's the only answer I have! I can't do it!" Richard said.

 _'Richard, this isn't a time for you to be a wimp! You are the only one who can do it!'_

"I can't!" Richard said. "How could you expect me to destroy the whole Symmetria with my own hand?!"

 _'Richard, didn't you say that you will do anything to keep you and your sister safe?! Are you someone who would easily break your promise?!'_

"But…" Richard tried to say something, but this time, he couldn't find any words to say.

 _'Richard, sometimes, we will need to cast aside our feeling and emotion in order to do something. Sometimes, we need to choose the choice that's against what we have in our heart, even if it would leave us with a permanent brand of sin for our action. But that's part of our duties. When I was the king, I have to make several choices that's against the voice in my heart, and some of them even left me with grief and regret until today, however, like you, that's my duties, and I have to bear their consequences'_

"…" Richard said nothing after he heard the Mega Latios' words, as everything that Holmer said made sense to him, and in the truth, he really wanted to do as his Dragon Legend said, but… Every time he tried to do it, a faint but clear picture suddenly appeared in his mind. It was a picture of several Pokemon… A moody female Heliolisk holding a bow… A strong but dumb Aggron with a giant bazooka… A flirty male Sceptile in a Samurai armor suit… A calm male Scyther in a ninja garb… A kindhearted male Ampharos in a doctor gown… And several more…

"… I still can't do it." Richard said."Call me weak or spineless or whatever you want… But… I can't do it! I CAN'T!"

"Richard! Rachael!"

Another voice called the name of the Latios. This time, however, it wasn't Holmer's voice, and the owner of the voice also called the name of his younger sister too.

"Freya? Snow?" Rachael said as she saw Freya and Snow walked from outside the shrine along the entrance hall into the main hall. (And as they approached Rachael and the unconscious Korben, the Type: Null, who was standing beside Rachael, quickly stepped away from all of them) "Why are both of you here?"

"Zetarus, Diego, Claura and Xavier have just arrived." Snow answered. "And they said that they will guard the entrance of the shrine in our place, so we came here to tell you about this."

"They are already here?! Rachael said. "Whew! That's a relief! But… What about others?"

"… We still don't know anything about Damos, Dimitri, Anastasia and Baromyteus…" Snow answered. "But for others…"

"Oh no!" Rachael said. "T… Then, Noctus, he…"

"Yes…" Freya said. "Claura, Xavier, Zetarus and Diego tried their hardest to save everyone, b… but…"

"That's terrible…" Rachael said. "How many Pokemon would have to die?! These invaders are the WORST!"

"…" Freya and Snow didn't say anything more, as both of them completely agreed with Rachael, and then, the whole hall of the shrine was overcome with silence once again, as no one said anything more, including Richard.

"…" Richard said nothing, even after he heard everything that Snow and Freya said.

 _'… Richard…'_

"… I know, Lord of Blindness…"Richard mumbled. "I know it in the deepest part of my heart that everyone is being killed, yet I didn't try to do anything to stop it from happening… You are right… I am just a wimp. I am spineless. And I am not a worthy Pokemon to form a pact with you."

 _'… If you keep ranting, you will be truly unworthy of my power…'_

"Hm?!" Richard was surprised a bit after hearing the words of his Dragon Legend, as it wasn't the words he thought that he would hear.

 _'I can see now, Richard, that, despite your outer shell, you are still the very same person the first time I met you, when I decided that_ you _are worthy of my power, and because you are still the same person, my decision will never change…'_

"…" Richard said nothing after hearing Holmer's words, as they reminded him of the time when he was incarcerated in the Civilight Laboratory… When he met Holmer for the first time…

 _'… Still, that barely changes anything! If you still insist on your idea, then it would be no different than ordering an execution to all of you!'_

"There must be some other way!" Richard said. "There must be a way that can save us all without destroying everything!"

 _'… Actually, there is one last method that may save all of you.'_

"Really?!" Richard said.

 _'However, I must warn you that the consequence of this method, while it may seem suppler than the first one, it may lead to a much harsher consequence, and once it happens, you will not be able to change anything for the rest of your life.'_

"That doesn't matter, at least for now." Richard said. "Now, tell me about it!"

 _'… Very well…'_

* * *

 **-Meanwhile… Outside the shrine…**

"SCALD!"

"AIR SLASH!"

"DIG!"

"FLAMETHROWER!"

Outside the shrine, four Dragon type Pokemon, a Kingdra, a Dragonite, a Garchomp and a Mega Charizard X, were fighting against the first wave of enemies, which had just appeared not too long ago, and they wasted no time to attack them with their high-technology weapon, but if there was one thing that they didn't know, it's that four dragons in front of them weren't just a group of ordinary dragon.

"Frostic, I summon you!" Diego roared as he raised his paw upward, making the Ring of Ruins on his claw started glowing with a mysterious light blue aura.

 _'Glaciate!'_ A silhouette of a Kyurem appeared and summoned several icicles to attack all enemies, as well as slow down their movement!

"Thanks, Diego!" Claura said before she grabbed her Feather Brooch on her chest. "Reshiram, I need your help."

"You too, Zekrom." Xavier said as he reached his paw to the Scale Brooch on his chest. "Come here and help us!"

After both dragons finished speaking, a ring of light was formed under the feet of the enemies, and above them was a group of black cloud that was recently formed out of nowhere.

'FUSION FLARE!'

'FUSION BOLT!'

A silhouette of Reshiram appeared from the ring of light below the enemies at the same time that a silhouette of Zekrom appeared from the black cloud above the enemies, creating the veil of fire and lightning that attacked all enemies at once, as well as defeat them in one hit!

"Whew! I think that's all… For now…" Zetarus said after he saw that all enemies who tried to attack them had been defeated.

"Yeah…" Diego said. "This is just the start. The worst is yet to come."

"With the power of our Dragon Legend, we could hold them off quite a while longer…" Claura said. "But as Xavier and I said before, it won't last forever."

"And… Look. Someone is coming this way." Xavier said and pointed his paw forward, at two Pokemon who were approaching the shrine!

"!" Seeing this, Claura, Xavier, Zetarus and Diego immediately reequipped their weapon and got themselves in the attack stance, ready for the upcoming battle!

… Or not?

"… What are you all doing?" One of two Pokemon who was approaching the shrine asked as he saw four dragons in front of him holding their weapons in the manner that they could attack him at any moment, despite him not being their enemies.

"Baromyteus?" Claura said after she realized that two Pokemon who were approaching them were none other than Baromyteus and Anastasia.

"… Don't tell me that you all thought that Anastasia and I are your enemies?" Baromyteus asked. "That's lame."

"Couldn't be helped." Diego said as he, as well as Zetarus, Claura and Xavier, put away their weapon. "We are in a hard time, and everything has become completely sxxt."

"Right." Zetarus said. "If both of you didn't show up anytime soon, we would have thought that both of you are already dead."

"…" Baromyteus said nothing after he heard Zetarus' words.

"But… Even while both of you are here, I don't see Damos and Dimitri anywhere…" Xavier said. "Did you get separated from them? Or did they…"

"Yes." Baromyteus answered slowly. "Both of them are… already dead."

A moment of silence occurred after the Shiny Haxorus finished his words, as no one else did say anything for a few minutes after hearing the words of Baromyteus.

"So… Dimitri and Damos had already joined everyone else…" Xavier said.

"What?" Anastasia spoke up with a surprised voice after she heard the words of the Dragonite. "T… Then…"

"… Like Dimitri and Damos, everyone else in this village, be Noctus, Lyzia, Unos, Elder Baldr or others, are already dead." Claura said. "And it was because we couldn't save them in time."

"Oh! No!" Anastasia said and started crying. "W… Why?! Why did it has to come to this?!"

"… So, that explains…" Baromyteus mumbled. "While Anastasia and I were passing through the village before we came here, we didn't see any Dragon type Pokemon who is still alive, and… As I thought, my fear comes true at last…"

"… And that also means that… the only Pokemon from the Hidden Village of Dragon who is still alive… is Korben." Xavier said.

"What?!" Baromyteus spoke up. "Korben is still alive?!"

"Yes." Diego answered. "It seems like that Hakamo-o, along with Rachael, Richard, Freya and Snow, are inside the shrine right now."

"…" Baromyteus said nothing after he heard the words of the Mega Charizard X.

"Anyway…" Claura spoke up. "Since both of you are already here, it means that nobody else is out there, right?"

"Right." Baromyteus said. "We are the only Pokemon from our side who are still alive."

"Then, let's go inside, everyone." Zetarus said. "There's no need for us to stay outside this shrine anymore."

"Agreed." Xavier said. "We should go inside and barricade the shrine… To prepare for the worst."

"That's… awfully similar to the story of the first Hero/ine of Legend during War of the God I…" Diego mentioned.

"And that's very ironic." Xavier said. "In the story of the first Hero/ine of Legend, they were cornered by the army of Dragon type Pokemon, while now, we, a group of Dragon type Pokemon, are cornered by others instead."

"Knock it off, all of you." Claura scolded. "We are not the Hero/ine of Legend, so there's no way that both situations would be similar to each other!"

After finished speaking, Claura entered the shrine, and Xavier quickly followed her.

"Not similar? Maybe you are right, Claura." Diego said. "Their ending was like a stupid fairy tale when they were suddenly granted a power from the god to fight against their enemies, but for us… Unlike them, we are not pathetic."

"Heh… Well spoken, Diego." Zetarus said. "But no matter what, we won't die here for sure."

After finished speaking, Diego and Zetarus slowly walked into the shrine, leaving only Anastasia and Baromyteus just outside the shrine.

"… Let's go, Anastasia." Baromyteus said. "There's no need for us to stay outside any longer."

"…" Anastasia nodded softly to her brother, and then both of them started walking toward the entrance of the shrine…

But then… Just before they could enter the shrine…

"S… Stop r… right there… B… Both of you!"

"HM?!" Anastasia and Baromyteus were greatly shocked after hearing a voice of someone calling them, and it was the voice of someone they knew, as well as someone whom both of them had just battled not too long ago!

"!" The Goodra and the Shiny Haxorus quickly turned their head back and saw another Pokemon standing not too far from the entrance of the shrine. This Pokemon, however, was greatly injured, with many cuts and bruises on his body, and it seems like he could even barely stand up. However, his eyes still show a great burning spirit as he looked at both Dragon type Pokemon in front of them…

"R… Rucas?!" Anastasia said.

* * *

 **-Meanwhile… Somewhere in the Hidden Village of Dragon…**

 _"Hey! Did the group that chased after the remnant that escaped to the south come back yet?"_

 _"No, they won't come back anymore, as they all were already dead."_

 _"The enemies killed them all? Damn it… We underestimate them…"_

 _"Our scout also spot the Hero of Justice heads to the south of the village too."_

 _"The Hero of Justice went there? So… He tried to defeat the enemies by himself… No, there's no more time to lose! We must go to his aid at once!"_

 _"Okay! I will tell everyone who is still alive to head south, and then we will defeat those dragons, once and for all!"_

 _"Right! Once and for all! So no one would suffer under their pride and arrogance again!"_

* * *

 **-Meanwhile… In front of the shrine…**

"Heh… F… Finally…" Rucas spoke with a shaking voice. "I… I haven't d… done with b… both of you yet… A… Anastasia… B… Baromyteus…"

"And what the hell are you doing here?!" Baromyteus spoke with an irritated voice. "Did the gate to Afterlife reject you so you have to cling onto your pathetic existence like this?"

"Y… Your tongue is s… still as sharp as ever…" Rucas said.

"… Just shut those nonsense things up and tell us what you want!" Baromyteus snarled. "I doubt you come here to battle us, as there is no way that you could win against us in that pathetic condition."

"Y… You underestimate me, B… Baromyteus." Rucas spoke with a sarcastic voice.

"What did you mean—" Baromyteus said, but just before he could finish his sentence…

 _"Everyone! Here they are!"_

 _"Look! The Hero of Justice is already there!"_

 _"It's time for us to end this!"_

"Oh, great…" Baromyteus mumbled as he saw the ENTIRE army of invaders, which was mostly consisted of the Civilight soldiers, and the rest of them were the remnant of the Venturnome soldiers, Leafburg soldiers, Fireview soldiers, Riverbrine soldiers and Dustorm soldiers who were still alive. All of them were armed with their weapons. The sight that all of the invaders were here could only mean one thing; they planned to defeat their enemies right now and right here, once and for all.

"Heh… P… Perfect time…" Rucas said. "T… This will be a p… perfect chance for me t… to perform m… my duties as t… the Hero of Justice."

"And I afraid that I won't let you do it." Baromyteus said and drew his Dragon Claw Swords out, while Anastasia, who had been silenced for several minutes, picked up her Tenor Harp.

"Fool…" Rucas mumbled.

* * *

 **-Meanwhile… Not too far from where Anastasia, Baromyteus and Rucas were…**

 _"Should we attack them right now?"_

 _"Of course! We can't lose any more time! We must end this battle right now!"_

 _"But the Hero of Justice is also in the way of our weapon! If we fire our weapons right now, the Hero of Justice will be killed too!"_

 _"Look at him, you moron! His condition right now is as good as dead! He won't live long even if he survives this anyway!"_

 _"But…"_

 _"Enough of that! Think of what would happen if we wait any longer! Waiting longer means giving those damned dragons more time to recover and prepare a counterattack! We must not make a simple mistake like that!"_

 _"And what about the Hero of Justice?! Should we let him die like this?!"_

 _"Don't forget that, to achieve a greater cause, a sacrifice is always needed. Sacrificing just a single Pokemon to permanently defeat our enemies is really worth it, no matter what!"_

 _"Y… You are right… I shouldn't hesitate about this at all…"_

 _"Are you clear? Now, prepare for the massive final attack to end this battle, once and for all!"_

 _"Right away!"_

* * *

 **-Meanwhile…**

"You bastard, just let me be clear right now and right here." Baromyteus spoke and pointed one of his Dragon Claw Swords at the Lucario in front of him. "I have always hated you to the deepest part of my heart, for everything you have done, both to Anastasia and me, for everything you say, and for everything you are."

"I know…" Rucas mumbled.

"And I have always wanted to kill you, even right now." Baromyteus said. "You said earlier that you are justice, and I am injustice, right? Come to think of it, you may be right. You always do everything according to your damned code of justice, while I always do everything that my heart told, regardless of other's moral, as I have my own moral. We are like two sides of a single coin, two sides that will never be same."

"Heh… Interesting…" Rucas mumbled. "E… Even if you are the e… embodiment of injustice… Y… You always be h… honest, b… both to yourself a… and anyone else… Y… You are t… truly the man of i… integrity…"

"Integrity? Heh…" Baromyteus mumbled. "Said that to the cursed Haxorus who possessed neither blood nor flesh is a bit wrong, don't you think?"

"S… Say what you want…" Rucas said. "B… But for me… Y… your i… integrity is still t… the most outstanding q… quality of you, a… as you t… told me that w… what you hate most a… are lie and deception, d… despite what you have d… done t… to all H… Hero/ine of Legend and m… me 30 years ago…"

"Why you?!" Baromyteus seemed to be triggered by the Lucario's words. His paw then firmly gripped onto the handle of his Dragon Claw Swords, preparing to strike the Lucario in front of him at any moment!

But before he could do that…

"FIRE!"

"!" Because the attention to Baromyteus and Anastasia were focused at the Lucario in front of them during past several minutes, they neglected the fact that the entire army of invaders was also here. But… It was already too late, as the moment that both of them realized that their enemies were here too was also the moment that all of their enemies fired their weapon at the same time at both of them!

"!" Baromyteus and Anastasia could react fast enough as several beams of energy being fired from their enemies' weapons moved toward both of them, like an arrow that was fired at the unaware prey!

"ARUG!"

"Rucas!" Anastasia said.

"!" The very last moment before the enemies' attack reached both of them, Rucas turned back to face the army of enemies and used the move Protect to prevent the enemies' attack to reach both Anastasia and Baromyteus!

"What are you doing, you bastard!?" Baromyteus roared as he realized what Rucas, the Pokemon whom he hated to the deepest part of his heart, was doing…

He was trying to save their lives!

"S… Simple… I… I am just… d… doing m… my duty a… as the H… Hero of Justice! UARG!" Rucas roared as the beams of energy that were fired from the enemies' weapon tried to break through his Protect, so he had to put more energy to maintain the protecting barrier he created. "A… After all… Y… You did s… show a mercy to me b… by sparing my life… S… So I came here j…just to repay you… S… So t… there will be n… nothing else left b… between e… each of us!"

"Are you an idiot?!" Baromyteus roared. "I spared your life just because you spared Anastasia and me 30 years ago! It was already over! There was nothing else between us!"

"Y… You fool… URG!" Rucas roared in pain as, because he had to put more and more of his life energy into the protecting barrier he created, the injuries he got from the battle earlier with Anastasia and Baromyteus started to take a toll on him! "Y… You didn't just s… spare my life, b… but you a… also g… grant me t… the thing I… I had always y… yearned for since 2… 21 years ago…"

"WHAT?!" Baromyteus and Anastasia said.

"C… Compassion." Rucas continued speaking while he also continued focusing his energy at the protective barrier he created. "I… It had been 21 years… M… My heart had a… always y… yearned for the action of c… compassion… A… And because y… you have just granted it onto me… M… My broken s… spirit was partly fixed…"

"Are you trying to say that you did this just because we granted you an act of compassion?!" Baromyteus roared, as he still couldn't believe in the words he had just heard! "You bastard! Think of the consequence of your action! You are now barely alive! If you keep doing this… Don't you know that you will die a very painful death?!"

"E… Even if I… I didn't do that… I… I would s… still die b… by your blade." Rucas said, as his strength was gradually drained as each second had passed!

"That's still better!" Baromyteus roared. "I said that I will be the one who killed you! But… Look at what you are doing! You are trying to get yourself killed instead of letting me kill you! Are you trying to make me break my own words, especially right after you said that I am a man of integrity?! ARE YOU TRYING TO DO SXXT ON ME, YOU BASTARD?!"

"Y… You still d… don't u… understand, B… Baromyteus!" Rucas roared. "I… If you d… didn't leave me w… with these wounds, I… I wouldn't easily d… die l… like this! S… So, it's s… still change d… doesn't change t… the fact t… that you a… are t… the one w… who kill me, Baromyteus! ARUGG!"

"RUCAS!" Anastasia cried as she saw the Lucario fell down on his knee, as his strength and life energy almost ran out! However, he still didn't give up! Instead, he put even more of his energy into his protecting barrier!

 _"Hey! What is the Hero of Justice doing?!"_

 _"It seems like he is trying to protect those dragons!"_

 _"What?! Don't tell me that he has already betrayed us?!"_

 _"Right! There is no way that he would help those dragons except that he has already betrayed us!"_

 _"That's it! Everyone! Increase the power of your weapon! We will deal with the Hero of Justice first before we deal with those dragons!"_

"AURRRGGGGG!" Rucas roared in pain as the energy beams that were fired from the enemies' weapon became more powerful, and with his remaining strength, he couldn't hold onto this much longer!

"RUCAS!" Anastasia cried as she saw the Lucario in front of her tortured himself just to save their lives!

"GO, BOTH OF YOU!" Rucas roared. "AND DON'T DARE TO DIE! IF YOU DIE, I WILL NEVER FORGIVE YOU!"

"AND I WILL BE THE ONE WHO WILL NOT FORGIVE YOU, YOU BASTARD!" Baromyteus roared.

"I DON'T NEED ANY OF YOUR FORGIVENESS!" Rucas roared.

"YOU BASTARD!" Baromyteus roared at the Lucario again, however, before he could do or say anything else, he felt something hitting his face, as if someone had just slapped him on his face!

"YOU DRAGON JERKY, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Claura, who had just appeared from inside the shrine, roared at the Shiny Haxorus.

"Y… YOU SALTY SEAHORSE?!" Instead of being angry at Claura because she had just slapped him on his face using her tail, Baromyteus was surprised to see that Claura was here.

"COME ON! EVERYONE'S WAITING INSIDE!" Claura said. " IF YOUR SLUGGISH ACTION COST US WITH OUR LIVES, I WILL NEVER FORGIVE YOU!"

"…Fine." Baromyteus mumbled and turned his attention to Anastasia, who seemed to be very worried about Rucas. "Anastasia, let's go, now."

"But Rucas—" Anastasia said.

"NOW!" Baromyteus scolded at his younger sister.

"… Okay…" Anastasia mumbled, and then she turned her attention to look at Rucas, whose energy was almost run out, for one last time before she followed Baromyteus and Claura into the shrine...

"Finally, they are gone…" Rucas mumbled after he realized that Baromyteus and Anastasia had already left, and now, his energy was almost run out, making the protecting barrier become weaker and weaker as the time passed. "With this… I will have nothing left in my life that I haven't dealt with yet… Except for… My family…"

 _"Farewell… My sister… I am sorry that I couldn't be with you anymore… So… Be strong… Even when I am not with you… Zira…"_

 _"Farewell… Ridley…Fenrir Jr. … I hope that both of you grow up to be strong and good people, both your mind and spirit… And… Don't let your mind being corrupted like your father…"_

 _"And… Forgive me for not being able to be with you anymore… I know that you will be angry with my, my love, but… I will pay for my sin later in the Afterlife… After we reunited again…"_

 _"And before that day, the day of our reunion, arrives, please take care of our sons, as well as yourself, my love…"_

 _"Farewell, my love. May we meet again in our afterlife… I will be looking forward to see you again… I promise…"_

 _"Fenrir…"_

* * *

 **-Meanwhile… Inside the shrine…**

"What the fxxk took both of you so long just to come here?" Diego asked after he saw Baromyteus and Anastasia, as well as Claura, walked into the main hall of the shrine.

"…" Baromyteus ignored Diego's words as he put away his Dragon Claw Swords and looked around the hall he and his sister had just entered, as this was the first time that he entered this hall, for that he had never interested in paying a visit to this place as he was always training with a certain Fraxure, whom he had just killed with his own hand…

This large circular hall was connected to the entrance of the shrine by a long hallway, and at the spot where the hallway connected to the main hall, Xavier was standing there, as well as Claura who had just joined up with her cousin. For the main hall, there were several stone pillars, which formed into a 'ring' that surrounded the center area of this hall. At one of those stone pillars laid an unconscious Hakamo-o, who was none other than Korben, who, somehow, had fallen unconscious, but nevertheless he was still alive, and Freya was sitting beside him, as it seemed like she was looking after the unconscious Hakamo-o. At the other stone pillars on the opposite side of the hall were Zetarus and Diego, who were casually leaning onto the pillar.

At the center spot of this shrine was a large stone altar, which was where Richard was standing, with Rachael just beside him. At the altar were several rays of light, which shone from all windows in this shrine, and Snow was standing alone near one of the windows in this shrine.

"?"

On the hall were several wall paintings, and all paintings on the wall were the very same paintings that existed in the Cave of Ages! However, this wasn't the thing that caught the Shiny Haxorus' attention. The thing that caught the Shiny Haxorus' attention was the Pokemon who stood in front of the last wall painting, which was located on the wall at the opposite side of the hallway that connected the entrance of the shrine to the main hall.

"Who are you?" Baromyteus asked with a sinister voice to the Pokemon who was standing in front of the last wall painting, with made it immediately turn its attention to the Shiny Haxorus.

"!" The Type: Null didn't say or react after it saw the Pokemon in the black armor suit who had just entered the shrine, but it was quite clear for Baromyteus to see a shocking expression in its eyes, which was concealed by the helmet it wore.

"For the long answer, ask Richard and Rachael…" Instead of anyone else, it was Xavier who answered with a nonchalant voice. "But for the short answer… It's the thing that killed a large number of dragons who fought at the entrance of the village, as well as the thing that murdered Elder Baldr in front of everyone's eyes."

"!" A sinister aura suddenly was emitting from the demonic armor suit that the Shiny Haxorus was wearing, and he then reached his paw to the handle of the Dragon Claw Swords that he had just put away, but before he could do anything else, Rachael spoke up first.

"Please, Baromyteus, not now!" Rachael pled to the Shiny Haxorus. "This Pokemon isn't our enemy! I can confirm! So, please do not fight!"

"Tsk!" Baromyteus grumbled as he released his paw from the handle of his Dragon Claw Swords and turned his attention to Richard, who was standing in front of the altar at the center of the main hall. "So, what do you have in your mind, Richard?"

"There is only one thing that we could do, although its consequence may not be the thing you want." Richard said. "The only option left for us is to repeat what was done at the end of the first part of War of the God III."

"… Come again?" Zetarus said after hearing a long explanation from the Latios.

"…I mean that we will use the same method that was used to protect Kingdom of the Dragonking from the invaders during War of the God III." Richard said.

"Wait a second…" Claura spoke up. "Don't tell me that…"

"Right." Richard said. "I will use the remaining Essence of Soul in this area to create an expelling ward that will drive away every invader within the area of Valley of No Return, as well as creating a large and indestructible barrier to cover the entire area of Valley of No Return. However, as a result of this, we all will be put into a hibernation state, where we will lose our consciousness into a deep slumber for as long as the barrier exists. How long? The amount of answers is infinite. It could be one day, one week, one month, one year, one decade, one century, one millennium, or maybe… When we woke up, we may be the last group of Pokemon who were still alive…"

* * *

 **-Meanwhile… Outside the shrine…**

 _"Finally! That so-call Hero of Justice is finally dead!"_

 _"And so, all that's left are those dragons that are hiding in that shrine!"_

 _"Should we go inside the shrine and kill those damned dragons right now?"_

 _"… No. They may have set a trap if we go inside that place, so it's not a good idea for us to go inside that shrine."_

 _"And what could we do if we don't go inside that shrine?"_

 _"We will use our weapons to destroy the whole shrine, just like what we did with the houses in this village!"_

 _"Great idea! They won't be able to escape if we attack them like this!"_

 _"Right! With this! This Dragon Massacre will finally come to the end, with our victory!"_

* * *

 **-Meanwhile… Inside the shrine…**

"You can't be serious!" Diego said.

"I am as serious as I could be, Diego." Richard said.

"And did you just expect us to fall asleep like some sort of a fairy tale princess until an unknown time had passed?!" Zetarus spoke.

"Or would you prefer going outside the shrine and getting yourself killed?" Richard asked with a calm but serious voice.

"… Isn't there any other way?" Baromyteus asked with his arms crossed.

"Yes, but only if you are willing to see everyone who isn't a Dragon type Pokemon on the continent of Symmetria being completely obliterated from the world." Richard answered with a grim voice.

A moment of silence occurred after the Latios finished speaking, as no one was able to say anything after hearing the words of the Latios, about the method that would kill all non-dragon on the continent of Symmetria. While it may seem better than falling asleep for an unknown period of time, no one could make up their mind to agree with this plan, even for someone who usually didn't care for anyone like Baromyteus.

"… Okay, Richard. Go on with your plan."

"Xavier?!" Everyone's attention was focused at the Dragonite, who hadn't said anything since when Baromyteus and Anastasia entered the shrine, and out of the silence, he was the one who broke it.

"Are you sure about this, Xavier?!" Claura asked. "We will be put into a slumber for an unknown period of time! Are you sure about this?"

"And why not?" Xavier said and released a yawn from his mouth. "YAWN… Those battles made me so tired and sleepy… I could use a year of sleeping, or maybe ten years… Whatever… I am completely fine with this."

"Sigh… That's most likely what you would say…" Claura said. "But… During War of the God III, everyone in the Kingdom of the Dragonking, including our grandparents, had already passed through this moment before, despite not knowing what fate would this action would lead them to… And so… If they were brave enough to do this, then I have no objection in doing so."

"... For me, I will respect your decision, Richard." Snow spoke up after Claura finished speaking. "I have placed my full trust in you, and I will still insist on my decision until the end."

"…" While no one else was paying their attention to it, the Type: Null nodded to Richard, as it had no objection to Richard's plan.

"… Onii-chan, I trust you." Rachael spoke up next and looked at her brother with the eyes full with determination. "I trust you, and I believe in you. That's why I also agree with your plan too."

"… Zetarus, I will let you decide about this." Diego spoke up and looked at the Garchomp beside him. "Like before, the path you choose will also be the path I follow."

"… This is like a huge gamble to me…" Zetarus spoke up. "The streak is high… But the reward is also high too… Fine, if you all really believe in Richard that much, then I'm willing to place my bet on this too."

"… One question, Richard." Freya spoke up. "Would this plan of yours really keep all of us safe from those invaders?"

"Yes, I can confirm." Richard answered.

"Okay, then… me too.." Freya spoke up gain. "I… I trust you too, Richard! I trust that you would keep everyone safe!"

"… And what about you, Richard?" Instead of telling everyone about his decision, Baromyteus yet asked Richard another question. "Are you sure that you can accept the consequence of your action? The decision you made today might leave you with a feeling of regret that will stick with you for the rest of your life, which you couldn't change anything. Knowing this, are you sure that you are truly prepared?"

"… Yes." Richard answered. "I know that I might regret today's decision, but my first priority in my life is keeping my sister safe, and with this, I couldn't ask for anything more."

"... It seems like this feeling is mutual, Richard." Baromyteus said. "Fine, do whatever you want, but don't expect me to share any responsibility for what you do today."

"… Wanting to keep everyone safe, despite having to bear a huge consequence of this action… You are very noble, Richard." Anastasia commented. "And so, you have my support, Richard."

"And that would mean that everyone here agrees with Richard's plan… Well… Except for this Hakamo-o, of course." Zetarus said and glanced at Korben, who was still unconscious. "But him being like this, there's not much that we could do about him."

"… Thank you for believing in me, everyone." Richard spoke up after everyone had already finished expressing their opinion. "I know that some of you still doubt or hesitate of my method, but I promise that I will not throw away the trust you all have given to me."

"Can you shut up and get your fxxxxxg self going with your plan already?!" Diego spoke up with an impatient voice. "We don't have much time left, so, move your fxxxxxg axs already!"

"Right… Yawn…" Xavier said and released another yawn from his mouth. "I could barely hold onto my consciousness. Do you mind if I take a nap right now?"

"Xavier, we are about to enter an eternal sleep, so I think you should use this very last moment of awakening first." Claura scolded her cousin.

While Claura was scolding her cousin, Richard turned his attention back to the altar before he opened the Chronicle of Darkside once again.

 _'Are you ready, Richard? Once you execute this method, there's no turning back.'_

"Of course." Richard answered. "Everyone has placed their trust in me, and I won't let them down."

 _'Then, follow my instruction…'_

"Hm." Richard nodded, and then he raised his paw upward and cast a mysterious spell, gathering several faint purple aura that appeared out of nowhere at the altar at the center of the main hall. The altar then slowly created several waves of faint purple mist that floated on the floor of the main hall. This faint mist made everyone in the shrine drowsy!

"Arrr… This…"

"I can't… hold on… anymore…"

"Arr…"

"Zzz…"

Everyone in the shrine slowly fell asleep as the mist filled the main hall, started with Xavier, and then followed by Zetarus, Diego, Anastasia, Rachael, Freya, Snow, Claura, Baromyteus, and the Type: Null, leaving only Richard who was still awake, although he was very drowsy too.

 _'Hold on just a bit longer, Richard!'_

"…" Richard slowly nodded to his Dragon Legend, despite he was very sleepy right now, but he still continued casting the spell.

 _'Now!'_

"Toops!"

The Chronicle of Darkside fell onto the floor as its owner finished casting the last part of this spell at the same time that he couldn't hold onto his consciousness anymore. The Latios then fell down onto the floor of the shrine, lying asleep, just like other 11 Pokemon in this hall…

And they all would stay like this… For as long as the barrier existed…

For how long?

The answer was… unknown…

* * *

 **-Meanwhile… Outside the shrine…**

 _"Everyone! The preparation for our weapon is finally complete!"_

 _"Good! Now, let's execute this weapon and—"_

 _"Wait, what is that?!"_

 _"What's with those purple things that go inside the shrine?!"_

 _"Everyone, look at the shrine!"_

 _"That's…"_

 _"NO!"_

 _"ARRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG!"_

* * *

A protective barrier was generated from the shrine at the south of Hidden Village of Dragon, and it became larger to cover the area, started from the area around the shrine, the area of Hidden Villagen of Dragon, until it covered the entire area of Valley of No Return. As it enlarged, it also expelled all Pokemon who invaded this very realm, banishing them to the area in front of the entrance of Cave of Ages, which, along with the small opening on the roofing of the valley, was now sealed shut by the indestructible barrier.

This magical protective barrier will continue to exist to prevent any Pokemon to step into the Valley of No Return, as well as prevent any Pokemon to leave the Valley of No Return, and this will continue until the barrier disappeared...

And when would this barrier disappear?

One day?

One week?

One month?

One year?

One decade?

One century?

One millennium?

No one knew…

* * *

Even the most peaceful place on the continent of Symmetria was destroyed in a single day…

All was just because of greed, ambition and corrupted justice…

It was like a nightmare, but it's a nightmare that came true…

And thus, only twelve Pokemon were able to survive this cruel massacre…

However… Would they be able to prepare for the consequence of their action?

They didn't know about this… However… There's one thing that all of them knew…

The next time they woke up, Symmetria would never be the same place for them…

And they couldn't call it their home… Anymore…

 **-End of Tail 6: Deception-**

 **To Be Continued…**

* * *

 **Dragon of Vale: And this is the certain call of the sixth tail, Deception. You have already figured out the origin of this tail's name, right?**

 **Baromyteus and others, including the Dragon type Pokemon of the Hidden Village of Dragon, were trying their hardest to protect the Hidden Village of Dragon, the place they called home, but in the end, everything they had done ended up in vain as they lost to the action of greed and ambition, and it forced them to take up a gamble where they wouldn't know the consequence of their action, which would surely not be something they want…**

 **For me, I was very tired while writing this tail, both physically and mentally not only because this tail is very long and has so many details, but the event that happens in this tail, for me, is the true tragedy that no one ever wants to happen, both in the fanfiction and in the real life…**

 **Also, I must apologize that it took me so long to complete this tail, and it may not turn out very good…**

 **And so, the next chapter will be none other than the interlude of the sixth tail (Have you already forgotten about this or not?) And what would follow the interlude? No, the answer isn't the seventh tail. Instead, I will write a 'Sub-Tail' that wouldn't be counted as the 'Tail' of this story, but it's still very important as it would contain the events that occurs between the sixth tail and the seventh tail, as well as the ultimate fate of the main characters after this tail…**


	61. Tail 6-Interlude: Eclipse

**A Dragon's Tail**

 **Tail 6: Baromyteus' Tail - Deception**

 **Tail 6-Interlude: Eclipse**

 _"Are you sure that you can enter the Tower of the God by yourself?" Ridley asked with a worried voice._

 _"Of course, Ridley." I answered with a calm and gentle voice. "I am a servant of Goddess Yggdrasil, so I must be prepared to face any trial in front of me, regardless how dangerous it is."_

 _"Okay, if you wish that…" Ridley said. "I am sorry that, in the end, I am the only one capable to escorting you to this sacred tower."_

 _I nodded to the Lucario's words, as right now, despite saying that every member of the Dayrise would accompany him to the Tower of God, in the end, Ridley was the only one that's able to do so, as Katarina and Eva had suddenly gotten a much more important work to do._

 _"I don't mind about it at all." I answered. "Actually, I would feel really bad if Dame Eva and Lady Katarina escort me too, and left Archbishop Zira alone."_

 _A while before he and Ridley left the Solar Village, there was a group of Pokemon, which consisted of a Sceptile in the samurai armor suit, a Scyther in the ninja garb, a Feraligatr in the sailor uniform, a Heliolisk in the thief cloth, and an Aggron in the armor suit, come to this village to visit the 'Hero of Justice' and Archbishop Zira. However, because the Hero of Justice was absent, they went to the church of Solar Village to visit Archbishop Zira first._

 _I was also there, along with Ridley, Eva and Katarina, when the group of five Pokemon visited Archbishop Zira. I could see in her facial expression that Archbishop Zira seemed to grasp who they were, as she seemed to be surprised to see them. However, that expression couldn't be compared to her expression when she saw that Aggron in the armor suit. I could still remember her breakdown as she ran up to him, crying and hugging him like a mother who had finally reunited with her long lost child…_

 _Because of this, I decided to leave the church them along as I could see that it wasn't a good idea to interrupt this. However, several minutes later, as I was waiting outside the church, Ridley came out and told me a grim news. He told me that Archbishop Zira had suddenly fainted after the conversation she had with the five newcomers, and, while he didn't say anything about it, I could see that the Lucario seemed to be troubled by the conversation between Archbishop Zira and the five newcomers, but I didn't ask him anything about this as I could see that it was something that I shouldn't know. Regardless, Ridley told me that, because of Archbishop Zira's sudden faint, Katarina and Zira were needed to stay behind in order to take care of her, and they also need to take care of the five newcomers too. With this, both of them couldn't escort me to Tower of the God, and both of they sent me a word of sincerely apologize._

 _"Can I ask you something, Ridley?" As we journeyed to Tower of the God, I decided to ask him something that I want to know, and I had already considered that it wouldn't be offensive. "Who are those five Pokemon who have just visited Archbishop Zira?"_

 _"As far as I know, they are, like Eva and me, the descendant of the Heroes of Legend who saved Symmetria from the Fallen Crisis 30 years ago." Ridley answered. "The Sceptile is the son of the Forest Swordsman, Joshua Floratree. The Heliolisk is the daughter of the Lightning Thief, Ellisk Sparkvolt. The Feraligatr is the son of the Ocean Pirate, Magnus Aquamarine. And for the Aggron… He is the son of the Techno Knight, Kamui Rusteel… As well as the long lost son of Archbishop Zira herself and the older brother of Eva."_

 _"!" I was shocked as I didn't think that what I thought would actually be true. So… That explained Archbishop Zira's action back at the church…_

 _"And for the Scyther, while it seems like he isn't the son of the Hero/ine of Legend, he was one of the current Hero/ine of Legend, and so do other four newcomers." Ridley continued speaking._

 _'So… Five Hero/ine of Legend are here…' I thought to myself_

 _Ridley didn't say anything else until we reached Tower of the God, including why Archbishop Zira had fainted. However, I could grasp a little about it, but I pray that what I was thinking wouldn't be true, as it would be one of the worst things that could happen to Archbishop Zira…_

 _And now, both of us were standing at the entrance of Tower of the God, the sacred tower of Theocracy of Venturnome. While this place was one of the most outstanding landmark of Symmetria, not only because it once be the site of the final battle between the Hero/ine of Legend and the 'Dark God' during War of the God III, but it also marked the southernmost spot on the continent of Symmetria, just like how the Opera House in Dustorm Empire marked the westernmost point of Symmetria and the Solitude Island of Queendom of Riverbrine marked the easternmost point of Symmetria, there was no one around here because this place was a sacred site, so no one was around here, or they may be at risk of facing the wrath of the god, which would yield a harsh consequence…_

 _"And so, I will be going now…" I said and bowed to the Lucario. "And so, this would be the parting of our time. Farewell, Sir Ridley. May the goddess bless you and protect you, as well as your comrades, from any harm._

 _"You too." Ridley said. "Farewell! I hope that we will meet again! Until then, see ya!"_

 _After finished speaking, Ridley started running toward the direction of Solar Village, leaving me alone at the base of Tower of the God._

 _"… And so, here it begins… My trial…" I said to myself before I walked toward the entrance of the tower and entered it…_

* * *

 **"ARRHGG!"**

 **"OUCCCHHH!"**

 **"AARRRRRRRGGG!"**

 **"ARGG!"**

 **"AUPOUGGHHH!"**

 **"ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!"**

 **"…"**

 **"Already? Hm… Pathetic…" I mumbled as the last prey of mind succumbed to their injuries I inflicted on them during their torture. "Where was your dignity when you spit your arrogance upon us? Truly pathetic…"**

 **I threw the lifeless body of my prey away to a pile of dead preys I killed earlier, before I grabbed my weapon and walked toward the exist of the dungeon, which located at the lower floor of my castle.**

 **"Master."**

 **As soon as I existed the dungeon, one of my minions approached me.**

 **"What is it, minion?" I asked.**

 **"Our preparation is finally complete." My minion said. "And you could start the ritual at any time you want."**

 **"Excellent!" I exclaimed. "Finally, after a long oppression by those who bathes in the sacred light to our kind, we will finally rise again, and they would soon fear the terror of darkness!"**

 **"When shall we begin, master?" My minion asked.**

 **"Right now." I answered. "I will go to the ceremony site to perform the ritual. Meanwhile, go and tell everyone to be ready, and do not interrupt me during the ritual, no matter what! Are you clear?"**

 **"As you wish, master." My minion bowed at me before he walked away, leaving me along there.**

 **"…" After seeing that my minion had already left, I walked toward the stairs of my castle. However, instead of going up as I planned before, I went downstairs to the lower floor of the castle, as this would be the place where the ritual would be performed…**

 **What ritual?**

 **In the past, the World of Pokemon was inhabited by the creature called 'Pokemon'. This creature was known to have a great diversity, as there were several types, habitats and others. With this much diversity, a conflict between each of them ensued, and continued for several millennia, and will continue as long as there's still the existence of this creature…**

 **However, there was a kind of Pokemon that… exceptional. While this Pokemon was actually not different than others, we were cloaked in the permanent shadowy cloak, giving us a sinister and intimidating look. And just because of this, other Pokemon branded us as an abomination creature and want nothing more than eradicating us as soon as they saw us or learn about us, regardless of our action, or worse, they merely saw us as their tool to be put into their ambition. With this, we were forced to live far from the civilization, far from any light where we couldn't even hope to touch due to our nature.**

 **Yes, that's right. We are Shadow Pokemon. Everyone in this castle was the Shadow Pokemon, including me…**

 **When I first arrived in this world after… a very long time, I found out that my own kinds were hunted down by the other Pokemon, those who bathed in the sacred light, despite us doing nothing wrong. The only thing we have done is to exist, and is that really wrong? Knowing that I couldn't forgive those who bathed in the sacred light for treating us light this, I gathered everyone of our kind and led them to the place where we could live together without having to associate with those who bathed in the sacred light. However, that wasn't enough. There were still many of our kind that I couldn't save, despite how powerful I was, and they must pay for their crime toward our kind, so I have planned for this ritual, in order to spread the vengeance of our kind toward them…**

 **Those who bathed in the sacred light… They must pay…**

 **My thought was cut off when I arrived at the end of the staircase, which was the lowest floor of the castle. This floor contained only a single room with nothing else but a ceremonial site at the center of the room. Because of this, this place was completely void of any light, but that wasn't a problem for me as I am the master of shadow and darkness.**

 **"The eternal darkness and shadow… This is it…" I mumbled as I slowly walked into the darkness, and then I stopped when I reached the ceremonial site.**

 **"And now…" I said as I grabbed my Dusk Trident and reached it forward. "Let the ritual begin."**

* * *

 _"At last… I have arrived at the top of Tower of the God…"_

The Pokemon who had just appeared from the staircase said as he arrived at the highest floor of Tower of the God, which contained nothing more than just a single large room with something that looked like a ceremonial site at the center of the floor. They were a big bird-dragon Pokemon with five pairs of plate on their back. Their long tail possessed a pair of spike. Their feet had three toes. Their large hand-like wings had five fingers. Their head had a horn and two plates that covered their eyes. They possessed a white body, light blue tummy, dark blue plates, spikes and eye plates and blue eyes.

 _"This must be the place where the Hero/ine of Legend fought a hard battle to bring War of the God III to the end."_ This Pokemon said with a sad voice. _"War is always a terrible thing. There is always no good thing coming from the war, yet they still insist on making such a terrible thing occurs…"_

This Pokemon slowly walked toward the ceremonial site of the tower. While he was walking, he slowly looked around the place interestingly as this place was very high from the ground, making it a very bright place as a result of being a place very close to the sky and the sun. He then kneeled down at the middle of ceremonial site.

 _"Goddess Yggdrasil… God Arceus…"_ This Pokemon mumbled. _"Allow your humble servant to pray for you…"_

This Pokemon then was about to close their eyes to start their prayer, but their attention was turned from their prayers to something else!

 _"W… What is this?!"_ This Pokemon spoke out with a shocked voice as they saw their weapon, the Dawn Scepter, started glowing with a dazzling white light, and then the whole ceremonial site started glowing with the very same light!

 _"?"_

As this Pokemon stood up, but before they could say or do anything else, they saw something appearing before their eyes. It seemed like… a gate? Or a portal? No matter what, it soon became larger, making it clear for this Pokemon to see what's inside this portal.

 _"!"_

" **!"**

As they saw the thing inside the portal, the very first thought that appeared in this Pokemon's mind was that the thing in front of them wasn't a portal, but was a mirror, as everything they saw inside this 'portal' was same as everything around him, but with the opposite condition! First, this place was the highest floor of the tower, which was a very bright place, but the place he saw in this portal was very dark, as if it was the lowest floor of the castle somewhere. Second, the place in this portal also held a ceremonial site too, but it was glowing with a sinister black light, contrasting with the mysterious white light of this tower's ceremonial site. However, both of this still weren't the thing that shock this Pokemon the most.

The most shocking thing they saw in this portal was the single figure that stood at the other side of the portal, looking at them with the very same expression he was having right now. Moreover, no matter how they looked, this figure in the portal possessed almost nothing different from him, except for the color of their body. Instead of possessing a white body, light blue tummy, dark blue plates, spikes and eye plates and blue eyes, this figure possessed a black body, white tummy, plates, spikes and eye plates and red eyes, which was fixed at their light counterpart on the other side of the portal.

 _ **"Who are you?!"**_ This was the first thing that both Pokemon could say after realizing that the thing in front of them wasn't a mirror, but was a portal, and the reflection they saw in the 'portal' was actually a Pokemon that looked almost exactly like them!

 **"… Well… What do we have here…"** After their first words, the dark figure was the first of them to speak with a sarcastic voice. **"You there… You are those who bathed in the sacred light, right?"**

 _"… I am just a humble priest of Yggdrasil…"_ The light figure answered with a calm voice.

 **"Humble, aren't we?"** The dark figure continued speaking. **"Do not try to fool me… You are not just a mere priest. You are an angel, right?"**

" _And you… You… You are a demon."_ The light figure said.

" **That's right… I am a demon, and you are an angel…** **You know what this mean, right?"** The dark figure continued speaking.

 _"… Are you trying to say that we are the enemy of each other?"_ The light figure said.

 **"Aren't we?"** The dark figure said sarcastically.

 _"I don't think so…"_ The light figure said. _"Why would we be the enemy of each other just because I am an angel while you are a demon?_

 **"Ah… An idealistic angel, hm?"** The dark figure said sarcastically. **"But what if I have a plenty reason for you to hate me?"**

 _"What?"_ The light figure seemed not to understand what their dark counterpart was talking about.

 **"Let me share you a piece of wisdom. Have you ever heard the news of Pokemon around this continent disappear mysteriously? Well… The answer to this little mystery is me. I was the one who ordered their kidnapping."** The dark figure continued speaking.

 _"What?!"_ The light figure said with an unbelievable voice.

 **"And what terrible fate belies onto their soul?"** The dark figure continued speaking. **"Well… Let me tell you about what I have done to them…"**

However, while the light figure and the dark figure were exchanging their words with each other, none of them noticed that, right now, the sky above them was dark, as if it was night time. The cause of this unnatural event was the sun, which was slowly being swallowed by the dark shadow that had just appeared out of nowhere in the sky, creating a phenomenon called Solar Eclipse, the phenomenon that occurred when light and darkness met each other and their equal but opposite powers clashed.

 _"Terrible…"_ The light figure seemed to be disgusted by what they had heard from their dark counterpart. _"How could you do something so cruel like that?!"_

 **"Cruel? Yes… What I have done was cruel…"** The dark figure said sarcastically. **"However, if compared to what I was about to do with all of those who bathed in the sacred light, it would be no different than comparing a single lake to the entire ocean."**

 _"You… How could you…"_ The light figure mumbled.

 **"Starting to hate me, hm?"** The dark figure said. **"But before we go any further, let's not be rude to each other by introducing ourselves, shall we?"**

 _"…"_ The light figure said nothing.

 **"First, let's start with me…"** The dark figure said and bowed down to their light counterpart. **"I am known as the demon who controls over the sinister force of darkness and shadow, as well as the lord of all Shadow Pokemon. My name is** _ **Lunoire Belialdusk the Shadow Lugia.**_ **"**

 _"… And for me…"_ The light figure spoke up and kneeled down after their dark counterpart had finished introducing themselves. _"While I may look like a simple priest on a pilgrimage, I am actually an angel of light who always looks after everyone who bathed in the sacred light, and my name is_ _ **Solance Aurieldawn the Lugia.**_ _"_

 **To Be Continued…**

* * *

 **Dragon of Vale: Finally, after 5 interludes of unknowing, we finally learn who are both characters who appeared in each of all interludes, and they are what responsible for the phenomenon that occurred since the end of Tail 5-8…**

 **With this, the next chapter would be the start of the 'sub-tail' that occurred between the sixth tail and the seventh tail. From this point onward, the story will gradually become more and more serious…**


	62. Xenologue I: A Dragon's Tail

**A Dragon's Tail**

 **Xenologue I: A Dragon's Tail**

 **-Somewhere… In the unknown place at the unknown time…**

How much time had passed since they started doing this? No one knew…

The blood-red candles on the table were the only source of light in this chamber. Anywhere else where the candlelight couldn't reach fell into the embrace of the darkness. The light they gave was just enough for the only living creature in this chamber to do their work.

Other than the sound of the glowing candlelight, the only sound that echoed through this chamber was the sound of a quill being dragged on the paper. It sometime was replaced with the sound of a quill dripped into the inkstand, and then the sound of quill dragging on the paper came back again. It was the thing that the one in this chamber was doing.

The last alphabet had just appeared from the ink-dripped quill onto the paper when a flash of deep purple light appeared for a second, and after the light disappeared, the host realized that they were not the only living creature in this chamber anymore…

 _ **"I remember you…"**_ The host of this chamber said while they they put the quill back into the inkstand and looked at their guest with a skeptical feeling within their heart. _**"It has been quite a few decades since the last time we met…"**_

 **"… Forgive me for being blunt, but I didn't come here for a remembrance."** The guest spoke with a blunt voice as they walked toward the table where the host of this chamber was sitting.

 _ **"Impertinence, aren't you?"**_ The host said with a hint of sarcasm in their voice. _**"You know what? You are some of the most interesting creature that I have ever met…"**_

 **"… This is just who I am…"** The guest said with a nonchalant voice.

 _ **"Are you?"**_ The host spoke up again. This time, the guest didn't reply, so the host continued speaking. _**"Enough small talk. Now, tell me why did you approach me in my own chamber? And I know that you know what would happen if your reason for crossing your line isn't good enough."**_

 **"…Before I say anything else…"** The guest spoke up again, this time, with a cold voice. **"Do you know what happened at** **Valley of No Return?"**

 _ **"And do you know who are you asking that question?"**_ The host answered with a sarcastic voice.

 **"… And so, why didn't you do anything about it?!"** The guest seemed to be angry after hearing the answer from the host. **"Didn't you know how terrible those barbarians did to everyone?!"**

 _ **"You speak as if you don't know who I am."**_ The host answered with a calm voice. _**"And what would happen if I get myself involve with this affair? Arceus wouldn't be very pleased."**_

 **"… Don't tell me that you're afraid of Arceus?"** The guest asked with their arm crossed.

 _ **"…Do you really want to die that much?"**_ The host said with a cold voice to the guest.

 **"No."** The guest answered.

 _ **"Then… Let me tell you this; I am not afraid of Arceus. They are the god of Pokemon, and so am I, so there's no reason for us to fear each other. However, the reason why I don't want to get myself involved with the mortal affair is because of those 'pets' that Arceus has."**_ The host continued speaking.

 **"Pets? What an inappropriate word…"** The guest said with their arms crossed. **"Personally, I'd prefer the word 'Slaves' instead."**

 _ **"Slaves? Hehehe…"**_ The host let out a small laugh before they continued speaking. _**"Tell me if I am wrong or not, but your hatred toward those Hero/ine of Legend seem to almost match mine…"**_

 **"Wrong."** The guest said. **"My hatred toward the Hero/ine of Legend is equal to, if not more than, yours."**

 _ **"Arrogance, aren't you? To think that you have something equal to the god, but I digress."**_ The host said sarcastically. _**"Back to our topic… What happen at Valley of No Return in the Land of Equilibrium was truly a tragedy, and the cause of it is the Hero/ine of Legend, whose heart and spirit are blinded with madness. And, trust me, if I could, I would go to that filthy land and obliterate those pets of Arceus since the moment the tragedy started!"**_

 **"… Me too."** The guest spoke up, this time, with a calm voice. **"Back when this tragedy occurred, I knew nothing about it, and when I finally know, it was too late…"**

 _ **"…"**_ The host didn't say anything.

 **"But I don't have a plan to grief on my mistake."** The guest continued speaking, this time, with a more serious voice. **"What I must do now is take an action by stepping into this!"**

 _ **"… And what are you planning to do?"**_ The host asked.

 **"I shall purge the world from the corruption caused by those with the Blood of Legend, and then the whole land will fall under my control!"** The guest answered.

 _ **"… So, basically, you just want to conquer the world? What a stereotyped villain you are…"**_ The host said.

 **"You are mistaken."** The guest spoke up again. **"Who want to take the control of that filthy land? Not me, of course. All I want is to teach them the meaning of fear for what they have done!"**

 _ **"And what are you planning to achieve that?"**_ The host asked.

* * *

" _ **Are you sure that the information you told me is valid?"**_ The host asked with a plain voice without any emotion.

 **"Absolutely."** The guest answered. **"And this very information I obtained is what I will use to achieve my plan."**

 _ **"… Now, now… This is really interesting…"**_ The host spoke with an enthusiastic voice. _**"This is the most interesting thing I have heard since War of the God III…"**_

 **"And as I said, in order to achieve this plan, I need a help from a god like you."** The guest continued speaking. **"What would you say? Not a bad deal, isn't it?"**

 _ **"Quite a tempting deal, I must say."**_ The host said. _**"However, would you alone really capable of doing all of this?"**_

 **"One person can make a difference."** The guest said. **"Moreover, I have never said that I will do all of this alone."**

 _ **"… Fine. I accept your proposal."**_ The host said. _**"It really feels weird that it was me who say this sentence instead of you, isn't it?"**_

 **"Indeed."** The guest said. **"Now, shall we proceed to the next step?"**

* * *

"… _ **Finished."**_ The host said.

 **"So… This is the feeling of…"** The guest mumbled as they looked at their body.

 _ **"I guess that I don't have to tell you anything more about this, right? Because you seem to be familiar with this more than me."**_ The host said.

 **"Not really…"** The guest answered. **"I just know a bit too much about this thing."**

 _ **"Perhaps…"**_ The host said.

 **"Now that my business with you has finished for now, I shall take my leave right now."** The guest said. **"I still have a lot to do before I could achieve my plan."**

 _ **"Not so fast…"**_ The host said as they waved their paw a bit, making a chest suddenly appear beside the guest! _**"Take what's inside this chest with you too."**_

The guest said nothing as they walked to the chest that had just appeared and opened it to examine the object inside it.

 **"…Seriously?"** This was the first word that the guest said after they finished examining the object inside the chest. **"You want me to have 'these things'?"**

 _ **"Precisely."**_ The host said. _**"And I think that someone like you would be able to grasp the reason why I want you to have it."**_

 **"… Because I am now your 'slave'?"** The guest said with a sarcastic voice. **"And this is the thing that identified me as one?"**

 _ **"Nope, you are my 'pet', not my 'slave', but other than that, you are right."**_ The host said with a half-serious-half-casual voice. _**"However, that's actually half of the whole reason why I gave this to you."**_

 **"And what's the other half?"** The guest asked with an impatient voice.

 _ **"Like a pet, it will serve as your 'leash' and 'collar'. If you try to abandon your plan and run away, or worse, betray me, I will just pull you back and 'punish' you."**_ The host said with a nonchalant voice.

 **"… Are you serious"?"** The guest asked with a cold voice. **"That's really… kinky."**

 _ **"Nope! I lied."**_ The host said with a casual voice before they changed their voice into a more serious one. _**"But I must warn you that you must not forget what you have told me, as well as what you have gotten yourself into, or else you may have to face the unpleasant consequence."**_

 **"I know what I am doing. There's no need for you to tell me."** The guest said as they 'took' the object in the chest with him. **"Now, there's nothing else, right? I have so many things else to do."**

 _ **"… What are you going to do next?"**_ The guest asked.

 **"…It's time for me, for the first time in this century, to return to the place where I once called home…"** The guest answered, this time, with a rather sad voice. **"And then I must correct the mistake I did."**

 _ **"Come to think of it… It has been a few years since that… tragedy happenned."**_ The host said. _**"And I can sense that the seal is gradually weakened, so…"**_

 **"… For a god, like you, and a non-mortal, like me, yes, it would be a few years…"** The guest said. **"However, for a mortal, such as 'them'… Whatever, I'd better get going now, before anyone else reaches them first."**

After they finished speaking, the guest walked toward the exit of this chamber, but before they could reach it, they were stopped by another word from the host of this chamber.

 _ **"One more thing."**_ The host spoke up again, this time, with a mysterious voice that completely concealed what they were thinking. _**"… Just before you came here, why did you go to the Colorless Garden? And… What had you done to Frostic?"**_

 **"!"** The guest was greatly shocked after hearing the words of the host, but they were very good at concealing their emotion.

 _ **"Don't forget who I am."**_ The host continued speaking. _**"I am the God of Dragon type Pokemon, so there's nothing that you could conceal from me, including what you had done before."**_

 **"…I just 'need' something that's in the possession of that Kyurem."** The guest said with a nonchalant voice. **"However, that Kyurem refused to give it to me peacefully, so I had to assort to the method of 'violent' a bit, which results in that Kyurem and his—"**

 _ **"That's enough."**_ The host said. _**"I didn't mean to disagree with what you had done. In fact, I appreciate you for what you did at the Colorless Garden."**_

 **"You do?"** The guest said.

 _ **"Right."**_ The guest nodded to the host. _**"Frostic needed to be taught a reason for betraying me not once but twice. This also applied to that fairy who's praised and adored the 'Goddess' by the Pokemon on the Land of Equilibrium. Both of them deserve this."**_

 **"... Then, I shall take my leave now."** The guest said. **"Farewell for now, Dragon God."**

 _ **"You too, Bahamut."**_ The host said as a flash of pale blue light appeared at where the guest was standing, and a second later, the guest was nowhere to be found, leaving the host the only living creature in this chamber.

 _ **"…"**_

After realizing that they were the only creature in this chamber, the host of this chamber looked at the story they had just finished writing. However, it seemed like the entire story wasn't finished yet, as the _entire_ story they had written so far only took up about half of the whole paper.

After finishing reading the entire story so far that was written on the paper again, the host of this chamber picked up the quill again. However, instead of continuing writing it, they moved the pen toward the head of the paper, above the start of the entire story, before they started writing again…

Within the darkness, the light from the candle reflected the word they just wrote on the cover of the book as…

" _ **A Dragon's Tail"**_

 **To Be Continued…**

* * *

 **Dragon of Vale: Hello again after a bit of hiatus after the end of the sixth tail, and we aren't moving to the next tail yet. Instead, here's the first 'Xenologue'… Okay, some of you may know that I got the idea of 'Xenologue', as well as the 'Paralogue' that appeared before, from Fire Emblem series, but let me explain how does 'Paralogue' and 'Xenologue' work in this story.**

 **Let's start with Paralogue. Paralogue is a chapter with a 'special event' about the main characters. It could be a holiday or festival, just like the Paralogue I, or it could be just an interactive moment between the main characters (Such as they play games together or something else), which would be the future Paralogue. Paralogue will be the chapter that reveals more detail and personality of the main characters, as well as serve as a 'relaxed' chapter in order to decrease the 'tension' of the story. (Especially after the sixth tail because the story will get much more serious.) Mostly, Paralogue won't have anything to do with the main story, so you can skip it without risking of leaving out an important story, but still, it wouldn't be a bad idea to change the mood once in a while, right?**

 **And next, the Xenologue. Xenologue is the opposite of the Paralogue, as it would be a chapter with an important detail regarding this story. It could be either the story from the point of view of the character who are not the main protagonists, just like this one, or it could be… something else. Oh, and don't mix Xenologue with the 'Interlude', as Interlude would be a series of the story from the point of view of other characters, while Xenologue would be a story, mostly single, from the point of view of any character who are not part of a current group of main characters. Unlike Paralogue, most Xenologue tended to be a serious chapter, but because it holds some important detail regarding the story, I strongly suggest that you shouldn't skip it. Oh, there's one more difference between Paralogue and Xenologue. In this story, Paralogue would appear much more often than Xenologue.**

 **Enough with a long detail. Let's talk about what happen in this Xenologue. It seems like this is a scene between two characters. One of them is the 'Dragon God', wait, is he one of the gods that was mentioned by Richard in Tail 5-3? And the other character in this Xenologue is Bahamut… Wait a second, is he the same character that appeared in the Prologue of this story? And the name Bahamut... Where did I hear this name before in this story?**

 **After this Xenologue, the next chapter would be the 'sub-tail' I mentioned earlier in this story! This time, we will return to the point of view of the main characters!**


	63. Intermission I-1: Awakening

**A Dragon's Tail**

 **Intermission I: Freya's Tail - Arrogance**

 **Intermission I-1: Awakening**

 _"…"_

 _"… There you are."_

 _"Hm? Well… Look who it is… I know that you are both stubborn and impertinent, but to think that you would dare to show your face here…"_

 _"…"_

 _"Still silent as ever, hm? Now, before I banish you, tell me the reason that brings you here."_

 _"…Your time of redemption has come."_

 _"Redemption? For what?"_

 _"For the crime you have committed, and for the sin you have done in your life."_

 _"Crime? Sin? Who do you think you are, speaking those words to me?"_

 _"…"_

 _"See? Don't think that I don't know. You are no longer the Hero of Legend, and so do I."_

 _"I know…. You have already passed your power to your son."_

 _"So do you."_

 _"… But what I am doing right now has nothing to do with my status as the Hero of Legend."_

 _"What you are doing? Wait, don't tell me that…"_

 _"… Sharon, Joshua, Kamui, Ellisk, Magnus, Nyxier, Leonel, Hawkins and Rucas had already paid for their sin with their demise, leaving with only Iris, Fenrir, Zira, you and me."_

 _"… Are you the one behind their dead?"_

 _"… As you know, Sharon died because of the illness about a decade ago. For others, Joshua died in a duel with his son, Kamui chose to obliterate himself rather than being a living Cyborg, Ellisk sacrificed his life to save his daughter, Magnus died after losing too much power to the sea creature that possessed him, Leonel died after being possessed by the 'God of Volcano', and Rucas died in the Dragon Massacre."_

 _"Wait a minute… How did you know all of this?"_

 _"… I have been observing each Hero/ine of Legend for several years after I left Nyxier's side…"_

 _"…"_

 _"But for Nyxier and Hawkins… They insisted to continue living in the life of a sinner, so I have to be the one who 'achieve' their redemption."_

 _"… So, you are the one who killed Hawkins, you fxxxxxg bastard…"_

 _"…"_

 _"And so, you came here in order to kill me, right?"_

 _"No. I come here to achieve your redemption."_

 _"That's still the same thing, isn't it?"_

 _"…"_

 _"If so, then you are wasting your time."_

 _"…What?"_

 _"Don't get me wrong. I mean that, no matter how hard you try, you will never be able to kill me."_

 _"… Why?"_

 _"… Have you ever heard about the Curse of Quakersand?"_

 _"The Curse… of Quakersand?"_

 _"Yes. With this curse, there's no way for you to kill me, and there are only five Pokemon that could kill me, and four of them are not capable of doing so, but the last one is."_

 _"So… You are saying that only certain Pokemon are able to achieve your redemption?"_

 _"Your brain is still able to function, right?"_

 _"If that's so, then, I shall leave."_

 _"And what are you going to do next?"_

 _"… After omitting you out, what's left are Zira, Iris and Fenrir."_

 _"What about you? If you are really dead-set on this stupid 'redemption' that much, why don't you start with yourself?"_

 _"… Because my time hasn't arrived yet."_

 _"And when?"_

 _"… After others'."_

 _"You arrogant bastard… No wonder why you are branded with the sin of betrayal."_

 _"…"_

 _"Go, Tyrus, and don't show your face to me again unless you want your time of redemption to come sooner."_

 _"… Aren't you going to punish me for coming here and for killing your brother?"_

 _"You bastard! I will punish you if you keep reminding me that! Moreover, we will meet again in hell anyway, so there's no need to rush."_

 _"…Then, I bid for a farewell, Emperor Garland... No, Garland… I wish your death to be a swift and painless one."_

 _"Farewell to you too, Tyrus. I hope that your death would be as painful as possible, and those pains will continue to linger and haunt you even after your demise."_

* * *

 **-Meanwhile…**

Symmetria, the Land of Equilibrium, was known as the only major continent that still inhabited by the creature called 'Pokemon'. However, despite being existed for at least one century, this continent still held many unsolved mysteries. One of this was the area at the center of the continent, the 'inaccessible valley covered in the roofing and eternal mist, making it almost impossible to explore this area…

However, the mystery of this area was soon solved when the entrance into the valley was discovered, which led to the inaccessible valley, or 'Valley of No Return'. This valley, not only being home to many wild Pokemon, but also the home of many Dragon type Pokemon who lived in harmony without communicating with others since the Apocalypse…

However, because of the madness within the heart of living creatures, the whole village where the Dragon type Pokemon lived was destroyed within a day, and all life here were lost…

And only twelve dragons were able to survive this massacre…

And…

Where were they right now?

* * *

 **-Inside the shrine…**

Inside the shrine of Hidden Village of Dragon, Valley of No Return, twelve dragons were sealed here, like the whole Valley of No Return that was sealed within the protective barrier, preventing anyone from entering and exiting this area...

While it may sound bad, this very barrier was the reason why these twelve dragons were able to survive the Dragon Massacre, despite them unable to rescue anyone else…

And they were slumbering here, waiting for the day that they will awaken…

The day that they will rise again…. Like a demon risen from the pit of hell…

And now… That day had come…

"Urr..."

Among twelve dragons, one of them slowly opened his eyes, like a man after a long sleep filled with dream… Or nightmare?

"W… Where am I?" The awakening Pokemon slowly spoke up as he tried to adjust his eyes to the atmosphere of the place he was. The faint light within the shrine revealed that this Pokemon was… a Hakamo-o…

As well as the only dragons native to Hidden Village of Dragon who survived the Dragon Massacre...

"Wait…" The Hakamo-o said as he slowly looked around the place he was in, and soon he remembered that this place was… "Is this the shrine of our village? But… Why am I here? And… Huh!"

Suddenly, a memory of what happened before he fell unconscious quickly appeared in his head, like a sudden jolt of lightning that zapped his entire body, as it showed him a picture of a battle between his kinsman and the invaders, a picture the dark sky above the entire valley, a picture of several injured and dead dragons, and a picture of…

"GRANDPA!" The Hakamo-o roared like a wild beast as a picture of a Drampa being ripped and tore apart appeared in his mind. He then quickly rushed toward the entrance of the shrine, wanting to leave the shrine, but as soon as he reached the exit, he could leave this shrine as it seemed like there was something that prevented him from doing so, like a barrier…

"LET ME GO!" The Hakamo-o roared and cried as he continued punching and pummeling the barrier in vain as he tried to leave the shrine. However, no matter how hard he tried, he could…

And then…

"… Korben?"

"!" The Hakamo-o turned his attention back to the main hall of the shrine once he heard someone calling his name. This was also the moment he realized that he wasn't the only Pokemon here, as there were several Pokemon lying around on the floor of the shrine, just like him before too, and one of them, like him, had already woken up, and her attention was focused at him.

"F… Freya?!" Korben said as he approached the Flygon, who stood in the main hall of the shrine. "W… Why are we here?!"

"Well…" Freya mumbled.

"Oh, never mind it right now!" Korben roared and turned his attention back toward the exit of the shrine. "I need to go, NOW! The battle is still going on, and I need to go!"

"No… Korben…" Freya slowly spoke up with a sad voice. "The battle's already over…"

"Over?" Korben looked at the Flygon in her eyes. "What do you mean by 'over'?"

"It meant that the battle had already ended…" Freya answered.

"I… If that's so, then… Did we win?!" Korben continued asking. "A… And where's everyone else?!"

"…" This time, Freya didn't answer the question. All she did was looking around the shrine, where other dragons were lying around. Korben then noticed that they were a Dragonite, a Kingdra, a Garchomp, a Mega Charizard X, a Latios, a Latias, a Draconic Lapras, a Goodra, a Shiny Haxorus in the demonic armor suit, and…

"YOU!"

The Hakamo-o rushed toward the last Pokemon in the room after he realized that the last Pokemon was none other than the one who killed his grandfather.

"!"

Just before the Hakamo-o could reach it and attacked it, the Type: Null, who seemed like it was sleeping, suddenly woke up and jumped away to avoid the Hakamo-o's wrath.

"YOU WRETCHED BEAST!" The Hakamo-o roared at the Type: Null who stood in front of him. "I WILL KILL YOU AND MAKE YOU PAY FOR WHAT YOU HAVE DONE TO MY GRANDPA—"

"That's enough, Korben!"

"Hm?!" Korben and the Type: Null turned their attention toward the one who had just spoken, who was none other than Freya.

"Freya?!" Korben said. "Don't you see that too?! Don't you see this beast kill my grandfather?!"

"Yes…" Freya said. "I… I have seen them all…"

"Then why?!" Korben said.

"Because—" Freya was about to answer the Hakamo-o's question, but she was stopped by other voices from other dragons in this hall.

"Arrr… What a noisy sound…"

Freya, Korben and the Type: Null then realized that everyone else in this hall was slowly woken up from their slumber, be Xavier, Claura, Zetarus, Diego, Rachael, Richard, Anastasia and Baromyteus.

"Urrrgg…" Zetarus slowly stretched his body as he slowly stood up after he woke up.

"Yawn…" Rachael yawned as she slowly got up with the help of her elder brother. "Good morning, everyone…"

"Yawn…" Xavier yawned, but he still didn't get up "Five more hours, Claura."

"FIVE MORE HOURS?!" Claura roared into the Dragonite's ear, waking the sleeping Dragonite instantly.

"Ouch…" Xavier mumbled. "Claura, you meanie.."

"And you are such a Lazyhead, Xavier!" Claura said. "Didn't we sleep enough?"

"Sleep enough?" Zetarus said. "What do you mean by that?"

"Have you forgotten already?" Baromyteus said as he helped his younger sister stand up said.

"Forget? Oh…" Zetarus said before the memory of what happened before all of them fell asleep gradually appeared in his mind. "I see…"

"And it's REALLY necessary for someone to make a noise since the moment we woke up…" Richard spoke sarcastically.

"And so…" Anastasia spoke up. "An unknown amount of time had already passed, after that day… Right?"

"Wait…" Korben turned his attention to Anastasia. "What do you mean by that? And… Why are we all trapped in the shrine like this?!"

"…" Hearing the question of the Hakamo-o made everyone else in the main hall of the shrine look away from him, except from a certain Pokemon in the demonic armor suit.

"Sit down, boy." Baromyteus spoke up. "It's a long story… A story not for a faint of heart."

* * *

 **-Several Minutes Later…**

Everyone in the hall, except for the Type: Null, was sitting at the center of the main hall as they slowly exchanged their story of what happened before all of them met up at the village's shrine, as well as explain what happened to the young Hakamo-o…

"No…" Korben mumbled. "It can't be…"

As the story proceeded, the Hakamo-o's body shook in fear and unbelief for what was happening to his own village, and it continued to worsen as the story went on, as if the story was a sharp spike that gradually pierced his heart.

"… Korben…"

Luckily, while the Hakamo-o's condition was getting worse, there was someone who sat just beside him and always comforted him when she saw that the Hakamo-o was about to break, and this Pokemon was the same Pokemon that stopped him from killing the Type: Null earlier.

"…And so, this is what happened." Richard finished the story.

"…" Korben said nothing even after the story ended. All he did was sit and lower his head down, as if he was about to cry, while Freya was trying to comfort him.

"Still… If I didn't experience it by myself, I wouldn't believe it…" Diego said. "It seems like just a one night sleep, but how much time had passed since that day? I couldn't fathom."

"Richard, can you tell?" Zetarus asked.

"No." Richard said. "Because the entire area within the barrier, which was the whole area of Valley of No Return, was frozen in time, there's no way that I could tell how much time had passed unless we got out of Valley of No Return or someone else from outside this area tells us."

"Great…" Baromyteus mumbled sarcastically.

"Wait a minute…" Claura spoke up. "Did you just say that the entire Valley of No Return was frozen in time? Then…"

"Yes, you are right." As if he knew what the Kingdra would say, Richard spoke up. "When the barrier dissolved, the time in the Valley of No Return will seem like only one second had already passed since that day, which would mean that…"

"… If we step outside this shrine right now, the whole village will be in the almost same condition as before we got into this shrine…" Baromyteus said. "The only different thing is there will be no invaders left in the village and the valley, only the remaining of the massacre will be left behind…"

"But…" Snow spoke up. "A few minutes ago, I went to the exit of the shrine, but I couldn't get out of here."

"What?" Everyone's attention (Except Korben and the Type: Null) was turned to the Draconic Lapras.

"I speak the truth." Snow said. "It's as if the barrier still exist, and it prevents us from leaving this shrine."

"Richard, I think you own an explanation." Claura said as she and everyone shifted their attention to the Latios.

"… If you are worried that we would be stuck here forever, then you can drop it out." Richard spoke up again. "Because the period of time that the barrier would exist isn't over yet, the barrier is still here to prevent anyone from entering and leaving Valley of No Return. However, right now, the barrier is at its weakest point, we all are allowed to regain our consciousness back."

"… If that's so…" Diego said. "How long would we have to wait here until the barrier disappeared?"

"No longer than half an hour after the first one of us wakes up." Richard answered. "However, this only applied to the barrier at the exit of the shrine, but for the barrier that surrounded the entire Valley of No Return… That would be a few hours…"

"… At least we could get out of here and do something useful soon." Xavier said.

"Speak of which…" Anastasia spoke up for the first time after the story ended. "… After we got out of here, what would we do next?"

A moment of silence occurred after the question of the Goodra ended, and it soon ended when the Dragonite spoke up.

"… The first thing is that we will have to check the condition of the village; to see how much it was destroyed by those invaders." Xavier answered.

"Waste of time." Baromyteus spoke up. "As far as I could see, the whole village was destroyed by those bastard sons of a bxxxh, so there's no other point in doing this."

"You speak as if you know a better thing to do." Claura spoke sarcastically.

"Of course." Baromyteus said and turned his attention to the Kingdra. "I am not like you who don't know what to do next."

"What?!" Claura turned her attention to the Shiny Haxorus too. "Don't just assume something like that just because you don't know what to do, you jerk!"

"P…Please!" Anastasia quickly stepped between her brother and the Kingdra to stop them from starting another quarrel. "T… This isn't a time for something like this!"

"HM!" Claura and Baromyteus crossed their arms and turned their frown face away from each other.

"Oh…" Anastasia facepalmed herself after seeing that, despite all of them had fallen asleep for an unknown amount of time, when they woke up, her brother and Claura still didn't get along with each other.

"… And so…" Xavier summarized. "The only thing we can do right now is wait until the barrier disappeared, so we could leave this place, thought I wouldn't mind sleeping a few more hundred years."

"XAVIER!" Claura roared at her cousin.

* * *

While Baromyteus, Claura and Xavier were having a 'serious' conversation about what to do next, Zetarus and Diego, who was standing on the west side of the main hall of the shrine, were also having a conversation with each other too.

"To be honest, I still can't believe that everything has just happened…" Diego said. "From our perspective, yesterday, we were having a peaceful life. I was working at the forge and getting scolded by that dumbass Damos, but now…"

"For me, I was hunting the game with the dragons of the valley…" Zetarus said. "And today, we are the one who were being hunted instead."

"And then, we all were sealed within the warding barrier for an unknown amount of time." Diego continued speaking. "I wonder how many days have passed since the day of that massacre? But… If Richard doesn't know, then there's no way that 'idiots' like both of us would know."

"Yes…" Zetarus said, however, this time, with a grim voice instead of the usual voice of him. "There's something that we will never know, despite how much we want, because it's too far for us to reach."

"Hm?" Diego looked at the Garchomp beside him, and, just for less than a second, he saw a spark in Zetarus' eyes, and it was the same spark he saw in Zetarus' eyes when they were fighting to defend the west side of the village, when Zetarus was hearing the words from the enemy's general, which had something to do with his tormented past…

"Hey… Zetarus…" Diego said as he faked hit Zetarus by mildly punching the Garchomp's face. "Be honest with me; do you want to learn about your past?"

"… Knowing my past or not is not important for me right now." Zetarus said. "It won't change anything. It won't change what happened in the past, as well as what I would do in the future. So, there's no reason for me to answer your question, Diego, unless… You let me bite your tail."

"Wait, what?" Diego said.

"Come on, Diego!" Zetarus said and licked his lip. "I promise I will be gentle… Wait, I can't promise that."

"F… FXXK OFF, YOU AXXXXXE!" Diego roared.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the east side of the main hall of the shrine, there was a Pokemon who was standing there alone without saying anything. All he did was gazing at the wall of the shrine and let the time pass slowly…

… Until someone started a conversation with him.

"Greeting again, Snow."

"Hm?" The Draconic Lapras turned his attention to the Pokemon who was standing behind him, as well as the Pokemon who had just greeted him with a gentle, which turned out to be none other than…

"… Greeting to you too, Anastasia." Snow said, but with a plain voice instead.

"How are you feeling right now, Snow?" Anastasia asked. "You have just woken up and the cruel battle soon followed…"

"…The world is cold and cruel, Anastasia." Snow answered with the same voice that showed no emotion to the Goodra.

"Right…" Anastasia said. "But I don't understand why it has to be THIS cruel…"

"…" Snow said nothing.

"Everyone in this village did nothing wrong... All they did was living a peaceful life, and yet the doom was brought for all of them." Anastasia continued speaking. "Is it because we Dragon type Pokemon are meant to repay for the crime we committed to the Pokemon in this world before the day of Apocalypse?"

"… Nonsense." Snow finally spoke up. This time, he looked into the eyes of the Goodra, revealing his strong eyes that were cloaked in a strong willpower. "What happened earlier wasn't a redemption or anything else other than a madness."

"…" Anastasia said nothing after hearing the words of the Draconic Lapras.

"… Madness is the cause of many actions in the world." Snow continued speaking. However, his sight was shifted from the Goodra to his own body, which was not a body that a 'normal' Lapras possessed. "Madness was born into everything, and we can never run away from it once it shows up, despite how much you try…"

"Snow…" Anastasia mumbled.

"… Can you please leave me alone for now, Anastasia?" Snow asked with a plain voice again without looking at the Goodra.

"O… Of course…" Anastasia said. "Then… I will take my leave here…"

After finished speaking, Anastasia started walking from where Snow was to the entrance of the main hall of the shrine, at where Claura, Xavier and Baromyteus were standing, leaving Snow alone there.

"Anastasia…" Snow mumbled softly to himself after seeing that Anastasia had already walked away from him. His scaled paw unconsciously reached to his chest, at the spot where his heart was. "I don't understand… Both you… and myself."

* * *

At the very center spot of the main hall, where the altar that Richard performed a ritual earlier was, two Pokemon were sitting there without saying anything. One of them were looking with a worried face at the other who sat beside her, who seemed to be in a much worse condition…

"Korben…" Freya softly mumbled the name of a Hakamo-o who sat beside her, who had been sitting there without saying anything after everyone else woke up. His face was lowered toward the knees that he was holding with both his arms the whole time he sat here.

"This can't be…" Korben slowly mumbling after saying nothing for several minutes. "I can't believe that all of this happened…"

"…Korben…" Freya slowly said the name of the Hakamo-o again.

"…But… That big guy would never lie…" Korben continued speaking. "So… This must be a nightmare, and I haven't woken up yet…"

"No…" Freya mumbled after hearing what the Hakamo-o said.

"Freya…" The Hakamo-o slowly turned his attention to the Flygon who sat beside her. His face and his eyes strongly suggested that he was almost broken. "Please… Tell me that this is just a nightmare… Please…"

"Korben… No…" Freya slowly answered.

"Please… Freya…" Korben continued speaking, and his eyes started to become teary. "Please… Tell me…"

"…"

"Freya?"

Instead of hearing another word from the Flygon, the Hakamo-o found that his body was softly covered in a Flygon's sudden embrace, much to his astonishment.

"Korben…" Freya slowly spoke up again. "Do you… want to let go of your… feeling?"

"Let go… of my feeling?" Korben repeated the words he had just heard. "What do you mean, Freya?"

"You know what I mean, Korben…" Freya answered. "I know what you want to do right now, so… Please… Do it."

"B… But…" Korben tried to say something, but his eyes started to become teary again after hearing the words of the Flygon.

"It's alright… Korben…" Freya continued speaking. "You don't have to think of anything else… Just do whatever you want… And don't be afraid… I am right here with you…"

"F… Freya…" Korben couldn't hold it back anymore, as the first teardrop started dropping from his eyes…

It's a teardrop… of the last survivor of Hidden Village of Dragon…

* * *

While everyone else was talking with others to pass their time, Rachael and Richard moved into the inner part of the hall, at the back of the altar, and saw that the Type: Null was there the whole time since when everyone woke up, and it was gazing at the ancient painting of two dragons that shook their paws with each other.

"… Hey" Richard spoke up, causing the Type: Null to turn its attention to the Latios and the Latias who was standing not too far from it right now.

"…" The Type: Null looked at Rachael and Richard with its gentle eyes.

"Are you alright?" Rachael asked. "I heard Korben's voice when I woke up… Did he… hurt you?"

"…" The Type: Null shook its head.

"Anyway, we am sorry for Korben's action earlier…" Rachael continued speaking.

"…" The Type: Null lowered its head down.

"Wait a minute…" Rachael spoke up again once she realized that there was something wrong with this Pokemon. "Why don't you say anything? Can't you talk?"

"…" The Type: Null nodded its head.

"Oh! No!" Rachael exclaimed. "B… But… Why?"

"…" The Type: Null didn't make any sound or gesture after hearing the Latias's next question

"… I have an answer for you, Rachael, but I am sure that you won't like it." Richard spoke up. He was now holding the yellow file that held the information regarding to 'Experiment Delta'. "First, you remember the purpose of this Pokemon's creation, right?"

"…" Rachael didn't say anything, but she nodded in response to her brother's question.

"That's the answer." Richard continued speaking. "They created this Pokemon for… that, and in order to do so, they need to add as much abilities and skills as possible while they also have to remove anything that's… unnecessary for this Pokemon to carry on its purpose, as well as anything that could lead this Pokemon to rebel against its order."

"So… That's why they made him unable to communicate with other Pokemon…" Rachael said and turned her attention back to the Type: Null. "You poor creature…"

"…" The Type: Null didn't do anything.

"By the way…" Rachael seemed to remember something about this Type: Null. "At least, do you have a name?"

"…" The Type: Null shook its head again.

"The only name they gave to this Pokemon was 'Experiment Delta', as well as the name of its specie, Type: Null." Richard said. "I doubt those corrupted idiots know how to create a decent name to their specimen."

"Then…" Rachael spoke up again to the Type: Null. "Why don't we give you one?"

"!" The Type: Null was surprised after hearing the words of the Latias.

"Great idea." Richard said. "A living creature needs a name in order to fortify their own identity, as well as to separate them from the wild beast. Also, having a name will—"

"Let's see if I can come up with a good name for you…" Rachael ignored her brother and started thinking of a good name for the Type: Null. "Hm… First, if we compare you to an animal, you look a lot like a dog—"

"Rachael…" Richard spoke up. "What's a 'dog' you say? Is there any creature called 'dog' in this world?"

"Oh!" Realizing the mistake she made, Rachael exclaimed. "But still… That's right! I should name you 'Doggy'!"

A moment of silence followed the Latias' words, as both her brother and the Type: Null seemed to be... upset by Rachael's suggestion.

"Rachael…" Richard mumbled. "I… really appreciate your help, but… I think…"

"Oh! That's right!" Rachael said. "I think Doggy is a bit too cliché and common! How about… 'Doggo'? Or maybe—"

"…Can I offer my opinion too, Rachael?" Richard spoke up.

"You?" Rachael said. "You will just either come up with something that we don't understand or put two words together to create a new one."

"Then, let me create this Type: Null's surname instead." Richard said. "After all, everyone else in this room, including both of us, has a surname that consists of two words being put together."

"Fine…" Rachael said and turned his attention to the Type: Null to pet him one more time. "But please create a good one for this cute little guy!"

"Let me see…" Richard mumbled as he opened the Chronicle of Darkside to look for an idea for the Type: Null's surname, which he soon spotted one. "Hm… I think this one is perfect for this Pokemon."

"Which one?" Rachael asked.

"Xenomask." Richard answered.

"Xenomask?" Rachael said.

"It comes from 'Xeno' and 'Mask', which I think that it would suit this Pokemon perfectly." Richard said. "What do you think—"

"It sounds so cool!" Rachael said and turned her attention to the Type: Null. "What do you think of the surname 'Xenomask'? Do you like it?"

"…" The Type: Null answered by nodding its head, as it seemed to really like the surname that Richard suggested!

"Perfect…" Richard said. "Now, the only thing left is this Pokemon's name. Rachael, your turn."

"Just wait a minute, Onii-chan!" Rachael said as she opened her bag and looked for something. She then picked something from her bag. It was a book of fairy tale about the stars…

"Rachael…" Richard said. "That's…"

"Give me a few more minute, Onii-chan!" Rachael said as she flipped through the page of this book to find a good inspiration for a name, and soon, a big smile appeared on her face!

"This one is the best!" Rachael said and turned her attention back to her elder brother. "Onii-chan, how about 'Sirius'?"

"Sirius? The name of the brightest star in the sky of the human world with the measurement using human's sight, not counting the sun, right?" Richard spoke.

"Right!" Rachael said and showed the Latios the book about the star. "This book said that Sirius is the brightest star of the Canis Major Constellation, which is the constellation in the shape of a big puppy!"

"Hm… This is not bad…" Richard commented. "Actually, it sounds quite good, and it fits this Pokemon as good as it sounds."

"Yay!" Rachael said and turned her attention to the Type: Null again. "What do you think of the name 'Sirius'? Do you like this one?"

"…" The Type: Null answered by nodding its head again, indicating that it really liked the name Rachael picked for it!

"YES!" Rachael said, and Richard just slowly nodded in agreement. "Then, from now on, your name is **Sirius Xenomask the Type: Null**!"

"…" The Type: Null lowered its head a bit, as if it was trying to 'record' the new 'identity' of itself, before it raised its head again and looked at both Rachael and Richard with its gentle eyes filled with a feeling of his gratitude to both of them.

"No need to thank us, Sirius." Richard spoke to the Type: Null using the name that he and his sister had just given it. "We were just doing what we should do."

"Right!" Rachael said. "After all, we are all together, so we should help each other out, right, Sirius?"

"…" Sirius gently nodded to the Latios and Latias again.

"…But for now" Richard changed the topic of the conversation. "There's something else that we should pay our attention to. Look there, both of you."

"Hm?" Rachael, as well as Sirius, turned their attention to where the Latios was guiding them, and then both of them realized that…

"Everyone…" Richard spoke up with a loud voice, turning the attention of everyone in the shrine to him. "The seal at the entrance of the shrine has been broken, and we can finally get out of this place, and learn the price of our action we committed."

 **To Be Continued…**

* * *

 **Dragon of Vale: Finally, a new chapter after a hiatus. It was just that a new semester had just started here, so… Here I am…**

 **Alright, the first thing that I want to say here is that, THIS IS THE INTERMISSION, NOT A 'TAIL', despite that the title said 'Freya's tail', because Freya will serve as the main protagonist of the whole intermission, so this can be considered as Freya's 'tail', but not a real 'tail'. Moreover, in this story, 'intermission' is different from 'interlude', so please don't confuse both of them together!**

 **Speak of which, now, Freya has become the main protagonist of this intermission, and this intermission is named 'Arrogance'… After the Dragon Massacre at the end of the sixth tail, things couldn't go worse right after that, right?**

 **Anyway, this intermission will follow the story of the main characters after they wake up from the hypnosis that put them into a sleep for an unknown amount of time to protect themselves from the invaders. So… How much time has passed since the day they all fell asleep? Find out soon!**

 **By the way, there's an important thing that I will announce here. After this intermission ended, the seventh tail will follow, and at the end of every chapter from the first chapter of the seventh tail onward, there will be a Q &A session, where there will be a single question that will be asked to all main characters, and they will give their answer back, so you will learn more about them. The question can be either a simple one, such as 'What's your favorite food', to a serious one, such as 'What is your greatest fear?'. And for you, my lovely reader, you can also participate in this too!**

 **Here's the detail regarding to the Q &A**

 **-You can ask them ANY question, but please don't use 'bad' words, and my characters will answer your question. (But I won't confirm that someone like Baromyteus wouldn't kill you if you ask them some of 'that' questions.) If the question has already been asked or it will be a spoiler to the story, that question will be skipped.**

 **-You can choose to either ask a question to 'all' main character or an individual question for just some certain character(s). Don't forget to tell which question is for who. (Such as 'Everyone: What's your favorite move?' or 'Zetarus: Are you gay?')**

 **-For all questions, the characters available for Q &A right now are Korben, Claura, Xavier, Anastasia, Baromyteus, Diego, Zetarus, Rachael, Richard, Freya, Snow and Sirius. (This can be changed later in the story.)**

 **-You can ask the question in the name of yourself or your OCs.**

 **-You can ask them by giving the question(s) to me via either comment or PM.**

 **-You can send me the question right after this chapter was published, and the first Q &A session will be in the first chapter of the seventh tail.**

 **-Your question will be answered in the latter chapter, in the order of when I receive the question. If I don't have any more question or don't receive any new question when the new chapter comes out, I will ask them my question instead.**

 **\- This Q &A session will remain open until the last chapter of this story.**

 **-You can check my profile for all of the detail about the Q &A session again, as well as for the latest detail too.**

 **All of them are really excited to answer your question! (Well… Not really all of them, but… Whatever…) So, I hope that you all will ask a lot of questions! And… See you in the next chapter!**


	64. Intermission I-2: AndThenThereWereNone

**A Dragon's Tail**

 **Intermission I: Freya's Tail - Arrogance**

 **Intermission I-2: And Then There Were None**

A group of twelve Pokemon, which consisted of a Hakamo-o, a Kingdra, a Dragonite, a Goodra, a Shiny Haxorus, a Mega Charizard X, a Garchomp, a Latias, a Latios, a Flygon, a Draconic Lapras, and a Type: Null, stood in front of the shrine that they were taking a refuge during the whole time after the event of Dragon Massacre, and all of them were gazing at the landscape that was unfolding before their eyes. While all of them had experienced the cruel and tragic event of Dragon Massacre, especially half of them were even there during the final and the cruelest moment of the massacre, and all of them were able to grasp what would happen to the whole Hidden Village of Dragon after that event, they all were still in the state of shock and denial once the truth had been shown in front of their eyes.

"What kind of… madness is this?" One of them spoke up.

"…The madness… Within the heart of living creature." Another of them answered.

Hidden Village of Dragon, a place that was once a peaceful settlement hidden in the inaccessible valley named Valley of No Return, and it once served as a home to many Dragon type Pokemon who lived together in harmony, was completely fallen into the grasp of destruction.

"…"

As they looked up above, they could see the sky being dyed red, as if the blood that spilled during the battle had splashed into the sky and painted them crimson. As far as they looked, they could still see the opening on the roof that covered the entire Valley of No Return. As they looked through the roof, they could see that the mist that always veiled over the opening had completely disappeared, leaving the opening clear for them to see the sky above. However, their view was obstructed by something that looked like a blurred glass. Nevertheless, it wasn't a real glass. It was the barrier that covered the entire Valley of No Return, which was still existed and will continue existing for a few hours…

"…"

Twelve dragons slowly walked from the shrine that they were hiding to the village that were located north of the shrine. As they continued walking, the image of the village in ruin gradually moved closer to them, indicating that what was happening wasn't either a dream or a nightmare, but it was a truth…

"…

At last, twelve Pokemon had arrived at the place that was once the Hidden Village of Dragon, with was now no more than a ruin. The once-glorious buildings and houses were destroyed, leaving them in the state of ruins. The once-blooming flowers and trees withered, as they were already in the possession of the death. Moreover, the street of the village that was once full with many Dragon type Pokemon that lived here was now full with the corpses of the very same dragons who once walked on this street when they were alive. Their bodies were pierced, cut, burnt and frozen, marking the fate of the brave warriors that all perished honorably in the battle. The red liquid that once flown through their body ran down from their body upon the land, painted the land crimson, and some even was splashed on the wall of these ruins buildings, marking that the grim reaper had already visited this place that took almost everyone who were living here with them to the afterlife.

"…"

Twelve dragons slowly walked on the dying street of the place that once known as Hidden Village of Dragon, like the survivors of the war that emerged out after the battle was already over, leaving the victory in their grasp. However, none of them felt like they were the winners. In fact, all of them felt like they were… the losers. Their heart wasn't filled with joy and happiness, but was filled with sorrow and agony. While their body still functioned as it was commanded, the souls inside those bodies was being crushed, as if all of them were dying inside after the heart-aching sight unfolded in front of their eyes.

"…"

As they reached the place that was once the center square of the village, everyone decided to split up to check the condition of the village, despite all of them already knew that this was pointless…

So, why did they have to do this?

It's because they had to suppress the little hope they all have left in their hearts.

* * *

"…" Rachael was looking at the large field that was once the agricultural field, where everyone in the Hidden Village of Dragon planted their crop for eating, and it was the place where Rachael was working during her one-week stay in the village. She could remember the sweat and laughter from the labor in the field. While her body was tired, her mind was full with spirit and happiness while working here. However, right now, while her body wasn't tired at all, she felt like her mind and spirit spoke otherwise…

"Everyone…" Rachael mumbled as she slowly moved around the agricultural field, looking at the berry trees that were planted here. Normally, the first moment that Rachael stepped into this field, all she could see was the berry trees being planted everywhere in the field, making the whole field look like a tiny forest. The gentle morning breeze made the trees sway left and right, as if they were dancing to greet the Latias who came to visit them. The morning dewdrop that was left on the leaves and the ripped berries sparkled as Rachael moved along the field. It was a breathtaking sight to see that always warmed the heart of the Latias. But now, those sights could never be found here anymore, as they were replaced with a barren wasteland full with dying trees and withered flower. Some were trampled down, and some were burnt down into nothing but a pile of ash. She could see many corpses of Dragon type Pokemon scattering around the field, and their blood dyed the field crimson.

For some reason, while Rachael really wanted to cry, she couldn't. The feeling that lingered in her heart right now wasn't the feeling of sadness and grief, but it was a feeling of desolation and miserable. The closest feeling that she ever had the feeling she had right now was the feeling she had on the night before she departed from Principality of Leafburg, along with two other Pokemon.

"… Is it… true?" Rachael mumbled to herself. "Is it true that the madness has already consumed the world?"

 _'Rachael…'_ Ilia's voice echoed through the mind of the Latias.

"I… I am confused…" Rachael continued speaking. "I… I thought that Onii-chan and I finally found a place where both of us could call home… But…"

 _'…'_ Ilia said nothing as she was listening to the Latias.

"At first, Onii-chan and I… Back when we were in the world of human, there's no place for us that we could call home…" Rachael continued speaking. "When we came to this world, I finally found the first place I could call home, which was the Paradise Farm, where mother and I were living… But in the end… Madness had consumed my mother's life, and I have to leave. This led me to reunite with Onii-chan, but we have to continue travelling… And at last, we have found this place, which was the second place where I could call home… But… But…"

 _'Rachael…'_ Ilia spoke with a gentle voice.

"Why? Why can't we find a place that we could call home?" Rachael continued speaking. "Why? I… I don't understand… Maybe… Maybe there's no place for Onii-chan and I… Maybe both of us have to continue wandering around the world for eternity, with no place to call home…"

 _'Rachael, don't say such a thing like that…'_ Ilia spoke up. _'If you say something like this, it would mean that you have lost all hope and dream that you have.'_

"…" Rachael said nothing after hearing the words of the Mega Latias.

 _'Rachael… You can shed tears as much as you like…'_ Ilia continued speaking. _'But after the last drop of your tear dried up, you have to keep moving. You still have a future, a future that you and your friends can shape by your own hands.'_

"…Ilia…" Rachael mumbled, and several teardrop started flowing out of her eyes. However, she didn't waste away those teardrops. Instead, she slowly moved toward a withered flower closest to her and let her teardrop pour on the flower, giving it a bit of life that was lost in the massacre, as well as to the Latias herself too.

'… _I am sorry, Rachael.'_ Ilia spoke to herself as she observed the Latias quietly crying. _'I can't undone the mistake I did in the past, but I can and I will protect you… I promise…'_

* * *

Richard was standing alone at the place that was once the center square of Hidden Village of Dragon, as everyone else had already split up to look around the village. For the Latios, on the other hand, he could barely stand the sight of several corpses being scattered everywhere around the village, including around the place he was right now. This very sight almost made him faint, as this is the first time that he had experienced such a significant bloodshed like this.

"What… is this?" Richard tried to look away from the sight of corpses around him. However, he couldn't because the corpses would still exist every time he turned his head away from one direction to others.

"Why… Why did all of this happen?" Richard lowered his head down and mumbled to himself. "How could this be… I… I don't…"

 _'Richard, what's wrong?'_ Holmer spoke up using telepathy. _'You didn't normally act like this, and a while earlier… While I was in the shrine…'_

"I… I never thought that it would be this bad!" Richard answered with a panicked voice, completely losing his usual cool demeanor and returning to his true self. "I… I never think at all that we would be in a situation like this! I… I thought that I have finally found a place where Rachael and I could live together in peace and harmony! I thought that we finally found a place to call home… B… But now…"

 _'…'_ Holmer said nothing after hearing the words of the Latios.

"I… I once promised Rachael that we would find a place to call home together… And I did tell her that this place is that place…" Richard continued speaking. "But now… I… I can't fulfilled her promise… And I… I don't know what to do… What should I do? I don't know anymore!"

 _'… In a time like this, there's only two things that you can do.'_ Holmer spoke up. _'You can choose to run away from everything, or you must turn back and stand up against those who made you and your sister suffer!'_

"… I can't…" Richard slowly spoke up. "I can't stand up against them… I… I never wish to do this… So I think I should—"

 _'No!'_ Holmer scolded. _'You have already come too far to run away, Richard! The only real choice you are having right now is to fight!'_

"I… I can't!" Richard said. "I… I lack two important qualities that a warrior must have, power and courage! I am too weak! I… I can't even wield a weapon like everyone else! A… And I'm also a coward… I… I am afraid of this…"

 _'Don't be such a stupid in a time like this!'_ Holmer said. _'It may be true that you don't possess the power and courage like everyone else, but you possess wisdom! Did you already forget that wisdom is power? Wisdom and knowledge can be your weapon, even if you don't have anything else to protect yourself.'_

"But…" Richard said. "Would it be… enough?"

 _'Enough or not doesn't matter.'_ Holmer said. _'You can run away all you like, but one day, you will meet a dead end, where the only way out is to turn back and fight. You can fight right now, or you can wait until you hit the wall. Your choice, and I am sure that you are smart enough to figure out which one is better.'_

"…" Richard said nothing for a while before he spoke up again. "… Thanks, Holmer."

 _'Finally…'_ Holmer mumbled. _'You are finally able to grasp my name…'_

"Now, I need to find Rachael." Richard said. "I shouldn't leave her alone in the first place. Rachael, I'm coming!"

After finished speaking, Richard started moving in the direction where the agricultural field was, and Holmer ended his communication with the Latios for now. However, he also kept his last sentence to himself.

 _'… All of this was my fault…'_ Holmer mumbled to himself alone. _'… But I will never say the word sorry. Instead, I will use my power and wisdom to do anything to assist and guide you, Richard.'_

* * *

"…"

Claura was gazing at the river in front of her, which was the river that surrounded the Hidden Village of Dragon, as well as the place where the battle to defend the east side of the village took place during the Dragon Massacre. Claura was among the dragons who joined these battles too, but in the end, the defend line was overcome by the enemy, forcing everyone to retreat to the center square of the village, and the rest of the story was history…

"… What do you think about it?"

"Hm?" Claura turned her attention to someone who had just appeared and was now standing beside her. This Pokemon was the Draconic Lapras, Snow.

"Snow?" Claura said the name of the Draconic Lapras, who was the Pokemon that she didn't get any chance to speak with very often. "What do you mean by that?"

"… While being a proud Dragon type Pokemon, you are also a Water type Pokemon, right?" Snow continued speaking. "So, you could feel them, right?"

"… Aren't you a Water type Pokemon too, Snow?" Claura asked.

"…" Instead of answering the question of the Kingdra, the Draconic Lapras just spaced out at the river in front of them. "While I couldn't remember much about my past, I could still remember the sound and feeling of water that echoed in my ears… But now…"

"Hm?" Claura looked at the Draconic Lapras. "Don't tell me that you can't hear the sound of the wave anymore?"

"… With this, I could only think of one reasonable explanation." Snow continued speaking. "… It means that I am no more a Water type Pokemon."

"…" Claura continued looking at Snow. True, Snow didn't look like a normal Lapras, not even a bit, because of his Draconic appearance. This, however, gave Claura an idea that…

"You are now a Dragon type Pokemon." Claura said.

"Hm?" Snow turned his attention to the Kingdra.

"Your Water type was replaced by a Dragon type." Claura continued speaking. "I don't think that your Ice type was distorted too, so, right now, I am sure that you are an Ice and Dragon type Pokemon."

"... I don't mean to doubt you, dame Claura." Snow spoke up. "But… Is something like this even possible?"

"I know. I was shocked too after I learned about this." Claura said. "But my grandparents once told me about this."

"Your grandparents?" Snow repeated the words of the Kingdra.

"Right. They told me that they knew someone who faced the same fate as you, Snow. That Pokemon was once a Psychic and Flying type Pokemon, but she was turned into a Dragon and Flying type Pokemon instead." Claura answered. "I don't know what's the cause of that Pokemon's type changing, but in your case…"

"… It has something to do with this…" Snow said as she slowly looked at his own scaled body. "… Isn't it?"

"…" Claura said nothing as she shifted her attention from the Draconic Lapras back to the river in front of her. She then tried to let go of her feeling to the stream of water in front of her, as if she wanted the river to wash away her lingering feeling in her mind. However, that's impossible, not because the river itself was unable to wash away the feeling, but because the river was contaminated too much by the madness and blood of the Dragon Massacre… Which meant that the river was no longer clear, just like before…

But now…

The entire river was as red as blood… Or it could be said that… The river itself was turned into the river of blood….

* * *

"…"

Meanwhile, near the entrance of the village, a Dragon type Pokemon was standing there alone. This Pokemon was also one of twelve Pokemon who survived the Dragon Massacre. Right now, he was gazing from his standing point to the Valley of No Return in front of him without saying anything.

And then…

"Hm? What a strange sight…"

"?" The Pokemon who was gazing at the Valley of No Return turned his attention back and saw another Pokemon there, who was also the Pokemon that survived the Dragon Massacre along with him.

"This is the first time I see you without that Garchomp, Diego." Xavier said as he slowly walked up to the Mega Charizard X. "You two normally stay together, just like those Lati siblings."

"Tsk… Such an eccentric creature…" Diego grumbled. "I don't know if you are being stupid or impertinent for saying those words at a time like this."

"…" As if knowing, Xavier didn't say anything as Diego paused his words for a moment before he resumed his talk.

"… Moreover…" Diego continued speaking. "I think it's best to leave Zetarus in his thought in a time like this."

"…" Xavier still said nothing after hearing the words of the Mega Charizard X.

"During the battle, the enemy general from Dustorm Empire said something about Zetarus' past." Diego said and looked at his body. From the faint like that shone from the sky above, the orange tattoos on his body were visible. "And… If my guess is right, then it seems like the reason behind Zetarus' cruel past will be similar to mine."

"Predictable." Xavier spoke up again. "After all, you and Zetarus are like the mirrored version of each other, because both of you are similar but not completely same to each other. You two also act like you were soul mates or something like that."

"… If I'm in the normal situation, your head would roll on the ground after you split those words out from your mouth." Diego said as he turned his attention from Xavier to the Valley of No Return in front of him.

"…Why are you gazing at the Valley of No Return?" Xavier asked.

"… That black dragon… Baromyteus… He went into this place a while ago. He said that he will go to retrieve the corpses of dragons that died during the battle there, including the corpses of Dimitri and—"

"?" Xavier looked at Diego as he noticed that the Mega Charizard X suddenly stopped speaking at this past, and judged by the former words of his sentence, Xavier could conclude that…

"… Hey, Diego." Xavier spoke up, making the Mega Charizard X turn his attention back to him again. "Why don't you go and find Zetarus?"

"I told you that it would be best if I left Zetarus alone with his thought right now." Diego said.

"Didn't you say that Zetarus' in his tough spot right now?" Xavier continued speaking. "And aren't you the one who say that Zetarus' past is similar to yours? If you have already encountered that tough spot that Zetarus' facing right now, you should know how it feel."

"…" Diego said nothing after hearing the words of the Dragonite.

"Moreover…" Xavier said as he turned his back to Diego and the Valley of No Return in front of him. "Aren't you his boyfriend? Shouldn't you go to comfort your lover right now? Isn't that what a good boyfriend would do?"

"You bastard…" Diego grumbled as he clenched his fist together after hearing the words of the Dragonite, but he didn't move from the spot he was standing right now or attacked the Dragonite. "If you still value your life, do not speak sxxt to me AGAIN!"

"Well… Sorry to disappoint you that I am someone who don't really value his life that much." Xavier said.

"Hm! Fine!" Diego said as he decided to start walking from the entrance of the ruined village into the ruined village itself. "With that dumb brain, Zetarus should still be in the area of the village, so all I need to do is find him."

"Hm?" Xavier looked at the Mega Charizard X again. "You also know where Zetarus would be in the time like this? You are really his b—"

The word of the Dragonite was cut off when a sharp blade of a Naginata was pointed at his neck, making the Dragonite immediately stop speaking.

"Hm!" Diego withdrew his Silver Naginata from Xavier's neck before he continued walking into the deeper area of the ruined Hidden Village of Dragon without saying anything else to the Dragonite.

"… I know that you will thank me later for this, Diego." After seeing that the Mega Charizard X had already gone far that he was out of his hearing range, the Dragonite spoke up again. "In the time like this, as much as Zetarus needs your support, you also need Zetarus' support too, just like how Claura and I need each other's support, even back when we were children…"

* * *

"…"

Like Claura and Snow who were at the east river of Hidden Village of Dragon, there was also someone at the west river of the very same village too. Like Claura, this Pokemon was also having something on his mind. However, the thing he was having in his mind right now wasn't about the current condition of Hidden Village of Dragon, but to the minor event that occurred during the Dragon Massacre, which greatly impacted his mind.

"…" Zetarus stared at the river in front of him, which was blood crimson, just like the east river where Claura and Snow were. He then shifted his attention to the other side of the river, which was the place where the Fireview Army and the Dustorm Army fought against him, Diego and their fallen comrades during the Dragon Massacre…

"…Your heart… is trembling."

"?" A voice suddenly echoed from somewhere behind where the Garchomp was standing. Zetarus slowly turned his attention back and saw another Pokemon there. This Pokemon, like Snow who approached Claura, was also one of twelve Pokemon that survived the Dragon Massacre.

"…You." Zetarus said as he realized that the Pokemon who spoke up earlier was… a female Goodra. "… What are you doing here?"

"… I was walking around this… place when I saw you here alone." Anastasia answered with a soft and gentle voice.

"And where's that… brother of yours?" Zetarus continued asking. "He always stays by your side, and he always glared at me or other male Pokemon who tries to approach you."

"I… I am sorry for my brother's action." Anastasia said. "We were separated at birth, so when we were finally reunited, he became a bit too… overprotective to me."

"Separated by birth?" Zetarus repeated Anastasia's words that caught his attention.

"Right…" Anastasia said as she slowly walked toward the west river. "When he was born, they said that my brother was a bad omen that will bring upon the destruction, so, as a mean to protect our hometown, he was exiled from the place where we were born since when he was just an infant, where he was forced to live alone."

"…" Normally, Zetarus would turn away from a long story, but this time, the Garchomp carefully listened to the Goodra's story.

"Several years later, I was born." Anastasia continued her story. "However, just like my brother, I was forced to leave my home at a very young age too."

"You were exiled too?" Zetarus asked.

"No." Anastasia shook her head. "There was an incident occurred in my hometown. And in order to protect me, my father…"

"…" Zetarus turned his face away from the Goodra as she mentioned the action that her father did to save his child, which contrast to the action his father did to him…

"Oh!" Realizing the effect that her words had to the Garchomp, Anastasia quickly apologized. "I… I'm sorry! I didn't mean to hurt your feeling!"

"It's fine." Zetarus answered. "My heart is already dead in the day I was born. The reason I am still alive here is because I have to kill that person. No matter how much pain I get, I will never die unless I am able to kill that bastard."

"…I'm sorry." Anastasia said and lowered her head down.

"For what?" Zetarus asked.

"..." Instead of answering the Garchomp's question, Anastasia just stared at the river in front of her with a gloomy face full with melancholy.

And then…

"Zetarus!"

Another voice called the name of the Garchomp, which made both Zetarus and Anastasia turn their attention back to the path that would lead them to the center square of the village, where they saw another Pokemon approaching them.

"Diego?" Zetarus said the name of the Mega Charizard X that was approaching him.

"What are you doing here?" Diego asked. "And what's that gloomy look on your face? Don't tell me that you are thinking of 'that' again?!"

"..." Zetarus said nothing and turned his face away.

"Sigh… You're hopeless." Diego said. "Come on, Zetarus. We have something to do."

"What?" Not only the Garchomp, but the Goodra also turned her attention to the Mega Charizard X after hearing his words.

"Anastasia, your brother is heading into Valley of No Return to retrieve the corpses of those who fell in this battle." Diego said. "And so, I think that, at least, we should give a proper burial to everyone."

"That's… a great idea." Anastasia said. "How considerate!"

"… Since when did you get such an idea like this in your head?" Zetarus said. "I thought that a gladiator like you only live to kill…"

"Would you stop your fxxxxxg blabbering already?!" Diego said impatiently.

"Fine…" Zetarus said. "But only two of us and Baromyteus wouldn't do anything good with so many corpses here…"

"I will help too." Anastasia said. "And I will ask others to help too. I am sure that Claura, Xavier and Snow will be happy to help."

"… Convincing Rachael and Richard is more tricky, as both of them are prone to faint upon making contact with the dead body." Diego said.

"And for Freya and Korben… Considered that Hakamo-o's current state, I think it would be best to leave him out of this." Zetarus said. "And for Freya… I think it would be best if we leave her with Korben, as she seems to be the closest to that Hakamo-o among us."

"Then, let's go." Anastasia said. "Let's tell everyone about this, so that we all would prepare the final requiem for the brave souls of dragon…"

* * *

Far from the ruined Hidden Village of Dragon, in the area known by the outsiders as the inaccessible valley, but its real name was Valley of No Return, there was a small plain that seemed to be the area of no importance, but this place was actually the place where two important events occurred in the past. The first event was the moment when eight Pokemon from the outside world met up with five Pokemon from Hidden Village of Dragon, and the second event was a decisive battle against the corrupted justice…

While the corrupted justice was eventually defeated in the battle, the whole battle was not without a price, and the price was not even worth the whole battle…

"…"

Baromyteus stood in the middle of the plain alone. He slowly looked around the plain, which was the battlefield between him and the corrupted justice earlier. In his feeling, the battle was just about several hours ago, but in the real time, how much time has passed since the end of the battle? He didn't know. However, there's one thing that he knew. It's the reason why he came back to this place alone.

"…You bastard."

Baromyteus looked at the two corpses in front of him. One of them was a Haxorus like him while the other one was his pre-evolved form, a Fraxure. However, evolution chain wasn't the only thing that Baromyteus had with both deceased Pokemon.

He also shared the surname of 'Drawyvern' with them too…

"Why… Why did both of you let yourself get killed like this?" Baromyteus mumbled as he lowered his head down. "Damos… You were such a great leader and warrior when the crisis is right before our eyes… And Dimitri… You always escape the death from me… Why didn't both of you survive until the end! You bastards!" RRRRRAAAAAWWWWRRRR!"

The roar of the demonic Haxorus echoed throughout the whole Valley of No Return, as if the one who let it out wants it to signify his feeling of grief and melancholy he was having right now.

"…Tsk." Even after letting out the roar, Baromyteus still didn't feel any better, so he slowly walked up toward both corpses before he gently picked both of them up. The red blood that spilled from both corpses wasn't dried up yet, so Baromyteus' demonic armor was painted crimson with Damos and Dimitri's blood as he picked them up.

But then…

"…!"

Baromyteus suddenly sensed the presence of another living creature behind him, so he quickly turned back to face it, before he found that the creature that appeared out of nowhere and was now standing behind him right now was no other than…

"…" Behind the Shiny Haxorus, a Type: Null was standing there, looking at Baromyteus in front of it with an unnoticeable expression on its face due to being concealed behind its mask.

"… Why are you here?" Baromyteus spoke up with a cold voice to the Type: Null.

"…" Sirius said nothing to the Shiny Haxorus.

"… To tell the truth, you are either very brave or very stupid for following me here." Baromyteus continued speaking. "From what I have heard, you are the creature that massacred many dragons near the entrance of the village, as well as the beast that killed Elder Baldr in front of everyone and rendered their will to fight disappear, causing us to lose the battle. And so… I considered you… my enemy."

"…" Sirius still said nothing as Baromyteus slowly walked toward it. The Shiny Haxorus was also holding the corpses of Damos and Dimitri with his arms too.

"But that was in the past…" Baromyteus continued speaking as he walked passed the Type: Null. "I heard from others that you were the one who brought that brat to safety. During that scene, the only Pokemon with you were Rachael, Richard, Snow, Freya and that brat that was unconscious. The power of all of them combined couldn't be compared to the beast that had slain a group of the most powerful dragons of Hidden Village of Dragon… So… If you are still our enemy, Rachael, Richard, Snow, Freya and that brat would be dead by now."

"!" Sirius looked at Baromyteus as he walked passed it with an unexpected expression on its face, as if it couldn't believe in what it had just heard.

"… But don't you dare to think of yourself ahead, beast." Baromyteus continued speaking without looking back to the Type: Null. "No good deed could be used to wash away the crime that one has committed, so no matter how much you atone for your sin, your sin will never go away and it will be branded onto your body for the rest of your life. And remember this, I still do not trust you, as well as everyone else among us that aren't that Latios and Latias. If you dare to betray us, your fate will be worse than the fate of Hidden Village of Dragon right now."

After finished speaking, Baromyteus continued walking toward the direction of Hidden Village of Dragon without saying anything or looking at Sirius again.

"…" Sirius looked at Baromyteus silently as the Shiny Haxorus was walking toward the direction of Hidden Village of Dragon, before it started following the Shiny Haxorus back to the village…

* * *

Meanwhile, in front of the ruin of a building that was once belonged to Elder Baldr, the elder of Hidden Village of Dragon, two Pokemon were standing there, looking that the place that they were staying until today, when the cruel battle broke out and turned their 'home' into no more than a pile of rubble.

"… Korben…" One of two Pokemon said as she looked at another Pokemon who stood beside her, who had been saying nothing since when they stepped into the area of the village, and after everyone split up, this Pokemon quietly walked toward the place that he once lived with his grandfather. And now, he was gazing at the ruin in front of him silently for several minutes without saying anything.

"…This is… not a dream." Korben slowly spoke up. "Everyone… is gone…"

"…" The Pokemon who stood beside the Hakamo-o silently looked at the Hakamo-o.

"Everyone… is gone…" Korben continued speaking. "And now… I am alone… I am the only one left…"

"…No." The Pokemon who stood beside the Hakamo-o spoke up. "You are wrong."

"Freya…" Korben turned his attention from the crumbling building in front of him to the Flygon who stood beside him.

"You are not alone, Korben." Freya continued speaking. "You still have us with you. We all are here with you, and all of us are ready to support you."

"… That won't work." Korben turned his attention away from the Flygon as he spoke again. "You all are the outsiders from the world outside this valley. You are not one of us… I… I can't trouble you all any further…"

"… It's true that we all aren't one of your kind…" Freya continued speaking. "But… Korben… You are one of us…"

"One… of us?" The Hakamo-o turned his attention back to the Flygon again.

"Right now, we all are facing the same crisis, and all of us had survived it together…" Freya continued speaking. "In the time of crisis, if we rely only on ourselves alone, we may not survive, but if we work together, I am sure that we will overcome it together…"

"Freya…" Korben mumbled, and then he turned his attention back to the crumbling building in front of him. The Hakamo-o then slowly approached the ruin and kneeled down before he started digging through the pile of rubble using his paw, as if he was trying to find something.

"!" Knowing what the Hakamo-o was trying to do, Freya approached the ruined building and stopped beside the Hakamo-on, and then she kneeled down and started digging too!

"Freya…" Korben paused digging for a moment as he saw that the Flygon was doing the same thing that he was doing right now, and then a faint smile appeared on his face before he resumed what he was doing.

And then…

"Crackcrick…"

"Cruckcruck…"

"Hm?"

Korben and Freya suddenly heard the sound from somewhere beside them. Both of them then looked beside them and realized that two more Pokemon had shown up, and both of them were now digging into the crumbled building too!

"Geez… What do you think both of you are doing?" The Pokemon who was digging at the left of Korben said. "This work is too much for both of you to do!"

"Diego is right." Another Pokemon who was digging at the right of Freya said. "If you want to do this, why don't you just call us first?"

"Zetarus! Diego!" Freya said the name of both Pokemon who had just joined them. "Y… You would help us?!"

"Can't you see what we are doing right now?" Diego said as he threw a small rubble out of his way.

"Now just leave this to me!" Zetarus said as he stopped digging and stood up. "DI— Ouch!"

Before the Garchomp could use the move Dig, a small rubble suddenly hit his head. However, it wasn't the rubble that fell from the crumbled building, but it was the rubble that was thrown by someone else.

"You idiot…" Another Pokemon spoke up, making Zetarus, Diego, Korben and Freya turn their attention to him and found that he was none other than Richard, and beside the Latios stood his younger sister, Rachael. "Don't tell me that someone have ripped your brain out and stuffed those rubbles into your head instead…"

"Hey!" Zetarus said with an impatient voice, but he didn't seem to be angry with the Latios. "What was that for?!"

"Don't you remember what we are doing?" Richard said. "If you use the move Dig, the ruin may crumble more than this, and everything that we are doing will be in vain."

"Onii-chan is right." Rachael spoke up. "Zetarus, can you be more gentle than this?"

"Geez…" Zetarus crossed his arms. "You said that 'we' are doing, but I don't see both of you do anything to help—"

"Zetarus, watch out!"

"Wha— Ah!" Zetarus turned his attention back to the crumbled building that he and others were digging into after hearing the voice of the Mega Charizard X before he saw a huge rubble flying toward him! Luckily, the Garchomp was fast enough to dodge the rubble!

"What was that?!" Zetarus looked at the huge rubble that almost hit him, which was now crashed into the group, but while it was flying, Zetarus could notice a glowing blue aura that surrounded the rubble, indicating that…

"Richard!" Zetarus said and turned his attention back to the Latios again after he realized what was happening.

"Don't blame me." Richard said as he used his psychic power to move a rubble out of the way. "You were agitating me, causing me to lost my concentration on my psychic power, so you can't blame me for this."

"Geez… Again with those hard words…" Zetarus mumbled as he crossed his arms.

"Zetarus! Stop lazing around!" The voice of Diego scolding echoed into the ears of the Garchomp. "Now get your axs moving and help us here!"

"Don't order me around, Diego!" Zetarus said, but he still walked back to the crumbled building and continued digging too.

"Everyone…" Korben mumbled as he looked at everything that was happening. "Why do they…"

"It's because we are together, Korben." Before the Hakamo-o could say the whole question, Freya answered. "We all know what you are doing, and all of us are willing to help you with this."

"T… That's not what I want to ask…" Korben said. "I just don't understand… After everything that happened, how could everyone still smile and joke around like this? I don't understand…"

"I don't know what everyone is thinking, so I can't say for sure about what they have in their mind right now…" Freya answered as she continued digging. "But I am sure that everyone is as heartbroken as you right now, Korben."

"They… did?" Korben said.

"Hm." Freya nodded to the Hakamo-o. "Like you, everyone is sad for everything that happened, as all of us share the same sorrow. This is all I can say. If you want to know everyone's feeling right now, why don't you ask them individually?"

"Then… I want to hear from you, Freya." Korben said. "After everything that has happened, how can you still keep smiling?"

"It's because I don't want everyone to be sad, especially you, Korben." Freya answered. "You have endured such a painful ordeal much enough. I don't want you to indulge yourself any further into this sorrow. That's why I am trying to cheer you up."

"Freya…" Korben said after hearing the answer of the Flygon. However, before he could say anything more, a voice of the Garchomp caught his attention.

"Hey! I think we finally found that!" Diego said and pointed at the hole that was caused by removing the rubbles out of the way, which led into the area under the crumbled building. This hole, however, was quite small, too small for the Mega Charizard X to enter. "But I am too big to enter this hole."

"It's because you are too fate, Diego." Zetarus said.

"I… I AM NOT FAT YOU BASTARD!" Diego roared at the Garchomp.

"But this hole is, as Diego said, quite small." Richard spoke up. "I don't think I can enter this hole too. Rachael, can you?"

"No!" Rachael said. "T… That hole is so dark and scary, and inside that hole…"

"… Don't worry about it, everyone." Korben spoke up. "I will enter this hole by myself and brings him out. After all, this is what I should do."

After finished speaking, Korben walked toward the hole and slowly crawling into it. While the hole was small, it was still big enough for a Hakamo-o to enter without much problem.

Several minutes later, the Hakamo-o emerged from the hole back to the ground again. This time, however, he was carrying something with him too. It was…

"Oh..." Freya said after she realized what the thing that Korben was carrying was. It was a corpse of a Drampa, which was none other than Elder Baldr, the elder of Hidden Village of Dragon, as well as Korben's grandfather. "Korben…"

"… Grandfather…" Korben said as he gently placed the corpse of the Drampa on the ground. "Please forgive me for not being able to protect you… Please forgive me for not being strong enough…"

"…" Rachael, Richard, Zetarus, Diego and Freya said nothing as they looked at the dead Drampa in front of them and let the silence conquer the area around here, as if they all were mourning for him. This continued for a few minutes until a sound of footstep broke this silence.

"Hm?" Rachael, Richard, Zetarus, Diego, Freya and Korben heard the sound of footstep from somewhere south of where they were right now, followed by the appearance of four more Pokemon. They were a group that consisted of a Kingdra, a Dragonite, a Goodra and a Draconic Lapras.

"How is the thing here?" Claura asked as she appeared.

"We have just retrieved the corpse of Elder Baldr." Richard answered. "And I believe that this is the last corpse."

"Not the last one, Richard." Xavier spoke up. "There are two more corpses that we haven't retrieved yet.

"Wait…" Korben spoke up. "What are you guys talking about?"

"Well… We are gathering the corpses of everyone here…" Anastasia answered. "We have retrieved the corpses of everyone and brought them to the open area between the village and the shrine, and then we plan to give them a proper funeral."

"I… see…" Korben said. "That's… very nice of you."

"Right." Snow said. "Everyone had already fought hard and long to protect what they hold dear, so the least we could do for them is to give them a proper repose."

"And now…." Claura spoke up. "We have already finished retrieving the corpses of everyone in this village, except for three corpses. One of them is the corpse of Elder Baldr here."

"And who are other two?" Korben asked.

"They are—" Xavier was about to answer the question of the Hakamo-o when everyone heard the sound of another footstep from north of where they were right now. And as they all turned their attention to the source of the sound of footstep, they all two more Pokemon walks up to where they were. One of them was carrying two lifeless bodies of a Haxorus and a Fraxure. As they walked closer, Korben immediately recognized that the Pokemon who was carrying both corpses was none other than Baromyteus, and both corpses that Baromyteus was carrying were…

"Dimitri! Uncle Damos!" Korben cried as he saw the corpses of his best friend and his best friend's father.

"…" Baromyteus said nothing as he placed the corpses of Damos and Dimitri on the ground at the spot beside where the corpse of Elder Baldr was, letting the Hakamo-o to kneel down in front of them and.

"I… I don't understand…" Korben slowly spoke up. "Dimitri… Uncle Damos… Both of you are much stronger than me, and yet… Why? Why did both of you have to die?! WHY?!"

"…" Baromyteus said nothing as he lowered his head down. Unbeknownst to everyone else except for his sister, his mind was also greatly troubled by the picture in front of him, as he was the one who's responsible for their death…

"…" While Korben was crying in front of the corpses of Damos and Dimitri, Rachael and Richard noticed the presence of the other Pokemon who was following Baromyteus, which was none other than Sirius. However, considered the current situation, Richard signaled the Type: Null to hide behind him and his sister in order not to let Korben noticed its presence.

After several minutes of mourning to his best friend and his best friend's father, Korben stood up and spoke up. "Everyone… Let's go. I… I want to give grandfather, Dimitri and everyone a rest…"

After finished speaking, Korben picked the corpse of his grandfather up and turned his attention to Claura and Xavier. He then gave them a small nod as a sign that he was ready. Xavier and Claura then nodded back to the Hakamo-o before they started walking to the south of where they were right now, and then Snow and Anastasia followed both of them. Korben, with the corpse of Elder Baldr in his arms, slowly followed too, with Freya by his side.

"…" Seeing that everyone was heading south, Baromyteus got himself ready to move by picking the corpse of Dimitri up. He then was about to pick the corpse of Damos up too when someone else spoke up.

"… Let me do this part, Baromyteus." Diego spoke up. He was now standing right next to the corpse of Damos.

"…" Baromyteus said nothing and nodded to the Mega Charizard X before started walking to the south of where they were, indicating that…

"… Thanks." Diego said and picked the corpse of Damos up, and then he, along with Zetarus by his side, followed the Shiny Haxorus.

After seeing that everyone had already left, Rachael and Richard looked at Sirius who was hiding behind them. Both Latios and Latias then nodded at him, before all three Pokemon started walking to the south too.

* * *

 **A Few Minutes Later…**

In the small area located between the residential area of Hidden Village of Dragon and the shrine, twelve dragons were gathered here. Other than them, there are several more dragons here too, in the form of lifeless corpses…

"… There."

Baromyteus placed the corpse of Dimitri down on the ground beside the corpses of three other Pokemon, who were an Altaria, a Deino and a Noibat. Among all of them, the corpse of the Altaria and the Deino suggested that they were killed by some sort of sharp weapon while the corpse of the Noibat was burned, as if he was burned alive.

"Lyzia… Unos… Noctus…" Korben spoke with a shaking voice as he kneeled down in front of the corpses of his best friends together, along with the corpse of Dimitri. "All of you… also left me…"

"…" Other eleven dragons in this area fell into silence as the Hakamo-o started mourning for his lost friends again. While their grief couldn't be compared to Korben's, everyone else also felt that their heart had been torn apart as they saw the corpses of all residents of this village.

"This is… just like when mother…" Rachael mumbled to herself.

"I… I can't…" Richard said.

"What… What is this feeling? Why do I feel like this?" Zetarus mumbled.

"…I have already killed so many people, and yet… Why am I still…" Diego mumbled.

"…It's… just like that day… When…" Claura mumbled.

"…" Xavier said nothing.

"Your heart…" Anastasia said softly as she looked at the crying Hakamo-o.

"… Damn it…" Baromyteus cursed.

"…Korben…" Freya said as she stood by Korben's side.

"… I have this feeling before… But I… I can't remember…" Snow mumbled to himself.

"…" Unlike others eleven Pokemon here, Sirius was hiding from Korben's sight, as, with this feeling in its heart, it was unable to face the Hakamo-o like this.

"… Everyone…" Korben said as he stood up and slowly turned himself to face other ten Pokemon here (Not counting Sirius). "I… I have just one request for you all… Please… hear me…"

"…" Everyone nodded to the Hakamo-o after hearing what he said.

"I… I want to arrange a funeral for them in the traditional way of our village…" Korben said. "So…"

"Okay." Baromyteus said. "If this is what you want, then all of us will gladly do it."

"T…Thanks…" Korben said.

"Then…" Richard spoke up. "Tell us what we must do."

"Well..." Korben said. "Because of the limited space, we don't bury the corpse in the ground. We also don't burn them because it's bad for the environment, especially for the area with only one opening like this. And so… We will do the funeral for everyone by playing them the Final Requiem."

"F… Final Requiem?" Anastasia spoke up.

"Right." Korben said. "It's a requiem with a mysterious power that could erase any regret and attachment of the dead person to this world, so that we would be able to send them to the afterlife with ease."

"…You said that you play this song to erase the regret and attachment of the dead person so that they can move one…" Xavier spoke up. "Then… What would happen if we don't play this song for the dead person?"

"If that's so, then their spirit would still linger in this world and unable to depart to the afterlife, trapping them in the eternal cycle of torment." Korben said.

"R… Really?!" Rachael asked with a shocked voice.

"…Actually, I don't know." Korben said. "That's the lore that has been passed down through each generation of the resident of this village, and so, we always follow this tradition without questioning."

"… Whatever." Baromyteus said and approached Korben. "Well then… Do you know the lyric and the tune of this final requiem?"

"…No." Korben answered.

"What?!" Baromyteus said.

"I… I am sorry about this, but I don't remember much about this requiem." Korben said. "I only heard this song a few times when the funeral occurred in this village, nothing more."

"But didn't you say that the lore regarding this song was passed down through each generation of the resident of this village?" Claura said. "Then, wouldn't the song being passed down too?"

"… Like the lore, the song was passed down too." Korben spoke up again. "However, not everyone know this song, as the lore was passed down from the founder and the savior of this village, Bahamut."

"Wait…" Baromyteus said. "Don't tell me that…"

"Right… Only the members of the Drawyvern Family know this song, and this includes…" Korben said and ended his speech by glancing at the corpses of Dimitri and Damos.

"Sigh…" Xavier said. "There are only two Pokemon who know the lyric and the tune of this requiem, but both of them are now the one who will listen to this requiem instead. What a pain…"

"… Baromyteus…" Korben turned his attention to the Shiny Haxorus. "… Do you know the lyric and the tune of this requiem? After all, your surname is also Drawyvern…"

"Just because my surname is also Drawyvern doesn't mean that I have what you seek." Baromyteus said.

"Then…" Korben said. "What should I do?"

"…Um…"

"Hm?" The voice of another Pokemon called for the attention of the Hakamo-o, as well as everyone else in this area. The owner of the voice was the female Goodra who was standing behind her elder brother.

"What's wrong, Anastasia?" Baromyteus asked as his younger sister approached Korben, but kept a bit distant in order not to let her brother get angry with the Hakamo-o.

"… If we don't have the lyric and the tune of the requiem you seek, would another requiem work?" Anastasia asked.

"Hm…" Korben said. "I'm not sure, because the requiem we sing here is a magical song, not an ordinary song…"

"If it's a magical requiem, I know one too." Anastasia said. "Moreover, this song would actually fit to be the final requiem of the dragons who fought valiantly to protect their home…"

"H… Hey, Anastasia!" Hearing the words of his younger sister seemed to make Baromyteus flustered and restless. "D… Don't you mean that you will play 'that' requiem?"

"Right. That one." Anastasia answered.

"What?! Anastasia, what are you thinking?!" Baromyteus said. "That song won't help at all! It would only bring upon the pain and agony upon the fallen souls!"

"No! You are wrong!" Anastasia said. "This song is the one that's played to calm the wrath and erase the pain of the fallen souls! Haven't we seen this before 30 years ago?!"

"Tsk!" Baromyteus mumbled as he turned his face away. "Fine. Do whatever you want."

"T… Thank you, brother!" Anastasia said to her brother before turning her attention back to Korben. "Then, I will play my requiem for everyone here."

"T… Thank you, Anastasia." Korben said.

"Now…" Anastasia said. "Before I play this requiem, what I must do first?"

"First, Anastasia, I want you to stay here, in the middle of everyone…" Korben said as he pointed his paw to the spot in the middle of every corpse here. "By standing here, everyone will be able to hear their final requiem."

After speaking to the Goodra, Korben turned his attention to everyone else. "Everyone, please stand in a circle around Anastasia."

"But…" Rachael spoke up. "We don't know anything about the requiem that Anastasia—"

"I didn't say that everyone must sing the requiem." Korben continued speaking. "Only Anastasia alone is alright, but I want everyone to stand around Anastasia just to pray for everyone who had died."

Everyone then nodded to Korben after hearing what they must do, and then everyone (Except for Anastasia and Sirius) gathered in a circle, with Anastasia stands in the middle of this circle. Sirius, on the other hand, was standing behind Rachael and Richard in order to hide from the Hakamo-o.

"It seems like everything's ready." Baromyteus said before he turned his attention to his sister who was standing in the middle of the circle. "Well then… Anastasia…"

"Hm." Anastasia nodded to everyone as she picked up her Tenor Harp. "Everyone… Thank you for your hard work… Now… Please rest well… And let me play you the last requiem as a lullaby for your eternal repose… Let this requiem be the melody for the dragons who have fallen… Let's begin… Requiem of the Fallen Dragon…"

After finished speaking, Anastasia started playing her Tenor Harp and released a slow and graceful but also sorrowful song, while she was also singing using her heavenly but also melancholy voice and performed a majestic but tragic dance using her body, generating a requiem for the fallen residents of Hidden Village of Dragon. Although the lyric of the song she sang was in a strange and exotic language that was understood by almost no one, somehow, all twelve Pokemon who was here were able to grasp the meaning of the song's lyric.

 _Jade leaves fall from a newborn tree_

 _Falling free to a bottomless chasm with no return_

 _The stream of time, I want it to flow back_

 _But it's impossible; the god of time will punish me..._

 _The future of the world is bright_

 _God of ideal gave us a civilized world of light_

 _The world walks forward every day goes by_

 _But yet it abandoned me behind..._

 _The ocean waves, created by the god of sea, are like a love_

 _Sometimes they cry, sometimes they calm, and sometimes they crash_

 _No matter what happens, they always end gracefully_

 _But why for me, the ending is so cruel..._

 _My wrath is more than the erupting volcano_

 _Both can destroy, dispose and devour_

 _Although they plead for the god of truth's mercy_

 _But for me, they stir my rage..._

"… Hey, Zetarus."

"Hm?" Zetarus turned his attention to the Mega Charizard X who was standing beside him. Right now, after singing the fourth verse of the song, Anastasia stopped singing for a bit, but she still continued playing her Tenor Harp, meaning that the song wasn't over yet. "What's wrong, Diego?"

"This song…" Diego said as he looked at Anastasia, who continued playing her Tenor Harp. "I think we have heard this song from somewhere before…"

"You think so?" Zetarus said. "But I can't remember where and when did I hear this song before…"

"Me too…" Diego said as he continued looking at the Goodra. "Now come to think of it… Anastasia and Baromyteus… Haven't we—"

"E… Everyone!" Rachael's voice turned the attention of everyone (Except for Anastasia) to herself. "L… Look!"

"!"

Everyone was suddenly surprised when they saw what was happening right now. Now, every dragon corpse here was starting to glow with a mysterious light purple aura, and slowly, one by one, each corpse started dissolving into a small sphere of glowing faint purple light!

"W… What's this?!" Snow said with a shocked voice.

"I… It works!" Korben said with a shaking voice as his eyes started to become teary again. "This… This is just like when the Drawyverns played the final requiem for everyone who dies!"

"Wow…" Rachael said as she watched each corpse slowly dissolved into the ball of light. Like everyone here, she was speechless by what's happening right in front of her eyes.

"Amazing…" Richard said. "T… To think that dead would be this… beautiful…"

"SHINNGGG!"

"!" Everyone's attention, except for Anastasia, was shifted from what's happening around them when the sound of swords being drawn from their sheath was generated by someone who stood among them.

"B… Baromyteus?" Claura said as she and everyone else shifted their attention to the Shiny Haxorus in the demonic armor suit.

"…" Baromyteus said nothing as he approached his younger sister who was still playing her Tenor Harp before he started performing an aggressive sword dance using his blades. When Baromyteus started doing this, the song that Anastasia played became faster and more aggressive, and so do her dance, before the Goodra continued singing the second half of her song.

 _The god of absence's betrayal was harsh..._

 _Like the snow that melts away and reveals its true form..._

 _But it is still acceptable, unlike me..._

 _He will never forgive me, and I will never beg for his mercy..._

 _Time passed, everything changed_

 _I lurk under the stream of time, from the ancient era_

 _I wait for the day, since the birth of the realm by the hand of an Ancient God._

 _The day I will get a chance of revenge..._

 _Struggle in the endless cycle means nothing_

 _Like the busy life of steel, never last long_

 _Just end everything, and leave them behind_

 _I will devour your soul, free you from the torment..._

 _I am the cursed blood who betrayed my own kin_

 _I have taken countless lives, all with no mercy_

 _Even it seemed cruel and heartless, I have no regret_

 _That is me, this is my life…_

"!"

As Anastasia and Baromyteus performed the second half of the requiem, each sphere of light that appeared out of the dissolved corpse started flowing toward the only opening on the roof above the entire Valley of No Return, before all of them, one by one, slowly disintegrated into countless glittering dust of light, which soon disappeared as they slowly fell down toward the ground.

By the time that Anastasia and Baromyteus finished the last part of the requiem, the last sphere of light had just disintegrated into countless dust of light, which soon disappeared from everyone's sight, meaing that…

"… The funeral… is over…" Korben said and turned his attention to Anastasia and Baromyteus while his face was still teary. "B… Both of you…"

"D… Did we do a right job?" Anastasia asked after seeing the tearing face of the Hakamo-o.

"Yes… Both of you have done such a wonderful job…" Korben said as he wiped away his tear. "I… I don't know how to thank both of you…"

"Don't sweat it." Baromyteus said as he put away his swords.

"I… I can't do that…" Korben said. "After all, everyone is equa—"

"… If you want to do something for us so much, then shut up the rant about equality of yours." Baromyteus said.

"R… Right." Korben said as he wiped away his tear again, before he felt a warm paw touching his shoulder. As he looked back, he could see another Pokemon standing behind him and looked at him with a gentle smile on her face.

"Are you alright, Korben?" Freya asked. "Do you want to take a break?"

"N… No, Freya." Korben answered. "I… I am fine. After all… The funeral is already over…"

"Right." Richard spoke up. "The funeral is already over, and no one else is left behind…"

"However…" Xavier spoke up too. "Our work isn't over yet."

"Hm?" Everyone else turned their attention to Richard and Xavier who were standing next to each other, and both of them didn't look at anyone else, as their attention was on something else…

"What do you mean by that, Xavier?" Claura asked.

"Everyone… Look at the sky." Xavier answered.

"Hm?" Everyone turned their attention to the sky above the Valley of No Return. However, their sight was limited because the sky above Valley of No Return was covered by the incomplete roofing. The only open spot where they could see the sky was the opening on the roofing, where they could see the sky clearly without anything obstructing their sight…

But…

"T… That…" Rachael spoke up. "Isn't there…"

"The barrier." Claura said as she looked at the sky. "The barrier had already disappeared."

"Right. The barrier that protected Valley of No Return since the end of Dragon Massacre has already disappeared…" Richard spoke up again. "… And the time and space of Valley of No Return has just connected to the time and space of the world outside, meaning that…"

"It's now possible for anyone to travel between Valley of No Return and the world outside." Xavier finished Richard's sentence. "And if my foreshadowing is right, we should expect to see someone from the world outside this valley soon—"

 _"You are right, young Dragonite."_

Suddenly, a loud calm but also authorized voice could be heard by all twelve Pokemon who were in the Hidden Village of Dragon. However, the owner of the voice was none of them. Instead…

"!" Suddenly, something appeared right in front of everyone's eyes. It looked like a giant glowing sphere of light, not like the sphere of light that appeared from the dissolved corpse earlier, but this time, the sphere of light slowly formed into a glowing body of a Pokemon!

"W… What?!" Everyone said as the sphere of light formed in a shape of a Pokemon in front of them. The body of this Pokemon soon stopped glowing, appearing as a real Pokemon before everyone's eyes.

This Pokemon was a human-like Pokemon with a long tail and light purple body. They were wearing a sacred and majestic robe that a high-ranked priest or sage wore. The specie of this Pokemon was… a Mewtwo.

"W… Who are—" Korben was about to ask the identity of the Pokemon who had just appeared in front of him and everyone, but his words were cut off when the Goodra and the Shiny Haxorus who were standing beside him spoke up first.

"I… Iris?!"

 **To Be Continued…**

* * *

 **Dragon of Vale: I am very busy this semester, so I wouldn't be able to update as often as before. And so, I am truly sorry.**

 **Well… For this chapter… Honestly, I felt very depressed while writing this chapter, considered what happened in this chapter… And for what happened… It's just as the name suggests… And then there were none… But… At the end… I guess that there weren't 'none' anymore…**

 **Q &A session is still open! Check out my profile to find out more info regarding this!**


	65. Intermission I-3: The Birth of Pendragon

**A Dragon's Tail**

 **Intermission I: Freya's Tail - Arrogance**

 **Intermission I-3: The Birth of Pendragon**

"Anastasia? Baromyteus?" The Mewtwo said as she saw the female Goodra and the male Shiny Haxorus who suddenly said her name out right in front of her. "So… After all that happened 30 years ago… Both of you are still alive…"

"... Iris…" Anastasia said. "… What are you doing here? And… How could you…"

"I have learned everything from the survivors of the battle that were blown away when a mysterious barrier was formed around the inaccessible valley." The Mewtwo answered. "And a few hours ago, I could feel that the power of the barrier started to weaken, which means that the barrier will soon disappear. So, I decided to pay a visit to the place that's called inaccessible valley to find the truth behind what happened during the Dragon Massacre. But… I have never thought that I will run into both of you here, Anastasia, Baromyteus…"

After finished speaking, the Mewtwo turned her attention from Anastasia and Baromyteus to ten other Pokemon who was also here too. She then looked at them, one by one, thoroughly, before she spoke up again.

"… I guess what I fear has already come true…" The Mewtwo said.

"Hey!" Claura spoke up with an irritated voice. "Who are you?! And what are you doing here?! Say it!"

The Mewtwo slowly turned her attention back to all twelve Pokemon in front of her and started speaking again. "My name is Iris Mysteric the Mewtwo. I am the Archsage and the current Regent of Theocracy of Venturnome. However, I am also the current Heroine of Legend who controls over the power of Psychic type."

"Y… You legend bastard!" Claura roared angrily after hearing the introduction of the Mewtwo in front of her. "W… Why are you here?! And what do you want from us?!"

"…What I want is the truth behind the Dragon Massacre 3 years ago." Iris answered with a calm voice.

"T… Three years?!" Richard spoke up. "Three years have already passed since that day…"

"… Could it be that all of you, including the entire area of inaccessible valley were frozen in time after the barrier was formed?" Iris asked.

"W… What?!" Everyone except Sirius said.

"When I came here right after the barrier was formed, I could sense the existence of several lives within the barrier, but I couldn't sense any motion of those lives, as if they were frozen still." Iris said. "And hearing the words of the Latios over there has just confirmed what I have in my mind."

"And what the hell are you going to do with that?!" Korben spoke up. "You outsiders have brought a chaos and madness upon us, despite that we haven't done anything to you, and yet, you…"

"… During the Dragon Massacre 3 years ago…" Instead of answer the question of the Hakamo-o, Iris yet asked another question. "… Have you met the leader of the Pokemon who came from the world outside this valley?"

"D… Do you mean Rucas?" Anastasia asked, and Baromyteus grumbled as he heard the name of his nemesis.

"Yes. Rucas." Iris said. "Rucas was the one who led the armies of six nations on the continent of Symmetria after he heard that the criminal who killed my husband may be hiding here."

"T… The criminal who killed your husband?!" Anastasia said. "Y… You mean Hawkins?"

"Right." Iris said and closed her eyes. "About a month before the day of Dragon Massacre, my husband and the former Pontifex of Theocracy of Venturnome, Hawkins Gale-norval, were found dead in the middle of Dustorm Desert near the inaccessible valley. He had disappeared for some time after he attained to the Succession Ceremony of Prince Terrus in the Dustorm Empire. And so, the suspicious was laid onto the area known as the inaccessible valley."

"Wait a minute…" Rachael spoke up. "Why did this valley become—"

"Because the place where Pontifex Hawkins, as well as other royal guards who accompanied him, was murdered was among the most isolated spots on the continent of Symmetria, the eastern area of Dustorm Desert, right next to the inaccessible valley." Iris answered and she opened her eyes. "Moreover, I also found an opening that may lead into the inaccessible valley near the border of Fireview Kingdom and Dustorm Empire."

"!" Everyone (Except for Korben, Sirius and Snow) was shocked after hearing the words that the Mewtwo had just said. If her words were true, then it would mean that the cause of the whole Dragon Massacre was none other than themselves!

"But I didn't believe in this very much…" Iris continued speaking. "However, when I told Rucas about all of this, he suddenly became... enraged, and he claimed that he will go to the inaccessible valley in order to bring the criminal who killed Hawkins to justice…"

"That bastard…" Baromyteus said and tightened his fist.

"But soon, Rucas realized that only himself may not be enough, as, in order to take down Hawkins and the royal guards, at least hundred Pokemon are needed, and only himself may not be able to face the legion of hundred Pokemon. So, he decided to call for the help of seven nations on the continent of Symmetria." Iris continued speaking. "And soon, while he was able to get the help from only six of seven nations, he decided to march right into the inaccessible valley to—"

"T… The only Pokemon who lived here are the wild Pokemon and the Dragon type Pokemon who lived in peace and harmony for several thousand years!" Korben suddenly roared out. "W… We didn't do anything wrong! We just live here! C… Couldn't that Rucas guy see that all of us mean no harm?!"

"… The Pokemon who lived in the inaccessible valley are the peaceful Dragon type Pokemon?" Iris said closed her eyes again. "Alas… What a tragedy… To think that such a tragedy like this is the result of misunderstood and coincidence…"

"W… What do you mean?!" Korben asked.

"… When the lifeless body of Hawkins was discovered, we found some of this on Hawkins' body, as well as the body of some royal guards." Iris said as she opened her eyes and showed everyone something in her palm. It was a small brown scale with a rough texture. "Do you know what this is?"

"I… Isn't that… the Dragon Scale?" Freya asked.

"Right. It's the scale of dragon." Iris said as she put away the Dragon Scale. "Because we found the Dragon Scale on the body of Hawkins and some royal guards, and we once came up with a suspect that the one who killed Hawkins and the royal guards must be a group of hundred Pokemon… So… I suspect that… When Rucas and the six armies entered the inaccessible valley and found out about the Dragon type Pokemon who lived here, combining with the suspect he had and the Dragon Scale we found…"

"!" Everyone realized what Iris was trying to say. She wanted them to know the truth behind the Dragon Massacre; the ugly truth that brought upon death and destruction to Hidden Village of Dragon.

"I… Impossible!" Korben spoke with a shaking voice as he kneeled down and held his head with his paws.. "How?! How could all of this happen?! Everyone in this village died for nothing! I… I can't believe this!"

"Terrible…" Rachael said.

"… Then…" While everyone was in the state of shock and denial after hearing the truth, Xavier spoke up. "If the whole Dragon Massacre is just a misunderstood and coincidence, then… Who is the one who killed that Hawkins guy and the royal guards?"

"… After hearing what happened during the Dragon Massacre, I decided to redo my investigation about Hawkins' death, and I found… a terrible truth that I haven't realized earlier." Iris said.

" ... What's that?" Richard asked.

"…" Iris closed her eyes again before she opened them and continued speaking. "The Dragon Scale we found on the body of Hawkins and the royal guards… After I carefully examined them, I discovered that… all of them are of the same qualities; be their color, their texture, their composure, their age, and everything else."

"W… What?!" Richard said. "T… Then…"

"… All Dragon Scale we found came from the very same Pokemon." Iris finished Richard's sentence. "And so, the possibilities behind Hawkins' murder had narrowed down to only one; the murder of Hawkins and all royal guards is caused by only one Pokemon."

"O… Only one Pokemon?!" Freya spoke up. "B… But P… Pontifex Hawkins is a Lugia, isn't he? A… And he was accompanied by several royal guards…"

"Right. It's almost entirely impossible for just one Pokemon to kill Hawkins and the entire legion of Venturnome's finest royal guards…" Iris continued speaking. "Unless… That Pokemon possessed the integrated amount of power and wisdom that matched Hawkins himself."

"W… What do you mean by that?" Anastasia asked.

"… She meant that the one Pokemon who killed Pontifex Hawkins and the royal guards is a Pokemon that's powerful enough to take all of them down with ease." Xavier spoke up. "However, the only Pokemon that match this description are the more powerful Legendary Pokemon."

"… But if what you say is true, then…" Diego spoke up. "Why did she mention 'the integrated amount of power and wisdom'? What you just said requires only just power, not wisdom too."

"That only applies if the Pokemon who killed Pontifex Hawkins and the royal guards possesses an enormous power that's enough to take down Hawkins and the royal guards." Instead of Xavier, it was Richard who answered the Mega Charizard X's question. "However, it's also possible for the less powerful Pokemon to take down Pontifex Hawkins and the royal guards… If they possessed enough wisdom to carefully plan what to do."

"… Getting even just a single scale from a dragon is a suicidal job, let alone several one. So, there's no way for any non-Dragon type Pokemon to leave the Dragon Scale there in order to frame the Dragon type Pokemon." Claura said. "However, all Dragon type Pokemon possessed quite a power… So… It's possible for any Dragon type Pokemon to do it."

"Actually…" Baromyteus spoke up. "Some non-Dragon type Pokemon could also do this too, as there are some non-Dragon type Pokemon that possessed a quality of Dragon type Pokemon such as their appearance and their egg group."

"What you said is only valid for taking down those royal guards, Claura, Baromyteus." Xavier spoke up. "However, taking down that Lugia isn't an easy task, even for a Dragon type Pokemon. In order to do it, not only be powerful, but that Pokemon also needs to know quite a bit about him, so that they would be able to grasp what to do in the battle against him and kill him with ease."

"… Does someone like that really exist?" Zetarus asked.

"Yes." This time, it was Iris who spoke up after saying nothing for some time. "While being the Pontifex of Theocracy of Venturnome, Hawkins actually doesn't interact himself with everyone that much. And so, the only Pokemon who have enough information that can be used to kill him are the Pokemon who stayed travelled together with him during the Fallen Crisis."

"The Hero/ine of Legend!" Baromyteus spoke out. "I see… So… Among the remaining 13 Hero/ine of Legend, one of them must be…"

"You miss something, Baromyteus." Iris interrupted Baromyteus' words. "Not only the Hero/ine of Legend, but there were also two more Pokemon who were travelling with him during the time of Fallen Crisis; you and your sister."

"… Heh. Make sense." Baromyteus spoke with a sarcastic voice. "I am a Dragon type Pokemon, and I also have a strong grudge against the Hero/ine of Legend… So, I may be the one who killed Hawkins. However, I am not, and I ensure you that my sister isn't too."

"... That's also what I am thinking." Iris said. "And hearing it from someone who hates lies and deception to the extreme is a solid support to this."

"Wait, how did you know that I hate lies and deception to the extreme? I remembered that I have never told any Hero/ine of Legend about this, except maybe Fenrir and… that bastard Lucario." Baromyteus asked.

"I knew this from my observation over you and your sister during the time we travelled together, Baromyteus." Iris said. "It's not hard to notice. And this is the main reason why I was shocked when I knew that your sister and you have betrayed us."

"…" Baromyteus and Anastasia said nothing after they heard the Mewtwo's words.

"But enough about that…" Iris changed the topic of conversation back to Pontifex Hawkins' death. "As you can see, omitting you two out, the only Pokemon who was able to kill Hawkins are the 13 other Hero/ine of Legend; Rucas, Zira, Joshua, Ellisk, Magnus, Leonel, Fenrir, Nyxier, Kamui, Tyrus, Sharon, Garland and me. However, Rucas, Zira, Fenrir, Nyxier, Kamui and me aren't someone who could leave the Dragon Scale behind as our species have no association with dragon or similar specie. And so, the only Pokemon among us who's capable of doing this are Joshua, Ellisk, Magnus, Leonel, Tyrus, Sharon and Garland."

"... It's impossible for Ellisk to do this." Richard spoke up the name of the Pokemon who rescued him from a custody of Civilight Laboratory. "Considered his work, it could be said that he was incarcerated in the Republic of Civilight of all time. So… It can't be him…"

"And so Leonel." Diego said as he closed his eyes when he thought about his own father. "That guy is the Volcano Guardian of Fireview Kingdom, and so he can't leave Fireview Kingdom to kill someone who's in the Dustorm Empire."

"Magnus can't do that too." Claura spoke up with a heavy heart when the memory of her journey in the Riverbrine Archipelago appeared in her mind again. "He was being controlled by a parasite that got into his body since the incident several years ago, and he always stays near water, so there's no way that someone like that would be able to kill someone who's in the middle of the desert."

"J… Joshua too." Rachael spoke up with a shaking voice as the image of the mad swordsmen who murdered her mother appeared in her mind again. "H… He committed suicide before I left Principality of Leafburg, which is several months before Pontifex Hawkins was murdered, right?"

"… That leaves us with two bastards and a bxxxh." Baromyteus spoke up.

"It can't be Sharon." Iris spoke up. "She had already succumbed to the illness a decade ago."

"…" Zetarus lowered his head as he heard the name of his mother whom he never had a chance to meet.

"And so…" Iris continued speaking. "This leaves only two Pokemon who could kill Pontifex Hawkins, Garland and Tyrus."

"Tsk… I wouldn't be surprised if it turns out that that Emperor is the real murderer." Zetarus said.

"That bastard too." Baromyteus spoke up. "Considered that it runs in his family, all he knows is betray everyone whom he has a connection with, be his home or his family, and I wouldn't be surprised if he betrays his friends too."

"Baromyteus, that's enough." Iris scolded. "But to be honest, between Garland and Tyrus, if I have to pick the one whom I suspect most, I wouldn't pick Garland because Pontifex Hawkins is, in fact, the elder brother of Emperor Garland, and despite the conflict both of them had, I don't think that Garland would kill his own younger brother."

"… Can I ask you something, the Archsage of Venturnome?" Xavier spoke up, but before Iris could say anything, he continued speaking. "No, your answer doesn't matter, since I'm going to ask anyway."

"…" Iris said nothing after hearing the words of the Dragonite.

"… What's your real objective of entering this place to meet up with the survivors of the Dragon Massacre?" Xavier asked. "Since the moment you appear, the main topic of our conversation is just the death of some random guy. However, do you really think that this should be an appropriate topic of conversation between someone from the world outside this valley and a group of Pokemon who have just survived the horrible massacre? Oh, and don't think about lying to us, as you can see that we also have someone who won't hesitate to cut your limbs off when you lie with us too." Xavier ended his words by glancing at Baromyteus a bit before turning his attention back to the Mewtwo in front of him.

"… Hm." Iris closed her eyes and revealed a cold smile on her face before she opened her eyes again and said. "… There are three reasons why I decide to enter the inaccessible valley after the barrier vanishes."

"…" All 12 Pokemon in front of the Mewtwo stayed silent as they waited for Iris to continue speaking.

"First, as I said before, I come here in order to find the truth behind the event of Dragon Massacre 3 years ago." Iris said. "Considered how… diabolical the massacre was, part of me thought that there would be no survivor left, and I won't be able to learn much about it."

"…" The 12 Pokemon carefully listened to the words of the Mewtwo.

"But the other part of me also expected that there will be some survivors left, which was proved to be right in the end." Iris said. "And it leads to the second reason why I am here. If I am able to find any survivor of the Dragon Massacre, I want to tell them the truth behind our invasion that brought upon the tragedy of massacre."

"D… Do you really think that we would be able to forgive you just by hearing the truth?!" Korben spoke up. "A lot of Pokemon had died just because of the madness that was brought upon us by you the outsiders! Do you really think that this would be enough to make up with what we have lost?!"

"This guy is right." Diego spoke up. "Just a few words of someone who sides with our enemies wouldn't be enough to earn the forgiveness from any of us."

"I already know that." Iris continued speaking with a cold voice she used before, showing no reaction from the raging words she got from the Hakamo-o and the Mega Charizard X earlier. "The reason why I tell you all the truth behind our invasion isn't because we want your forgiveness, but because we want you to know the truth behind our invasion, and use your judgment to decide. No matter how the final judgment of yours turns out, I won't controvert them, and I will accept your final judgment with my whole heart."

"… Then." Claura spoke up. "What's your last reason for coming here?"

"… To unveil the concealed truth." Iris answered.

"Hey… Isn't that the same as your first reason?" Zetarus asked.

"No." Iris said. "For the first reason, the truth I seek is the truth that's in the grasp of the survivor of the Dragon Massacre, as well as this inaccessible valley. But for the third reason… The truth I seek… I am sure that it isn't in the grasp of any of you, as well as anywhere within this place."

"… Do you mean Hawkins' death?" Anastasia said.

"… Hawkins' death is just a tiny part of it." Iris closed her eyes and answered. "The truth regarding the third reason that I want to find is what is happening to the Hero/ine of Legend from the time of Fallen Crisis."

"W… What do you mean by that?" Anastasia asked.

"… Sharon died several years ago, which caused Garland to fall into a deep grief and started the War over the Windsky Plateau later. Joshua became a mad swordsman who hungered only for brawl and blood. Kamui became a Cyborg Pokemon who didn't have a control over his body. Ellisk decided to work under the corrupted government of Republic of Civilight. Magnus was possessed by the sea creature which caused him to go rampage. Nyxier became a corrupted queen who abused her power to the extreme. Leonel was possessed by the God of Volcano who believed their decision is always right. Hawkins died and later caused the tragic event of Dragon Massacre led by the Hero of Justice, Rucas, who believed that he was right." Iris said with a cold voice. "This is the information regarding to each Hero/ine of Legend's death. Do you see anything there?"

"Their fate regarding their demise…" Richard spoke up. "Either they were corrupted before they died, or their death had brought upon a huge calamity to the World of Pokemon."

"That's right." Iris said. "And so, this gives me another question. What's happening to the Hero/ine of Legend right now? Why are we, the Pokemon who has a duty to protect the world from any danger and madness, become the one who causes catastrophe and calamity upon the World of Pokemon ourselves? It's as if we are—"

"No, you are absolutely wrong." Xavier spoke up with a cold voice. "You Hero/ine of Legend are nothing more than just an ordinary Pokemon who were lucky enough to be born as a descendant of some certain Pokemon who was granted a power by Arceus. And so, except for the Blood of Legend in your veins, you have nothing different from other Pokemon in this world. Being a Hero/ine of Legend doesn't mean that you are good and aren't evil at all, so never think that you are someone who represents all of the goodness in the world."

"… You are right." Iris said. "Maybe it's because all of us have a sense of madness that was suppressed within our heart by our sense of goodness. However, it started to show up recently… Is it because we are actually evil at our heart, but our role as the Hero/ine of Legend prevents us not to show our true core out?"

"…" The 12 Pokemon in front of the Mewtwo said nothing.

"And so… With 9 of 14 Hero/ine of Legend becoming like this..." Iris continued speaking. "Then… Garland, Fenrir, Zira, Tyrus and me… Will our fate turn out to be like our comrades? Will we…"

"… Are you afraid that one day, you will face the same fate that your 'friend' faced?" Xavier spoke up, this time, with a hint of something in his voice.

"… I am not afraid of facing that face myself." Iris answered as she looked at the Dragonite who asked her this question. "However, I am afraid of the innocent Pokemon who will become a victim of my action. Either I am consumed by madness or my death brings upon madness, there will surely be innocent Pokemon who will suffer from this. This is the only fear I have right now, as I… I don't know what to do."

"Simple." Xavier spoke up. "Why don't you just let yourself get killed by us?"

"Wait, what?!" All other Pokemon turned their attention to Xavier.

"You want me… to be killed by all of you?" Iris said with an emotionless voice.

"Well… If you are afraid of the consequence that you or your death would cause, then let's kill you here in this valley, where no one else except us is, so that no one else would be able to suffer because of you… Well.. Maybe we will, but I am sure that we can bear with it. Moreover, you, the Heroine of Legend, are here in front of 12 Pokemon who have just survived a cruel massacre that was caused by the Heroes of Legend… Think about it…"

"Xavier! What are you saying?!" Anastasia said. "Why do we have to do something cruel like this?!"

"R… Right…" Freya spoke up. "S… She doesn't do anything wrong, a… and she's trying to h… help us too."

"… Interesting." Instead of being shocked or frightened by the Dragonite's words, the Mewtwo just revealed a sharp smile on her face. "Your method of solving my trouble is very interesting. However, I refuse."

"…For what reason?" Xavier asked.

"Because I am Iris Mysteric the Mewtwo." Iris answered. "I have a strong moral regarding the life of the living creature. I believe that every life does matter, even for the wild one. And so, letting my life getting taken away like this is against my principle, so I have to decline your offer, Dragonite."

"…" Xavier said nothing after hearing the words of the Mewtwo.

"I can't say that I understand your feeling." Iris continued speaking. "But I somehow have a tiny glimpse of what's in your mind right now. After all, every life is precious. They can't be replaced by anything, and nothing in this world is worth enough for life to be sacrificed for. And so, I—"

 **"Enough talking, you Slave of Legend!"**

Before Archsage Iris could finish her words, a loud and powerful voice suddenly echoed through everywhere around them, sending a chill down on everyone's spine!

"W… Who's there—" Iris said as she tried to look around to find the owner of the voice, but before she could do anything else.

"!"

"WISSSSS WOOOSSSHHH!"

"WATCH OUT!"

"SHIIINKKK!"

"!"

It happened very fast when everyone noticed that there was something heading toward them at a very fast speed. And before everyone could do anything, it was over. While it took only a few seconds before it was over, but it still left a great shock to everyone who's here, especially for the Mewtwo...

"Iris!"

"Harrrr…." Iris groaned in pain as she slowly fell down onto the ground, with her paw reaching to her chest…

"!" Other 12 Pokemon here quickly gathered around the Mewtwo. This was the point where they noticed that there was something stuck in Iris' chest! It was something sharp that looked like a blade, but it also glowed mysteriously with a deep purple aura, indicating that this wasn't a real blade. It was a magical blade, and it was the very same object that was heading toward them at a blinding speed earlier!

"A… Archsage Iris!" Freya cried as she and everyone else gathered around the fainted Mewtwo.

"H… Hang in there!" Rachael said as she quickly looked through her berry pouch to find something that will help the injured Mewtwo. "I… I will heal you right n—"

"H… Heh… N… No…" Iris spoke with a shaking voice as her breath gradually became fainter. "A… After all… T… This is it… M… My death is right here…"

"No!" Freya spoke up and raised her Crimson Rose in order to heal the Mewtwo. However, her staff didn't work! "A… Archsage Iris! Y… You can't die here!"

"It's….useless…" Iris said and tried to reach her paw toward the magical blade that pierced through her chest. "M… My injury's… beyond return… This blade… It was created by… someone who possessed… a very strong… power that… exceeds… any power of… mortal…"

"W… What do you mean by that?!" Claura asked.

"Everyone… be careful…" Iris said as her voice gradually became fainter, indicating that she wouldn't live much longer. "Be… careful… of us… Legend… Blood… Only… four… remain… They… are… like… me…"

Before the Mewtwo could say anything else, her breath suddenly stopped as she stopped moving and fell down onto the ground, like a puppet that its strings were instantly cut. And… Like the puppet, the Mewtwo that was surrounded by 12 Pokemon, as well as the current Heroine of Psychic type who had saved the world from the Fallen Crisis, were no longer alive…

"Iris?! NO!" Anastasia cried as she reached her paw to gently touch the Mewtwo's face after realizing that she had already stopped breathing. "No! You can't die yet! You can't!"

"… Damn it…" Baromyteus cursed.

"Why?" Freya mumbled as clear water started flowing out of her eyes. "After everything that happened, why do we have to witness death right in front of our eyes again?!"

The whole area around here fell into silence as another death occurred within the Valley of No Return, as if the valley had cursed anyone who entered it not to return anymore…

"…"

Silently, Anastasia, Freya and Rachael shed their tear for the lost Archsage, and Snow and Richard are both couldn't hold back their tear anymore, while Zetarus, Diego, Baromyteus, Claura, Xavier, Korben and Sirius lowered their heads to pray for the Mewtwo. All of them had no idea why they did all of this despite Archsage Iris being the Heroine of Legend, and thus she should be their enemy. All of them should be glad that she died, and yet they didn't.

Why?

Maybe it was because they had some respect for the fallen Archsage. Maybe it was because they knew that Archsage Iris wasn't their enemy… Or maybe it was because…

 **"… How long are you going to lament for that slave? That creature doesn't worth the tear all of you shed."**

"!"

The very same voice that was heard by everyone just before Archsage Iris was stabbed by the magical blade appeared again, making everyone immediately turn their attention to the source of the voice, which was just north of where they were.

However, unlike when the voice appeared for the first time, when they couldn't find anyone or anything other than them, this time, they found another Pokemon standing at where the voice was generated, and that Pokemon was having their intention at them!

"W… Who are you?!" Claura was the first Pokemon who could speak after everyone noticed the presence of the new-coming Pokemon. Because that Pokemon was standing quite far from them, none of them could grasp a good look of that Pokemon, let alone what kind of Pokemon they were.

 **"..."** The new-coming Pokemon didn't answer the question as he slowly walking up toward the 12 Pokemon that were also here, until he was just a few meters away from them. This time, because he was closer to them, everyone was able to see their appearance clearly.

This Pokemon was very tall. His height was over 2 meters, and they were even taller than Xavier, Sirius and Snow, who were the three tallest Pokemon among 12 Pokemon. Other than being very tall, this Pokemon was also muscular and had a very strong build. However, other than this, it was almost impossible to tell anything else about this Pokemon, including their specie, because the whole body of this Pokemon was concealed within the armor suit they were wearing. The armor suit, however, was very outstanding because the whole suit was golden as it was made from gold and other rare and high-quality ores to maximize the defensive capacity of it. The armor suit, greave, gauntlets and boots of this suit were carved with exotic but majestic carving that made them look like the scales of dragons. The helmet of this suit, on the other hand, was made into the shape of a dragon head, like Diego's helmet. However, while Diego's helmet was in the shape of the generic dragon, the helmet of this Pokemon was in the shape of a certain powerful and magnificent dragon…

"You…" Baromyteus said as he and everyone else had their attention at the Pokemon in the golden armor suit in front of them. "Are you the one who killed Archsage Iris by using that magical blade?"

 **"Yes."** The Pokemon in the golden armor suit answered as he reached his paw toward where the lifeless body of Archsage Iris was, and suddenly, the magical blade that pierced through the heart of the Mewtwo disappeared, as if it hadn't ever exist! **"It was me who conjured that blade and used it to purge that Slave of Legend from this world."**

"S… Slave of Legend?!" Anastasia spoke up as she remembered that the voice that appeared just before Archsage Iris was stabbed, which should belong to this Pokemon in the golden armor suit, also called someone with this name too, and that someone could be none other than… the Mewtwo that this Pokemon had just killed. "W… Why do you have to call Archsage Iris with such a horrible name like that?!"

 **"Because that's the most honorific name that I would allow myself to use to call them."** The Pokemon in the golden armor suit answered. **"Don't you hear what that bxxxh said when she was still clinging onto her pathetic life?"**

"What?!" Everyone said after hearing the words of the Pokemon in the golden armor suit, as their answer indicated a very strong hatred that they had toward the Archsage Iris…

But… The hatred may not limited only to Archsage Iris… Because…

"Hero/ine of Legend." Xavier spoke up. "Before she died, this Mewtwo said something about the Hero/ine of Legend being turned into the evil that—"

 **"Not 'being turned into'."** The Pokemon in the golden armor suit interrupted the Dragonite. **"They had just revealed their true nature, that they, the one so-call Slave of Legend, are nothing more than the scumbag that only exist to tarnish this wretched realm!"**

"Y… You…" Rachael said with a shaking voice after hearing the aggressive words from the Pokemon in the golden armor suit. "H… How could you?"

"And…" Richard spoke up. "Who are you? And why are you here, at the ruined village that was destroyed three years ago? What objective do you seek to accomplish?"

 **"… You there."** Instead of answering the question of the Latios, the Pokemon in the golden armor suit turned their attention to Korben and called him. **"Fight me."**

"W… What?!" Korben said as the Pokemon in the golden armor suit, whom he had met for the first time, challenged him to a battle, just like what happened when he met up with Baromyteus for the first time! "W… Why me?!"

 **"Because you are the sole survivor of the Dragon Massacre who is native to this place, as well as the last living Pokemon of Hidden Village of Dragon."** The Pokemon in the golden armor suit answered. However, the voice he used this time, as well as the voice he used when he challenged Korben to a battle, was much softer and much gentler than the voice he used when he spoke about the Hero/ine of Legend.

"And why do you want to challenge the last living Pokemon of Hidden Village of Dragon?" Korben continued asking. "And how could you know that I am the Pokemon who live in the Hidden Village of Dragon?"

 **"A better question would be 'How couldn't I know?'."** The Pokemon in the golden armor suit answered. **"Your cloth, your action and the accent of yours… All of that, which unique to you among all of you, are the cultures native to Hidden Village of Dragon."**

"H… How could you know?!" Korben asked again.

 **"And again, a better question would be 'How could I forget?."** The Pokemon in the golden armor suit continued speaking. **"After all, while you are the last living Pokemon of Hidden Village of Dragon, me, on the other hand, I am the first living Pokemon of Hidden Village of Dragon."**

"First living Pokemon of Hidden Village of Dragon?" Korben said before the expression on his face suddenly changed into an expression of shock and bewildered. "W… Wait… C… Could it be?!"

 **"You are right."** The Pokemon in the golden armor suit said. **"For the outsider, I am known as the tyrant of the world. For the Hero/ine of Legend, I am known as the evil creature that must be eliminated by any mean. However, for the resident of Hidden Village of Dragon, I am known as their savior who liberated them from the world's oppression. I am also the one who found Hidden Village of Dragon. But for you all… You may call me… Bahamut."**

* * *

"B… Bahamut?!" Korben spoke with an expression of great shock on his face. The very same expression also appeared on the face of other 11 Pokemon here, except for Sirius who didn't know anything about Bahamut. "I… Impossible!"

 **"But here I am, in front of you…"** The Pokemon in the golden armor suit who introduced himself as Bahamut said. **"I am the dragon who gathered the surviving Dragon type Pokemon on the wreched continents of Mytherel, Luminus and Origia and took them into the secluded Valley of No Return, and we hoped that we would never have to return to the outside world again."**

"B… But it's impossible for you to be Bahamut!" Diego spoke up. "As far as I heard, that guy was alive during the time when the Hidden Village of Dragon was found, so…"

 **"Correct…"** Bahamut said. **"I am the very same Bahamut who found this village. And this means that the age of Hidden Village of Dragon is also part of my age."**

"H… How could it be?!" Richard spoke up. "Y… You don't look like any Legendary Pokemon… But non-legendary Pokemon doesn't live that long!"

 **"… True, I am not a Legendary Pokemon. I am just like most of you, a non-legendary Dragon type Pokemon."** Bahamut said before he turned his attention back to Korben. **"Enough talking. Now, you, the last living Pokemon of Hidden Village of Dragon, will you fight me, the first living Pokemon of Hidden Village of Dragon? I want to see the strength of a dragon born to the village I found."**

"… Fine." Korben spoke up. "I accept your challenge."

"Korben!" Freya spoke up with a shocking voice after hearing the answer of her Hakamo-o friend. "A… Are you sure about this?"

"…" Korben didn't answer Freya's question, as his attention was at the Pokemon in front of him.

 **"Good."** Bahamut said. **"Now… Draw your blade."**

"I don't need any blade." Korben said as he equipped something on his fists. It was a knuckle that a fighter who used their fists as their weapon usually wore. However, that knuckle wasn't an ordinary knuckle, despite its appearance, as the knuckle itself was made from several kinds of metal that was combined together and reinforced so that it would become stronger and sturdier. The knuckle also had the exotic carving of Valley of No Return's style on itself too. Moreover, while this knuckle seemed to be very old, it also seemed like a deadly weapon that can deliver a great damage to its wielder's opponent. "Just my fist and this knuckle is enough for this battle."

 **"That's Scion's Fist, isn't it? The knuckle of yours…"** Bahamut commented on the weapon of the Hakamo-o. **"I once used that weapon when I had to defend this village from the outsiders just before the village was found. And now, it's in your possession."**

"So… The story is true…" Korben mumbled. "This knuckle was actually belonged to Damos as one of his family's heirloom. However, because they and everyone else in this village don't fight using their fist, Damos gave this weapon to me… But I have never think that I will be able to meet the original owner of this weapon, let alone fight him using it…"

 **"I don't consider that weapon mine."** Bahamut spoke up. **"It's true that I once wielded it, but it's only once, and I never use it again because I don't like using a physical weapon. So, if you are skilled enough to wield it, that weapon is yours."**

"T… Thanks…" Korben spoke with a shaking voice, as he didn't know what to do after hearing the words of the dragon in front of him.

 **"Now, that's enough."** Bahamut said. **"Now, fight me. Show me your strength!"**

After finished speaking, Bahamut got himself into the battle stance, preparing for the battle against the last living Pokemon of Hidden Village of Dragon!

"YAH!" Korben roared as he charged at the dragon in the golden armor suit in front of him with his fist, attacking him as a first strike! However…

"!"

"Wah!" Korben did a front flip as he landed on the ground again after his attack failed! It was because Bahamut dodged his attack just right before the Hakamo-o reached him!

"YAH!" Korben attacked again. This time, he tried to punch Bahamut at his left flank, but again, Bahamut dodged by jumping to the right!

"SKY UPPERCUT!" Korben roared as he attacked Bahamut again. This time, he charged directly at him before punching him upward with his fist! But still, the dragon in the golden armor suit was able to dodge by doing a back flip to jump away from the Hakamo-o!

"Huff… Huff…" Korben stopped attacking a bit to catch his breath. "So… You prefer to dodge my attack, hm? Now, let's see if you can dodge this!"

Korben attacked Bahamut again by punching at his left flank. However, before Bahamut could dodge his attack by jumping to the right, Korben released another punch at Bahamut's right flank!

"!"

Unbelievable to Korben and everyone else who was watching the battle, Bahamut was able to dodge the attack by jumping over Korben's fist to the left, before Korben's fist attacked him from the right flank!

"F… Fast…" Korben mumbled as, in order for someone to dodge his attack like that, that Pokemon must be a very fast and agile Pokemon!

"…" After dodging the attack, Bahamut did a back flip to jump away from the Hakamo-o in order to prepare for the Hakamo-o's next attack.

"YAH!" Korben charged directly at Bahamut again, and Bahamut could easily dodge the attack by jumping up and let Korben charge pass under him.

"NOW! DRAGON TAIL!" After realizing that he had already passed under Bahamut who jumped up to dodge his attack, Korben cloaked his tail in a draconic aura and swung it upward in order to attack his opponent!

However…

"!"

Unexpectedly, Bahamut did a single flip in the air and was able to dodge Korben's tail before he landed behind the Hakamo-o again unscratched!

"H… How?!" Korben mumbled unexpectedly after seeing that all of his attack didn't work again Bahamut. "H… How could you?!"

* * *

 **Meanwhile…**

"A… All of Korben's attacks don't work again him!" Rachael said as she and others were watching the battle between Bahamut and Korben, who was still trying to hit his opponent with his attack, but none of his attack could even reach the dragon in the golden armor suit.

"That guy…" Diego mumbled as he looked at Bahamut, who could easily dodge all of Korben's attack. "He is no ordinary Pokemon…"

"Yeah." Zetarus nodded in agreement with the Mega Charizard X. "That guy is much more powerful than us. I would even say that he's even stronger than Baromyteus."

"…" Baromyteus said nothing. All he did was observing the battle in front of him silently.

"B… But…" Freya spoke up. "At this state… Korben will…"

"But… That guy…" Claura spoke up as her attention was focused at Bahamut. "That guy… He is strange…"

"Strange?" Freya and Rachael turned their attention to the Kingdra.

"Look at him." Claura said as she looked at Bahamut, who continued to dodge all of Korben's attacks. "Since the battle starts, he didn't even try to attack Korben, not even a bit. With his skill like this, he could easily knock that Hakamo-o out. But why does he still keep the battle going on? I don't understand…"

"But that Hakamo-o is also not bad." Richard spoke up. "He rarely leaves an opening, even when he attacks. Well… I guess that this Hakamo-o would be better if he fights defensively…"

"Korben…" Anastasia mumbled as she looked at the Hakamo-o, whose attacks gradually became slower and slower, indicating the fatigue from the battle had started to take a toll on him...

* * *

 **-Back to the battle…**

"Huff… Huff…" Korben kneeled down on the ground in order to catch his breath. After all, he tried his hardest to attack his opponent, but his opponent was able to dodge all of his attacks! And now, the fatigue from the battle had gradually overcome his body as well…

 **"Rage and fear."** Bahamut spoke up as he approached Korben, who was still catching his breath. **"During the battle, I saw these two things in your heart. Could it be that you are trying to get rid of them by driving them against me?"**

"…" Korben didn't answer Bahamut's question.

 **"I see…"** As if he had gotten the answer he wanted, Bahamut spoke up again. **"So, that explains your battle style… I can see that you are not used to the offensive battle, and you are more adapted to the defensive battle, and yet, you chose to attack me offensively because you want to get rid of, not only rage and fear, but also the greater fear in your heart."**

"G… Greater fear?!" Korben spoke up after hearing Bahamut's words.

 **"… Before I appeared, your body and heart were consumed by rage and fear, possibly from the terrible fate you are facing."** Bahamut continued speaking. **"But for some reason, you were able to suppress your rage and fear into yourself… For the time being… However, while you were able to conceal them, a new unpleasant feeling has emerged in your heart. It is the feeling of greater fear. You fear that you will soon unable to suppress rage and fear you have. You fear that your body, your heart and your soul will be completely consumed by the rage and fear you hold in your heart. All of this is a great fuel for the greater fear that is generated out of your subconscious."**

"…" Korben said nothing after hearing the words of Bahamut.

 **"Fear is one of the most powerful feelings."** Bahamut continued speaking. **"Just only itself is enough to make a great difference. I don't blame you for feeling fear, as feeling fear is a proof that you are still alive. However, sometimes, you will have to learn to face your fear."**

"Face your fear…" Korben mumbled before looking at the dragon in the golden armor suit in front of him. "I understand what you mean, but… I don't know how."

 **"I won't tell you how."** Bahamut said. **"Only you know how to face the fear within your heart."**

"Only… me…" Korben mumbled before he closed his eyes and tried to think of what he feared right now. Currently, the greatest fear he had was the rage and fear that were suppressed in his heart. He knew that one day he wouldn't be able to suppress them anymore, and so, he will have to get rid of them…

But how?

A battle against his opponent? No. A battle would only serve as a fuel of his rage. It won't do anything good for the rage and fear in his heart…

A comfort from his comrade? Not really… Sure, a comfort from his friends could help him with his rage and fear. But he couldn't rely on them forever. He must learn to rely on himself, or else he will never become independent.

So… Without a way to drive rage and fear out of his body, there's only one way left to deal with them…

He had to accept them…

He had to accept the feeling of rage and fear in his heart…

"…" Korben braced himself as he slowly released the feeling of rage and fear from his heart, little by little, and let them gradually consume his body. This made a feeling of greater fear he had gradually become stronger, but at the same time, it also sparkled something in his body…

However, the thing that sparkled in his body wasn't a new feeling, but it was…

"!"

"K… Korben! Y… You…"

Everyone except for Bahamut and Sirius suddenly spoke up with a surprised voice as they saw the Hakamo-o's body started glowing with a faint blue light, and the faint veil of light started cloaking his body as well!

"T… That's just like…" Rachael mumbled. "W… When Jasper and Zenpai… became the Hero of Legend…"

Despite the words of the Latias, Korben didn't become the Hero of Legend. Instead, he, like when everyone became the Hero/ine of Legend, was granted a greater power, but it wasn't the power of legend. It was the power that was generated within his body…

"Everyone!" Freya spoke up and pointed her paw at Korben. "L… Look at that!"

Everyone looked at Korben again and realized that the Hakamo-o was gradually changing! His tail became longer. His body became larger and more muscular. His arms and legs grew larger. The scales that covered his body became larger and the amount of the scales increased.

"RAAAWWWWRRRR!"

The light blue aura and the veil of light that covered Korben's body disappeared as Korben finished changing, leaving a single Pokemon there. However, the Pokemon who was standing there wasn't Korben the Hakamo-o… Or it could be said that… Korben the Hakamo-o didn't exist anymore.

 **"… Finally."** Bahamut mumbled as he silently observed the Pokemon in front of him.

The Pokemon who appeared at the place where Korben the Hakamo-o was was a large bipedal, reptilian Pokemon covered in scaly armor. Most parts of his body were gray except for some parts, such as several scales that covered his body in the different parts, such as his arms, his neck, and parts of his torso, which were part yellow. A few scales were partly red, such as the scales that covered both of his paws. His claws were also yellow, and the lower part of his legs were black. His shoulders were covered in some white fur. At the tip of his tail were several scales of different sizes that encircled the tail itself. The most outstanding part on his body was his head. On his head were several yellow scales (And some of them were partly red just like the scales that covered his paws) that formed into a shape of a crown, making him look like a king or something similar.

Overall, this Pokemon was actually Korben, but not Korben the Hakamo-o, as he was…

"Korben…" Freya was the first one who spoke up after seeing Korben's evolution. "Y… You evolve?"

"…" Korben carefully inspected his new form. Right now, he was no more Korben the Hakamo-o. He was now Korben the Kommo-o.

"Right…" Claura spoke up. "Korben… You have evolved into a Kommo-o, your final evolutionary form."

"I… am now… a Kommo-o…" Korben said as he looked at his arms, his legs, his body and his tail. He was still not used to his new body at all. "I… I did it."

 **"Right."** Bahamut spoke up. **"You have learned to accept your rage and fear within your heart. With this, your potential has unlocked your true power and grants you a new form. All of this is because of you."**

"No…" Korben spoke up before he bowed down at the dragon in the golden armor suit in front of him. "It was you who I must thank, the great Bahamut. It was you who taught me to handle the painful feelings within my heart and gave me a chance to achieve a greater power. And so… My gratitude is yours, the great Bahamut."

 **"Just Bahamut is enough. The same thing applies to all of you."** Bahamut said as he shifted his attention to other 11 Pokemon who were watching the battle.

"So…" Diego spoke up. "This is your real objective of this battle… You didn't want to test Korben's power, but you want Korben to evolve into his final form."

 **"…"** Bahamut didn't make any gesture to suggest that he accepted or he denied the words of the Mega Charizard X.

"But…" Xavier spoke up. "You didn't come here just because you want a single to evolve, right? After all… You had just killed Archsage Iris."

 **"Do you have a problem with that?"** Bahamut asked with an emotionless voice.

"For me, no." Xavier spoke up.

 **"Good."** Bahamut said. **"But I don't care if you are having a problem with my doing or not, because that isn't my main concern right now."**

"Your main concern?" Zetarus repeated the words he and everyone had just heard.

 **"… You all are the Pokemon who has experienced it first-handed, so you must know how terrible it was…"** Bahamut said and waved his arms from in front of him to the right of him, showing everyone the dreadful picture behind him that everyone had already seen, the picture of the ruined Hidden Village of Dragon.

"…You mean… The Dragon Massacre?" Snow spoke up.

 **"Correct."** Bahamut said. **"This horrible incidence is the cause of almost all of my people's death, and the cause of this terrible tragedy is the Slave of Legend, and so, they are the one responsible for this, and they must pay the price of their action with their misery beyond redemption."**

"B… But…" Anastasia spoke up. "T… The Hero of Legend who c… caused this… H… He is already…"

 **"I know that."** Bahamut said. **"But while the Slave of Legend who's responsible of this incidence is already dead, there are still other Slave of Legend being allowed to tarnish this world."**

"But they aren't responsible for this!" Rachael said. "And they don't do anything wrong too."

 **"'They don't do anything wrong too.'?! Hm! Don't make me laugh!"** Bahamut said with a hint of resentment in his voice. **"Think of what those Slaves of Legend did before speaking to me like that!"**

"!" Everyone went silent after hearing the words of Bahamut. It made them think of Iris' words before she died, about the demonic action that the Hero/ine of Legend had done…

 **"Now you understand what I mean."** Bahamut said. **"Those Slaves of Legend are the creatures that shouldn't exist by any mean. They are the mistake that Arceus had created in the past. And so, it's us who have to bear the consequence of their mistake."**

"And…" Diego spoke up. "What do you really want?"

 **"…Of 14 Slaves of Legend in the past, ten were already dead, and four remain."** Bahamut continued speaking. **"And I am sure that they are or will be the source of the tragedy in the future."**

"Wait…" Rachael spoke up. "D… Don't tell me that…"

 **"Right."** Bahamut nodded. **"The remaining Slaves of Legend… They aren't allowed to exist in this world anymore. It's time for them to face their sin and return to where they came from, the deepest pit of hell."**

* * *

"You want us…" Snow spoke up. "… To kill the remaining Hero/ine of Legend?"

 **"No."** Bahamut answered. **"This is what I am planning to do, to kill… No, to obliterate the remaining Slave of Legend from this realm."**

"You plan… to kill them?" Freya said. "Why?"

 **"I already answered that."** Bahamut said. **"Those Slaves of Legend are nothing but the evil spirits in the forms of everyone's saviors, and they shouldn't exist in this world anymore."**

"T… That isn't true!" Rachael spoke up. "T… There are still some good Hero/ine of Legend! Not all of them are bad!"

 **"… I don't know what are you talking about."** Bahamut continued speaking. **"But what I am talking about is the remaining Slaves of Legend from the time of the Fallen Crisis…"**

"The remaining Hero/ine of Legend from the time of the Fallen Crisis?" Richard repeated the words he had just heard. "Do you mean Garland, Fenrir, Zira and Tyrus?"

 **"Right."** Bahamut said. **"However, doing alone won't be fair to all of you, and so, I offer you a chance to get rid of them."**

"W… WHAT?!" Rachael, Richard, Freya, Snow and Anastasia spoke up out loud after hearing the words of the Pokemon in the golden armor suit.

"One question." Xavier spoke up. "What you mean by 'doing alone won't be fair to us'?"

 **"The cause of the horrible incidence you all faced, the Dragon Massacre, is one of the Slave of Legend, and so, this will be a chance for you all to counter their action and erase the vengeance of you all."** Bahamut answered.

"But…" Rachael said with a hesitate voice.

 **"I can't say that I understand your feeling, because I don't."** Bahamut continued speaking. **"But if you are hesitating about this, think about the words of that bxxxh I killed earlier. She did confirm that they had just started to show their true self, their true side of evil. And didn't you see what those Slaves of Legend had already caused. If they continue to exist, this realm would surely fall into the realm of evilness."**

"But… Are you really sure that the Hero/ine of Legend are truly evil?" Richard asked.

 **"I have lived over 3,000 years already, and that's enough for me to see the true side of them."** Bahamut answered.

"…" Everyone said nothing after hearing the words of Bahamut.

 **"But again, I don't care if you all will do it or not, because it doesn't matter to me."** Bahamut said. **"Whether you do it or not, they all will die no matter what."**

"… I don't understand…" Baromyteus spoke up after saying nothing for quite some time. "What benefit will you get from doing this?"

 **"…I did this to avenge my people who died from the action of those Slaves of Legend."** Bahamut answered.

"And if that's true… Then I even don't understand about you more." Baromyteus continued speaking. "As far as I heard about you, you were living in the Hidden Village of Dragon since the day it was found until you mysteriously disappeared from this place, and you aren't even there when this village faced their final moment. What kind of 'savior' you are!"

 **"… You still have a long way to go."** Bahamut slowly said. **"And I would say that the reason why I left this place in the first place isn't because I don't care about this place anymore, and the reason why I am not here during the Dragon Massacre is because the mistake I made. I knew nothing about the Dragon Massacre when it occurred. If I could just have a vision of what will happen to this place, I would surely rush back to defend this village. But… When I knew about the Dragon Massacre, it was too late. The barrier was already formed over the Valley of No Return. That's the mistake I made, and I greatly regret about it. And so, I pledged to myself not to make the same mistake again."**

"And so… This action is just your selfish desire to undo the mistake you made by killing other Pokemon instead…" Baromyteus spoke with a sarcastic voice. "Am I correct?"

 **"I can't help it."** Bahamut said. **"The dragons of Hidden Village of Dragon died in vain, and I can't do anything to save them. This is the least I can do for them."**

"…" Everyone said nothing after hearing the words of the dragon in the golden armor suit. Bahamut was right. The dragons of Hidden Villageof Dragon all died in vain, with nothing good happened, even to the one who killed them. Did they really deserve this? Did they deserve to die in vain?

"… There's one more thing that I don't understand." Rachael spoke up. "Why can't we just talk to them about this? Violent is one of the worst solutions to any problem, and there's other ways that are much better than this!"

 **"But would those Slaves of Legend be willing to oblige to pay for the crime they committed, especially since they all always think that they are always right, just like that one slave who brought the destruction upon this place"** Bahamut said. **"Moreover, there's no other path for all of you, the whole world has already become your enemy, so there's no other way for you to run except for turning back and fight."**

"What do you mean by 'the whole world has already become your enemy'?" Richard asked.

 **"Think of who you are first."** Bahamut answered.

"…" Everyone was silenced by simple but powerful words of Bahamut, as they had just realized the status of them right now. As, among them, Rachael and Richard were the orphan who wandered the continent without a place to call home, Zetarus and Diego were the wanted criminal who had a plan to commit a regicide, Claura and Xavier were the dragons who failed a mission from their queen, Anastasia and Baromyteus were the dragons who betrayed Hero/ine of Legend and the whole world of Pokemon during the Fallen Crisis, Freya and Snow, with Snow being unaware of this, were the member of a royal family who was created badly despite their status of nobility, Korben was the last living Pokemon from the Hidden Village of Dragon, and Sirius was an experimental specie that was created as a tool of war. No matter what they thought, they weren't the Pokemon who belonged to Symmetria, not anymore…

And this didn't count that over half of them were…

"…" Rachael, Richard, Zetarus, Diego, Claura, Xavier, Anastasia and Baromyteus unconsciously reached their paw to their Dragon Relic respectively.

 **"… As I thought…"** Bahamut spoke up after seeing the action of 8 of 12 dragons in front of him. **"Over half of you even already have chosen to turn their back against this world."**

"W… What do you mean by—?" Freya asked, but her question was interrupted when the Garchomp spoke up.

"Freya." Zetarus spoke up with a grim voice. "Other than me being a wanted criminal of Dustorm Empire who wants to murder our father, there's more reason why I don't want you to get close to me, Freya."

"B… Brother?" Freya looked at her elder brother.

"It's because I have already chosen to live a life of an outcast." Zetarus said. "I knew that I will have to walk this path since the day I chose to form a pact."

"Form a pact… Huh?!" Freya suddenly gasped as she realized what her elder brother tried to say. "Y… You didn't mean that you have formed a pact with Legendary Pokemon at the cost of being cursed to lose something in your life?"

"Yes." Instead of the Garchomp, it was the Mega Charizard X who answered the Flygon's question. "And apparently, your brother isn't the only one around here who did something like that."

"Right." Richard spoke up. "Your brother and Diego… Anastasia and Baromyteus… Claura and Xavier… Rachael and I… All of us are the Pokemon who had formed a pact with Legendary Pokemon."

"I… It can't be!" Freya said with a shock expression in her voice, as she was greatly shocked by the revelation of her friends!

"I… I remember that I have read about the Pokemon who have chosen to form a pact with Legendary Pokemon before…" Snow spoke up. "But… To think that I would meet one…"

"What are you guys talking about? Forming a pact… What the heck is that?!" Korben said as he seemed to know nothing about this.

"…" Sirius didn't say anything or show any expression. It seemed like it known what Zetarus and others were talking about, but he still didn't react to it.

 **"… That's what I am talking about…"** Bahamut spoke up again. **"Over half of you have already chosen to live a life of an outcast. Every Pokemon fears the Pokemon who forms a pact with Legendary Pokemon, as they view them as a demon who trades their soul for power, and with the fear in their heart, they would immediately brand them as an evil Pokemon and turn their back upon them. I am sure that you all knew about this since the moment you chose this path, right?"**

"…" Rachael, Richard, Zetarus, Diego, Claura, Xavier, Anastasia and Baromyteus said nothing.

 **"… You all seem to have a lot to think, so I won't force you to decide right now."** Bahamut said before he turned his back to the 12 dragons that he was speaking to. **"Take your time to think about this. Meanwhile, I will go back into the Hidden Village of Dragon, in their current condition, to see the result of my mistake. If you need anything, you can find me there."**

After finished speaking, Bahamut was about to walk away before he seemed to remember something. He then pointed his paw toward the lifeless body of Archsage Iris and made it suddenly disappear! **"The corpse of this Slave of Legend doesn't deserve to be here, in the sacred Valley of No Return. And so, I sent her back to the place where she came from."**

Bahamut then walked toward the ruined Hidden Village of Dragon, leaving Korben, Claura, Xavier, Anastasia, Baromyteus, Diego, Zetarus, Rachael, Richard, Freya, Snow and Sirius at the place they were, and left themselves in their thought…

* * *

Twelve dragons stood in a circle, looking at each other. They were the dragons that survived The Dragon Massacre. Over half of them were the dragons who chose to turn their back to Symmetria, and all of them are the one whom Symmetria had turned its back to. And now, they were standing at the crossroad, where they must choose the path for them to go on. But… After all that happened, there wasn't many paths for them to choose, and deep in their heart, all of them knew what path they must choose for them to go on

"… Well, what do you think, everyone?" Xavier was the one who broke the silence several minutes after Bahamut left them. "Right now, we have nothing else to do, so we must move on. But which way will we go?"

"No matter which way we choose, there's one thing that we know…" Zetarus spoke up. "Symmetria is not a place for us anymore."

"Right, because they betrayed us." Claura said. "I don't consider Symmetria as my own place in the first place, but their betrayal is too far for me to easily forgive them."

"And over half of us have already chosen to turn back to the continent of Symmetria." Richard said. "Even if we try to return, we couldn't."

"I… It's just like the name of the valley we are in… Valley of No Return…" Rachael said.

"And for those Hero/ine of Legend…" Diego said. "… While they are the one who saved Symmetria from the Fallen Crisis, their action right now is… unacceptable."

"Their action in the past doesn't matter now." Anastasia said. "The past is in the past. Now, we have to look at the present."

"And so, I will do it." Baromyteus spoke up. "After all, the world has branded me as a bad guy, and those Hero/ine of Legend are already my enemies. And… If I do this, I will be able to avenge for the dragons who died in The Dragon Massacre."

"Me too." Claura spoke up. "Those Hero/ine of Legend are just good-for-nothing scoundrels who pretend to be everyone's saviors, and I can't accept this!"

"Well… That's just because we already hate those Hero/ine of Legend for what they had done to our Grandparents, Claura…" Xavier spoke up. "And that's why I will do it too. Plus, I won't say no to a brawl with those Hero/ine of Legend. I just wonder how their intestine looks like, and what will happen if I draw it out while they are still alive. Hm… Maybe I should go with their heart or their brain as well…"

"Count me in." Zetarus spoke up. "Like this Baromyteus guy, I was already being made a bad guy, and my current mission is to kill the current Emperor of Dustorm Empire, who is also our target too. And after this… I can't return anymore, and so I must move on."

"And I will do it too." Diego spoke up. "Like you, Zetarus, I can say that I am not a good guy. And my own objective was already over… And this… I am sure that this is my new objective… This is the path I chose, and no matter what, I will never turn back."

"… Everyone in this village… They did nothing wrong, and yet they have to die in vain…" Rachael spoke up. "I… I can't leave it like this… I can't leave them to die in vain… They really don't deserve this… And so… No matter how painful it is… I will do it… So that everyone will not die in vain…"

"… I once thought that Symmetria is a place that my sister and I could call home…" Richard spoke up. "But it was a lie. Symmetria has destroyed this village, a place for us to call home. I won't allow it. I will not allow Symmetria to take anything else from us… So… I will do it… For everyone whose life has fallen… And for my sister's sake…"

"… It's true that I don't have a love for death and killing…" Anastasia said. "But if we don't do anything about it… More people will suffer… I don't want everyone else to suffer from this… Only us and everyone is more than enough… And so… I will do it…"

After Baromyteus, Claura, Xavier, Diego, Zetarus, Rachael, Richard and Anastasia made up their mind, they turned their attention to the remaining four Pokemon, all who weren't, unlike them, the Pokemon who hadn't formed a pact with Legendary Pokemon. "What would you all do? We know that our choice of forming a pact with Legendary Pokemon may make us look like a bad guy to all of you—"

"No." Korben was the first one who spoke up. "For me, I don't even know anything about forming a pact that you all are talking about, so that doesn't matter to me. And for me… My home was destroyed, and my family and my friends were killed, this makes the world outside this valley my enemy, and with my new power, I swear that I won't let them go without paying for what they have done."

"…" Baromyteus, Anastasia, Claura, Xavier, Zetarus, Diego, Rachael and Richard nodded to the decision of the Kommo-o.

"And what about you?" Xavier asked as he turned his attention to the next Pokemon, Snow. "Unlike Korben, you know how terrible our action of forming a pact is, and thus, you don't have to stick with us if you don't want to…"

"No." Snow suddenly spoke up. "I will join you too."

"Are you sure?" Korben asked. "You don't have to feel that I own you after I saved your life, because you have already repaid me by fighting with us during the Dragon Massacre.

"Moreover… " Claura said. "Don't you view us as an evil Pokemon like what other Pokemon of Symmetria do?"

"… If they say that you all are vice and evil, then I am evil as well, for my body is also considered abomination." Snow said and looked at his draconic body. "I have no memory of my past life, and in this life, I have already decided that this is my path, for that all of you have earned my loyalty."

"…" Again, everyone nodded to the decision of the Draconic Lapras, and then they turned their attention to the 'last' Pokemon, Freya.

"…" Freya said nothing even when she knew that everyone's attention was at her. All she did was looking down at the ground and didn't show her face to anyone.

"Freya…" Rachael slowly asked the Flygon. "Will you… join us?"

"I…" Freya slowly answered. "I can't…"

"!" Everyone was shocked by the decision of the Flygon, and this would mean that Freya's feeling toward them after learning that they had formed a pact with Legendary Pokemon was...

"I see…" Zetarus spoke up. "Then…"

"N… No!" Freya said. "I… I didn't mean that I hate or despise all of you."

"Then, why?" Korben asked. "Why didn't you decide to join us too?"

"B… Because I'm not worth it…" Freya answered, and her answer gave an expression of shock to everyone, as this wasn't the answer they expected.

"W… What do you mean by that?" Rachael asked. "Why wouldn't you worth joining us?"

"B… Because I am just an ordinary Pokemon with no special power, a… and all of you are the Pokemon who has a power of Legendary Pokemon…" Freya answered. "I… I couldn't bring myself to join with the one with such a great power like you all… I… I can't…"

"…" Freya's answer made everyone speechless, especially for Zetarus and Diego, because both of them knew about Freya's terrible past, which caused her to suffer from a great insecurity.

"… Hey, Freya…"

"… ?" Freya turned her head to the one who called her name, who was happening to be the Pokemon who had just recently evolved to their final form.

"Why do you think that you aren't worth us?" Korben asked with a gentle voice.

"B… Because I…" Freya answered. "Because I… I am just an ordinary Pokemon with no special power…"

"And does that really matter?" Korben asked.

"I… It is…" Freya mumbled.

"No, it isn't." Korben said. "While you may don't have the power that everyone has, you have another power that rivals the power that they have."

"W… What are you…" Freya said.

"Freya, remember after we woke up?" Korben asked. "After learning about the Dragon Massacre, I nearly lost my mind, and if it wasn't because of you, I will never be able to face it. This is the power you have, Freya, and you should be proud of it."

"I…" Freya said.

"If you still doubt your power, then, at least, why don't we join us for now?" Korben suggested. "And when the time comes, I am sure that you will be able to make up your mind."

"…" Freya said nothing, but she gave the Kommo-o a small nod, indicating that she decided to join up with them.

"And so…" Baromyteus said. "Everyone has already made up their mind—"

"..."

"Hm?" Rachael and Richard interrupted Baromyteus' words when they noticed that something had gently touched their body, and when they looked at it, they realized that it was none other than Sirius.

"Sirius?" Rachael said as she and Richard looked at the Type: Null.

"…" While Sirius didn't say anything, it looked at Rachael and Richard with its eyes filled with a strong feeling of something, and apparently, Rachael and Richard were able to interpret what it was trying to say.

"You want to join us too?" Richard said.

"…" Sirius nodded to the Latios.

"Then—" Richard was about to continue speaking, but his words were interrupted by the voice of the Kommo-o.

"NO!" Korben suddenly roared out with an expression of anger in his voice. "I won't allow it!"

"K… Korben…" Rachael and everyone turned their attention to the angry Kommo-o. "W… Why not?!"

"Didn't you remember what this… thing did?!" Kommo-o said and pointed his paw at Sirius. "It was the thing that killed many of the dragons in the Hidden Village of Dragon, and it was the thing that killed grandpa too!"

"I… It wasn't Sirius's fault!" Rachael said. "Sirius was just forced to do that! Sirius didn't really want to kill everyone!"

"How could you tell that?! This thing couldn't even speak!" Korben continued speaking. "And moreover, how could you sure that this thing really wants to help us? What if it joins us just because it will stab us in the back later?!"

"That will never happen!" Rachael said. "Sirius will never do anything like that!"

"…" Sirius looked down at the ground after hearing the words of the Kommo-o.

"… Then…" Before Korben or Rachael could say anything else, Baromyteus spoke up. "… Since there are 11 of us except for this creature…" Baromyteus glanced at Sirius for a second before turning his attention to everyone else. "… We will vote that we will allow this creature to join us or not. The side that gets over half of all votes will be the winner. Do you agree with that?"

"Hm! Fine…" Korben grumbled.

"B… But…" Rachael spoke up. "W… What if the result of this vote says that Sirius couldn't join us?"

"Then, as the result says, it couldn't join us." Baromyteus said. "And I will kill it too."

"W… WHAT?!" Rachael cried out after hearing the words of the Shiny Haxorus. "W… Why?! Why do you have to kill Sirius?"

"Because if this creature isn't with us, there's a very high chance that it will fall into the enemy's grasp again." Baromyteus said. "And to prevent that, I will have to nip in the bud."

"No!" Rachael said.

"Or would you prefer that I kill this creature right now?" Baromyteus said with a creepy voice.

"EEEAAAEEE!" Rachael quickly got away from Baromyteus and hid behind her elder brother.

"Now, no more talking." Baromyteus said. "I will count one to three. The one who wish for this creature to join us, raise your paw."

"…1…"

"…2…"

"…3!"

After the count reached 3, several paws were raised into the air. Two of them, of course, belonged to Rachael and Richard, but there were paws that belonged to someone other than both of them too.

"Let's see…" Baromyteus said as he looked around and counted the paws that were raised. "… 1… 2... 3… 4… 5... 6… 7… 8."

"What?!" Korben was shocked as he looked at the Pokemon who raised their paw again. They were Rachael, Richard, Zetarus, Diego, Claura, Xavier, Anastasia and Baromyteus. In summary, over half of them decided to let Sirius joined the team!

"!" Sirius seemed to be surprised after it had learned the result of the vote.

"W… Why?!" Korben said and looked at the six Pokemon who raised their paw. "Why did you…"

"For Rachael and me, we have already told you the reason why." Richard said.

"For me, I know that this creature really didn't want to kill everyone, but it was forced to do it…" Anastasia said. "It was just like when…"

"… When we were forced to betray the Hero/ine of Legend." Baromyteus said. "And so, this creature and I are not much different than each other, and if I can join the team, this creature would too."

"For me, this creature is just a pawn of fate." Zetarus answered.

"Yeah." Diego nodded to Zetarus's words. "Fate is cruel. It could direct us to the path that's against our will, and now, in the moment that the tide of fate is no more relevant, we might as well not bar the path it chooses."

"For me, it's not that I really want this creature to join us or anything like that…" Claura said. "But as Baromyteus said, if we decide against allowing this creature to join us, it would make us our enemy, and we will have to spill another wasteful blood in this place…"

"Me too…" Xavier said. "Moreover, I know somebody else who has done much worse than this creature, so their action is just a tiny bit compare to that."

"I… It can't be…" Korben said after he heard the answer from everyone.

"Korben, you lost." Richard said. "Accept it."

"H… Hm! Of course I will." Korben said. "After all, everyone is equal to each other, and so, no matter how much I hate it, I will accept this decision… For now."

After finished speaking, Korben glared at Sirius and pointed his paw at it. "But if you even dare to show your unfaithfulness to us, I will be the first one who beat the cxxp out of you! Remember my words!"

"…" Sirius slowly nodded to the angry Kommo-o.

"Hm!" Korben grumbled again and turned his face away.

"And so…" Rachael said and turned her attention to Sirius. "Congratulation, Sirius!"

"Right." Richard said as he looked at Sirius too. "I am glad that you could join us."

"…" Sirius nodded to Rachael and Richard.

"Now, everyone has made their decision." Baromyteus spoke up. "And our decision result in that all of us will agree to walk this path."

"And so…" Claura looked at other 11 Pokemon here. "This makes us a group of Dragon type Pokemon who seek to get rid of the Hero/ine of Legend, hm?"

"Yes. We are together again." Anastasia said.

"Next…" Baromyteus said. "This would mean that…"

* * *

"… After the Dragon Massacre, we have suffered so much…" Freya said.

"Many lives were lost, and their deaths were in vain…" Snow said.

"The cause of this tragedy is the corruption of Hero/ine of Legend, who think of themselves as someone who is always right." Claura said.

"But in the truth, they aren't. And we will prove them that they aren't" Xavier said.

"For the sake of the dragons who died in The Dragon Massacre… For everyone in the Hidden Village of Dragon… They must be stopped." Korben said.

"…" Sirius said nothing.

"And in order to do that, we have to stop running away…" Rachael said.

"We will not run away anymore. This time, we will have to fight…" Richard said.

"But… Fighting against those Hero/ine of Legend will not only making them our enemies, but the whole continent of Symmetria will see us as evil creatures…" Zetarus said.

"And we will not give a damn, as we have already chosen to walk this path. Some of us even chose this path a long time ago… A path of an outcast…" Diego said.

"And no matter what, this time, we will not regret our decision, because this is the decision we make by ourselves." Anastasia said.

"The decision made by the dragons who survived The Dragon Massacre… Together, we will teach Symmetria and those Hero/ine of Legend the pain it had inflicted upon us!" Baromyteus said and let our a roar.

"GAAAAARRRRRWWWW!"

"RAAAAWWWRRRRRRRR!"

After Baromyteus let out a roar, everyone else did the same thing too, even for Rachael, Richard, Freya and Snow who never did this before… But now, they were able to do it without any hesitation in their heart…

Because this symbolized their strong belief in their decision and their cause...

For the path they had chosen…

For their unweaving decision…

* * *

 _The roar of 12 dragons echoed through the whole Valley of No Return, scaring all wild Pokemon who has been living in this place…_

 _And soon, this roar will reach every corner of the continent of Symmetria, scaring its residents as well too…_

 _Soon… Symmetria and its people will learn the fear for the sin they have committed…_

 _They will be taught a lesson of a great fear… By a group of dragons who survived The Dragon Massacre…_

 _A group of dragons… That would later be recorded in the history as the mortal enemies of the Hero/ine of Legend who stroked fear into the heart of everyone and everywhere on the continent of Symmetria…_

 _This is the birth of them…_

 _The birth of… Pendragon…_

 **To Be Continued…**

* * *

 **Dragon of Vale: Finally, this chapter is done… It took me several weeks to write this chapter as so many things happened in this chapter… Archsage Iris appears again… And dies. Bahamut finally makes a proper appearance in this chapter, despite that we still haven't learned much about him, but he will become one of the most important characters in this story later on. Korben finally evolves into a Kommo-o at last! Yay! And m** **oreover, this chapter also possessed one of the most important events in this story, The Birth of Pendragon.**

 **Also… Not only this chapter has a very important event, but the day this chapter was published is one year after the prologue of A Dragon's Tail was published. In short, this chapter served as a one-year anniversary to A Dragon's Tail! I think this chapter really suits for being the one-year anniversary chapter because a very important event occurs in this chapter.**

 **And so, because this chapter is one-year anniversary, I would like to thank everyone who has read this story, as well as everyone who has supported me during this one year. All of you mean a lot to me! And for this story… It still has a long way to go, and I hope that you all will continue to support me! Thanks again!**


	66. Intermission I-4: RuinsofPendracomonium

**A Dragon's Tail**

 **Intermission I: Freya's Tail - Arrogance**

 **Intermission I-4: Ruins of Pendracomonium**

"…"

In the ruined Hidden Village of Dragon of Dragon, a mysterious dragon in a golden armor suit was standing at the center square alone. He slowly gazed around the ruins that were once a place that the dragons who survived the Apocalypse, as well as their descendants, lived together in harmony without associating with the outside world, and the one who brought those dragons to this place, to Valley of No Return, and created this village was none other than himself, Bahamut.

For some reason, Bahamut had mysteriously disappeared from the Valley of No Return some time after Hidden Village of Dragon was found, and he remained in the disappearance until now, when he was able to come back to the place he created for the first time in a long while, but… It was already too late.

Almost everyone who lived in this village had died… And the whole village was destroyed, leaving only a crumbling ruin as a sight of a once-existed village of Dragon type Pokemon…

"…"

Behind the golden helmet that the mysterious dragon wore, no one was able to see his expression after having witnessed the fate of Hidden Village of Dragon. Was he angry? Was he sad? Was he fear? No one would ever know… However, there's one thing that almost everyone would be able to grasp about his current emotion… His emotion right now surely wasn't a positive emotion…

"RRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!"

"!" Bahamut turned his attention to the south of where he was right now, which was also the place where the sound of the Dragon's Roar originated from. It wasn't hard for him to grasp that the Dragon's Roar he heard right now was generated from not only a single dragon. In fact, he could even figure out that the sound of Dragon's Roar he heard was generated by twelve dragons…

"…So, that's their decision…" Bahamut mumbled. "… I see… Then…"

Bahamut then looked up at the crimson sky above the Valley of No Return, before…

"KARRRRRRRRRRRAAAAARRRRRRWWWWWAARRRR!"

Bahamut let out a roar, which joined up with the roar of other 12 dragons, creating a very powerful roar that echoed through everywhere in the Valley of No Return, striking fear into the heart of other living creature within the whole valley.

The roar continued for a few second before it ended, making the whole Valley of No Return calm and silent again. However, within the heart of the dragons who let out the roar earlier, their heart wasn't calm at all. Instead, their heart was beating fast, as if their inner spirit had been awakened…

"… It seems like my work here is almost done… And it means that… I have gotten myself another work to do…" Bahamut mumbled to himself after the Dragon's Roar ended. "And the next thing that I must do is…"

* * *

"… Assigning the role to each of us, this is the first thing that we must do." Richard spoke up. "Each of us possesses different skills, abilities and attributes, so assigning the role will help maximizing our performance."

"… I don't understand most of your words, Richard." Zetarus said.

"Basically, he means that we must choose someone among us to be a leader, a second-in-command and everything else." Snow said.

"Then, let's start with the role of a leader and a second-in-command of the Pendragon." Korben spoke up. "Who could they be?"

"Honestly…" Richard spoke up. "Among us, there are only two people who could lead of the Pendragon, Claura and Baromyteus."

"Why us?!" Claura and Baromyteus spoke up at the same time, before both of them turned their face to face each other with a blood-hungry look on their face.

"ARE YOU TRYING TO STEAL MY WORDS, YOU DRAGON JERKY?!" Claura roared at Baromyteus.

"AND SINCE WHEN DID YOU BECOME THE OWNER OF THOSE WORDS, YOU SALTY SEAHORSE?!" Baromyteus roared at Claura.

"Sigh…" Richard facepalmed himself while the other members of the Pendragon had a single drop of sweat appearing on their head. It seemed like, even after they had passed the moment of crisis together, Claura and Baromyteus still didn't seem to get along with each other, or will in a near future.

Among them, there was only one dragon who didn't seem to be concerned with the action of the Kingdra and the Shiny Haxorus...

"This is perfect." Xavier spoke up. "Claura and Baromyteus, one of you can be our leader and the other being our second-in-command."

"WHAT?!" Claura and Baromyteus stopped bickering with each other for a second as they turned their attention to the Dragonite, but once they realized that both of them had just spoke the same word again, they then turned their attention back to each other and was about to resume their bickering when Xavier continued speaking first.

"Because both of you are the two best candidates for being our leader." Xavier said.

"Hm! Fine!" Claura said and turned her attention to Baromyteus. "Listen, you Dragon Jerky, I will be the second-in-command, and you will be the leader of the Pendragon!"

"Why the hell I have to be the leader while you are the second-in-command?!" Baromyteus said. "And more importantly, why should I listen to what you say, you Salty Seahorse?!"

"Because you are OLDER than me." Claura answered and emphasized her word at the 'older' part. "And I am sure that someone as prideful as you won't be able to forgive yourself if you have to work under my lead."

"Yes! I would never do that!" Baromyteus said. "But aren't you proud of your pride?! Would you be able not to damn yourself for being under my lead?!"

"You speak as if you know me that well!" Claura said. "Now shut up and accept it!"

"Hm! Fine!" Baromyteus said. "But don't blame me if you find my leading unacceptable later!"

"Of course! I would never do that!" Claura said.

"…" The other members of the Pendragon watched the bickering between Claura and Baromyteus without saying anything, as it made them speechless. While their action and their words made it seem like both Claura and Baromyteus were angry with each other, the content of their speech spoke otherwise…

Did Claura and Baromyteus really hate each other?

"... And how long are all of you going to stand like a lifeless puppet?!" Baromyteus' voice snapped everyone out of their thought and dragged them back to reality.

"Right." Claura said. "Move it! Now, after we finally get a leader and a second-in-command of the Pendragon, what role must we assign next?"

"I think the next role would be… a strategist, someone who will come up with a plan for us." Diego said. "And who should it be?"

"And again…" Rachael spoke up. "Among all of us, I think Onii-chan and Xavier are the two best candidates for being the strategist of the Pendragon."

"And between them, Richard is more knowledgeable, while Xavier is wiser." Claura commented. "In conclusion, both of them have one strength and one weakness…"

"…" Richard and Xavier said nothing after hearing the words of their friends.

"Then, why don't we make both of them strategists of the Pendragon? Having two strategists will surely be better than having only one." Rachael suggested.

"N… No." Freya spoke up. "While having two strategists seem better than one, but what if it comes to a point where they disagree with the plan of each other?"

"Right." Richard spoke up. "Disagreement between the strategists is inevitable if we have two strategists, and it could lead to a worse situation, so I think we should have only one strategist for the Pendragon."

"But the question is… Who?" Baromyteus said.

After Baromyteus finished his words, the whole area fell into silence as everyone was trying to think of who should be the strategist of the Pendragon. Richard, the knowledgeable Latios and the possessor of the ancient chronicle? Or Xavier, the wise Dragonite and a trained strategist from Kingdom of the Dragonking?

 **"… So… This is the path you chose…"**

"!" The majestic and powerful voice was heard by everyone, and it made everyone turn their attention to the owner of the voice, who was standing at the south of where they were right now.

"… Bahamut?" Richard was the first one who called the name of the owner of the voice, who was none other that the mysterious dragon in a golden armor suit. "I remember that you went to the ruined village to the north of where we are, and how come that you are standing at the south of where we are? I am sure that I didn't see you walking pass us."

 **"… I am not obliged to sate your curiosity, young Latios."** Bahamut answered Richard before turning his attention to everyone of the Pendragon. **"But it seems like you all are obliged to follow the same path…"**

"Right." Diego said. "We will do what we have to do, because we are the Pendragon."

 **"Pendragon? So… That's the name of your group…"** Bahamut commented. **"Not bad, I must say. And… Who is the leader of the Pendragon?"**

"This guy is the leader." Claura said and looked at Baromyteus, who did nothing other than crossing his arms and glared at Bahamut with a skeptical feeling toward him. "And I am the second-in-command of the Pendragon."

 **"I see…"** Bahamut said. **"If someone with the blood of Drawyvern becomes the leader of the Pendragon, then I have nothing to worry about you."**

"Wait a sec…" Korben spoke up. "Aren't you going to join us too?"

 **"No, I won't join up with all of you… At least for now."** Bahamut answered, but he lowered his voice at the last part of his words so that no one would be able to hear him. **"I will operate on my own, and you all operate on your own, but we will stay an ally of each other and assist each other in our mission."**

"Ally? Tsk…" Richard let out a sarcastic laugh. "And why should we trust you?"

"Onii-chan!" Rachael and some other members of the Pendragon were shocked after hearing the words of the Latios. "Why did you say something like that?"

"Because there's no guarantee that this guy is truly our ally." Richard answered. "His action is suspicious, if you ask me, and he left out most detail regarding him. He didn't even reveal us his face or his specie!"

"You doubt Bahamut just because he refused to answer your question, Richard!" Korben said.

 **"No, he is right, young Kommo-o."** Bahamut said. **"I understand that some of you may still suspect me and my action, but let me clarify my standing point right now. No matter what, I won't betray all of you and I will stay as your ally… Unless if any of you possess the Blood of Legend in your veins, then I will become your worst enemy."**

"!" Hearing the words of the Pendragon gave a clear astonished to Zetarus, Diego, Anastasia and Baromyteus, as they were the one who...

 **"… Do not be afraid."** Bahamut noticed the reaction of some members of the Pendragon and continued speaking. **"You all may be the descendants of the Hero/ine of Legend or the possessors of Blood of Legend at some point, but right now, none of you have a chance to become the Hero/ine of Legend, so you are no longer my enemies."**

"…" Hearing the words of Bahamut seemed to calm down Zetarus, Diego and Anastasia, but for Baromyteus…

"… And how did you know that some of us are either the descendants of the Hero/ine of Legend or the former possessors of Blood of Legend?" Bahamut asked with his arms crossed.

 **"The answer shall be yours one day, but not today."** Bahamut answered. **"And so, I must take my leave right now. Four Hero/ine of Legend are still roaming the world, and I still have a lot of work to do."**

After finished speaking, Bahamut turned his back to the Pendragon again and prepared to walk away when Baromyteus spoke up first.

"Wait." Baromyteus spoke up, which made Bahamut stop his movement. "Before you leave, fight me."

 **"… And for what reason that I must oblige to your request?"** Bahamut asked as he turned back to face Baromyteus and his friends.

"This is not a request. This is a challenge." Bahamut said. "Unless you are a coward who would abandon your pride, face me like a true dragon in a battle."

 **"… Very well… I accept your challenge, but not today."** Bahamut said. **"We will fight each other someday, and I trust that you can wait until that day comes, right?"**

"… And will you stay true to your words?" Baromyteus continued asking another question. "What I hate most are lies and deception, so I won't tolerate if I found any of your words bogus."

 **"… For someone who hates lies and deception to the extreme, you should have already realized whether my words are lies or not, young Haxorus."** Bahamut said.

"…" Baromyteus said nothing after hearing the words of the mysterious Pokemon in the golden armor suit.

 **"… Hearing your words reminds me of one more thing I need to tell you all before I depart."** Bahamut decided to speak up after seeing that Baromyteus didn't say anything more. **"Right now, all of you, the Pendragon, have decided to choose the path of the traitor, a traitor to the World of Pokemon. No one in this world will accept you anymore, so why don't all of you pay a visit to the shrine that once gave you solemn to the south of here? Maybe it would be able to give solemn to the traitors like all of you again this time…"**

"Traitors?! Solemn?!" Everyone said. "W… What do you mean by that?"

 **"It means that all of you, just like me, are now the traitors to the world, but not the dragonkin, which you all loyal to."** Bahamut said. **"That's the answer I have for all of you, and now. Farewell. May your claws and fangs stay sharp, and your preys stay fresh."**

"Wait!" Zetarus tried to call Bahamut again, but it was too late as suddenly, a blue veil of light appeared out of nowhere and surrounded the mysterious dragon in the golden armor suit, and when the veil of light disappeared a few second later, Bahamut was already gone.

"Geez… That axxxxxe…" Diego cursed.

"And how could he call us traitor?!" Richard said.

"But he is right, Richard. We are now the enemies of the Hero/ine of Legend, and that makes us the enemies of the whole world too, so it's understandable for us to be called like that." Xavier said. "Get used to it, Richard. After we left Valley of No Return and step back to the realm of Symmetria again, we will be called like that a lot."

"So… It's true…" Rachael spoke with a sad voice. "We have already betrayed the whole Symmetria, haven't we?"

"…" Everyone fell into silence once again after hearing the words of the Latias, because she was right. The path they chose now forever branded them as the traitors of Symmetria…

"… Hey, Rachael." Zetarus was the first one who spoke up after the moment of silence. "… Do you want to go back? You still have a chance to turn back and live your life like an ordinary Pokemon. With this, you won't have to endure the pain and suffering—"

"No, I won't go back." Rachael said. "I… I have already made up my mind. I will continue walking on this path to the end… No matter how painful it is… And so… I won't go back…"

A smile appeared on everyone's face after hearing the words of the Latias, as this meant that they will stick together to the end, and there's nothing that could tear them apart…

"And so…" Baromyteus spoke up again. "I think before we depart, that Bahamut guy said something cryptic about traitors and solemn, right?"

"Right." Richard spoke up. "He said that we should go to the shrine that we stayed during the time that the barrier was formed over Valley of No Return, for that we may find 'solemn' there, just like when we found 'solemn' there during these 3 years between now and the Dragon Massacre."

"Geez… That guy…" Zetarus said with his arms crossed. "Why can't he speaks with the words that are easier to understand?"

"And because we don't really understand what he meant by that, we should go to the shrine right now." Xavier said. "Maybe we will understand more once we get there."

"Okay." Everyone nodded to the words of the Dragonite, before they started walking toward the south of where they were right now, to the place that gave them solemn during the time between the Dragon Massacre and now, the Dragon Shrine.

* * *

 **-A Few Minutes Later…**

Twelve Pokemon slowly walked into the Dragon Shrine, a shrine located to the south of Hidden Village of Dragon. This shrine didn't only mark the southernmost area of Valley of No Return, but it was also a sacred place of the dragons who (once) lived in the village. This shrine also served a crucial role in the Dragon Massacre, which it protected the lives of 12 dragons from being brutally slaughtered.

And now, it will once again serve a crucial role for the Pendragon…

"So… That Bahamut guy wants us to come here, hm?" Diego said as he and other 11 Pokemon stepped into the Dragon Shrine once again. As they look around, they could see that there was nothing different in this shrine from the time when they stayed here for 3 whole years. The only different thing here was the lighting of the shrine. Normally, the light from outside made this shrine dim and a bit dark. When the Dragon Massacre occurred, the shrine was dark red from the battles outside. When the Pendragon woke up from their slumber, the shrine was mysteriously light blue, as if they were lulling the Pendragon not to wake up. However, right now, the inside of the Dragon Shrine was blood red, as if someone 'painted' the light that shone from outside crimson with blood.

"T… This shrine looks so scary now…" Freya commented.

"But I think this place looks rather sad instead…" Anastasia said as she looked around the shrine. "I don't know why, but the shrine right now gave me a feeling that someone is… suffering."

The Pendragon then walked around the shrine, trying to find something that would be a clue to understand Bahamut's words, however, they found none.

"… Let's inspect his words first." Baromyteus decided to speak up, turning the attention of everyone to him. "If I remember correctly, that Bahamut guy said that _'Right now, all of you, the Pendragon, have decided to choose the path of the traitor, a traitor to the World of Pokemon. No one in this world will accept you anymore, so why don't all of you pay a visit to the shrine that once gave you solemn to the south of here? Maybe it would be able to give solemn to the traitors like all of you again this time…'._ Xavier, Richard, what do you two think about this?"

"Maybe we should consider the meaning of the word 'Solemn' he mentioned first…" Xavier answered.

"…" Richard didn't answer Baromyteus' question, as he seemed to have his attention on something else…

"I see…" Baromyteus said. "And what could the meaning of 'Solemn' he mentions means?"

"I think… For the word 'solemn', he meant a place for us to stay." Diego spoke up. "After all, our mission of defeating the Hero/ine of Legend is a big one, so we need a place to stay, as our base of operation."

"A team base for us? Sound nice." Zetarus said. "At least we won't have to sleep in the wilderness anymore, and it would be good to finally have a 'home' once in a long while…"

"However, we are now the enemies of the whole Symmetria…" Snow spoke up. "And so, the only place that could serve as our base is a place that located somewhere in the Valley of No Return."

"A place in the Valley of No Return? About 4 of 5 of the valley's areas is a home of many wild Pokemon, so it's not a safe place for us to stay." Korben said. "And so, the only place that could serve as our team base is the Hidden Village of Dragon."

"That won't do." Claura said. "Hidden Village of Dragon was already destroyed, and all the single buildings there were burned down to ashes. The only building that's still remained here is this Dragon Shrine."

"So… That's why Bahamut said that we can find a solemn here…" Rachael said. "He must know that this Dragon Shrine is the only place that could serve as our team base."

"But I think this shrine is too small to serve as our base of operation." Anastasia said. "We need a larger place for all of us to stay."

"But where?" Freya asked.

"Hm…" Everyone paused their current action to think about Freya's question. It's true that the Pendragon needed a place that would serve as their base of operation, but considered that they were now the 'traitors' of the continent of Symmetria, their only choice of a place for their base is Valley of No Return. However, the majority of the area in Valley of No Return was home to many wild Pokemon, which was not a safe place to serve as their base. And so, the area of Hidden Village of Dragon was the only place that could serve as their team base. But again, because of the Dragon Massacre, all houses and buildings in the Hidden Village of Dragon were destroyed, leaving the only building in the entire Valley of No Return that still existed, the Dragon Shrine. However, the Dragon Shrine was not a proper place to serve as the Pendragon's base either… And so, what should they do?

"… Onii-chan?"

Rachael then realized something strange. When everyone was discussing about their team base, or even when Baromyteus asked for his opinion, Richard didn't even let a single word out of his mouth despite that he usually expressed his opinion when everyone was discussing something. But right now, her brother was having his attention on something else…

"…" Richard said nothing. All he did was gazing at the altar that was located at the center point of the Dragon Shrine. This altar was the very same altar that Richard used to cast a spell to create a barrier over the entire Valley of No Return.

"What's wrong, Onii-chan?" Rachael approached her elder brother and asked him a question.

"The altar…" Richard said as his attention was focused at the altar at the center point of the Dragon Shrine. "… It isn't same as before."

"What do you mean by that?" Rachael asked.

"…" Richard said nothing as he approached the altar. He then placed his paw on the altar and started inspecting it…

"Richard, what are you doing?" Baromyteus asked as everyone's attention, including him, was now on the Latios.

"… Found it." Richard said and pointed his paw at the base of the altar. There was an old inscription with several ancient alphabets being scripted there, and these alphabets weren't there when everyone woke up after a long slumber!

"The ancient inscription, hm?" Baromyteus said as he and everyone else approached the altar. "Richard, can you read it?"

"Yes." Richard said. "It says _**'When the altar has quenched its thirst with the blood of dragons, a path to the lair of the traitor shall be revealed.'"**_

"W… What?!" Freya and Rachael said after hearing the interpretation of the words on the altar.

"What does it mean by that?" Zetarus asked.

"Basically, I think if the blood of Dragon type Pokemon is dropped onto this altar, 'The lair of the traitor' shall be revealed." Richard said.

"Blood of Dragon type Pokemon, hm?" Baromyteus said. "Then, I guess my blood would do."

After finished speaking, Baromyteus walked toward the altar, and once he reached the altar, he then scratched his left arm using his claw, making his blood flow out of his arm!

"…" Baromyteus then raised his left arm over the altar, letting his blood drip onto the altar below.

And then…

"…"

"…"

"…"

"… Nothing happens." Diego said with his arms crossed.

"That's strange…" Richard said. "I think that my translation of this inscription isn't flawed… So, why?"

"… You didn't do it wrong, Richard." Xavier spoke up. "It's just that we haven't fulfilled the whole condition to 'quench the thirst' of this altar yet."

"What do you mean by that, Xavier?" Claura asked.

"Can you say the translation of the inscription again, Richard?" Xavier asked.

"Hm? Well… The inscription says 'When the altar has quenched its thirst with the blood of dragons—"

"!" An invisible exclamation mark appeared over everyone's head, as they had just realized something.

"The inscription said that, in order to quench the thirst of the altar, we need the blood of 'dragons', not 'dragon', so the blood of a single dragon isn't enough to do it."

"Then, I guess my blood would do too…" Claura said and was about to moved toward the altar when her cousin spoke up first.

"Actually, Claura…" Xavier spoke up. "Instead of using only your blood and Baromyteus', why don't we use the blood of everyone here?"

"WHAT?!" Everyone, especially Freya, Rachael and Richard, let out a voice of shock after hearing the words of the Dragonite.

"A… Are you serious?!" Richard said.

"Yes." Xavier said. "But if you don't want to donate your blood, then I will not force you to do it."

"… Fine." Richard said.

"Onii-chan…" Rachael said.

"Then, I will go first." Claura said as she approached the altar and then used the tip of her anchor to scratch her tail, letting her blood drip onto the altar.

"And then me…" Xavier said as walked up to the altar before scratched his left arms and let his blood drip onto the altar too.

"My turn." Zetarus said as he used his left claw to create a small cut on his right fin and let his blood drip onto the altar.

"Me too." Korben said as he followed what Xavier and Baromyteus did and let his blood drip onto the altar too.

"Next is…" Diego was about to scratch his left arm using his claw when he suddenly felt a sharp pain running into his spine, and the pain was generated from several sharp objects being pierced into his tail!

"ZETARUS!" Diego roared as he quickly turned back and saw Zetarus biting his tail again, however, this time, the Garchomp bit the Mega Charizard X's tail harder than before! "GET THE FXXK AWAY FROM MY TAIL YOU BXXXXXD!"

Diego then tried to punch the Garchomp using his fiery fist, but Zetarus was too fast as he quickly retreated from Zetarus' tail and moved to the altar before he spewed something from his mouth onto the altar!

"ZETARUS! WHAT THE FXXK ARE YOU DOING?!" Diego roared after seeing the action of the Garchomp.

"I just drop your blood onto the altar, Diego." Zetarus spoke with an 'innocent' voice as if he didn't do anything wrong. He then opened his mouth, showing that some of his fangs were crimson from Diego's blood that had gotten onto his fangs when he bit Diego's tail. "… And maybe some of my saliva."

"EEEEWWWWWWWWWW!" Everyone else in the shrine let out a cry of disgusting at the same time after hearing the words of the Garchomp.

"It's not that bad, everyone." Zetarus continued speaking after seeing the reaction of everyone. "And now, Diego, I have already drunk your blood, which means that your body is already—"

"… How long are you going to keep rambling?" Richard interrupted Zetarus' words, as right now, he was covering Rachael's ears and prevented her from hearing anything that Zetarus said. The same thing went to Korben, who was covering Freya's ears.

"Sigh… Fine." Zetarus said, making Richard and Korben let go of Rachael and Freya's ears. "But Diego, don't forget about this."

"You axxxxxe…" Diego grumbled as he turned his face away from Zetarus, not from his anger toward the Garchomp, but to hide his blushing face from anyone.

"And so…" Anastasia said as she approached the altar and pricked her paw with a small needle that she, for some reason, always carried with her, and let her blood drip onto the altar.

"Here…" Anastasia said as she handed over her needle to Richard, who then had taken about five minutes to make up his mind before he pricked his paw and let his blood drip onto the altar too.

"I… It's not that painful, Rachael… Just thinking that a small ant bite your paw…" Richard said to his younger sister as he pricked her paw and let her blood drip onto the altar. After they finished, Richard then handed over the needle back to Anastasia before moving away from the altar to let the next Pokemon get close to the altar.

"N… Now…" Freya said as she used the rose's thorn on her staff to prick her paw in order to let her blood drip onto the altar.

"… My blood… This is it…" Snow said as he used his Snowflake Dagger to scratch his left fin and let his blood drip onto the altar.

"…" Sirius walked toward the altar once everyone had already let their blood drip onto the altar. It then used its claw to scratch its left front leg and let its blood drip onto the altar…

After the blood of 12 dragons was dropped onto the altar, the altar itself started glowing with a mysterious dark blue aura, and then the altar itself started moving away from the point where it was, revealing a hidden pathway beneath the spot where the altar was located!

"Jackpot." Zetarus said after the hidden pathway was revealed. He and everyone then looked at the newly-revealed path and found that the pathway itself led to somewhere below, into the underground, however, the pathway was too dark, making them unable to see anything far into this pathway. The pathway itself looked very old, indicating that it was created since a very long time ago. Moreover, the pathway itself also looked rather dim and dusty, as if the sun hadn't shone onto this pathway for a very long time, indicating that this pathway was closed and hidden for a very long time, before it was opened at last today.

"Wow…" Korben spoke up. "I… I never know that there's a hidden path in the Dragon Shrine, and I doubt that anyone from my village know of its existence too…"

"And so… This must be a path to the lair of the traitor that the ancient inscription speaking of…" Claura said.

"And maybe… That Bahamut guy… He must already know about this hidden pathway. After all, he was the one who created Hidden Village of Dragon…" Baromyteus spoke up. "And… Could it be that he wants us to discover it?"

"Whatever…" Diego said. "But now, let's get into this pathway and find out what's hiding there."

"W… Wait a second…" Rachael spoke up. "T… This path looks so scary… A… And what if there're wild Pokemon down there?"

"Silly…" Baromyteus said. "This

"Then, allow me…" Richard said as he approached the entrance before he opened his Chronicle of Darkside and used it to scan the pathway and the place it led to, and after a few minutes, Richard closed his Chronicle of Darkside.

"… How's it, Onii-chan?" Rachael asked after her elder brother had finished scanning the hidden pathway.

"The result of this scan shows that this hidden pathway, as well as the place it led to, is void of any living creatures." Richard answered. "In other words, there is no living creature, be Pokemon or anything else, in this path and the place it leads to."

"Really?" Rachael said and let out a sigh of relief. "Whew… It's good to hear that…"

"… However…" Richard continued speaking. "While I was scanning the hidden pathway and the place it leads to, I also tried to create a map of the pathway and the place it leads to too. However, I was unable to do it because a strong force prevented me from doing so."

"A strong force?" Xavier said. "Like some kind of magic or something like that?"

"Yes, but I couldn't tell what it is…" Richard said.

"T… That's still scary…" Rachael said.

"… Well… Sitting here won't do anything good." Baromyteus spoke up. "Everyone, let's go."

"Go? To where?" Rachael asked.

"To here." Baromyteus said and pointed his paw at the hidden pathway that led into the underground that was revealed earlier.

"W… What?!" Rachael said. "B… But…"

"Well… If you are afraid of it, then you can wait here, Rachael." Diego said.

"… Onii-chan, what do you think?" Rachael asked.

"… Let's go, Rachael." Richard answered.

"W… What?!" Rachael said again. "B… But… Aren't you… scared of this pathway? It looks so scary?"

"… I won't deny that this path looks a bit creepy…" Richard said. "However, I have already scanned that there's no living creature down there, and I am 100% sure that there's no mistake in this scanning. Moreover, I am really curious of what's down there, especially after I discover that there was a strong 'force' down there. "

"… Fine… I will go too…" Rachael said.

"Then… Everyone, let's go." Baromyteus said.

"Right." Everyone said, and then Richard summoned two orbs of light and gave one to Baromyteus, who was the first person to enter the hidden pathway, and he was followed by Anastasia, Rachael, Richard, Zetarus, Diego, Korben, Freya, Snow, Claura, Xavier, and the last one who entered the hidden pathway was Sirius, who held the second orb of light that Richard summoned.

* * *

The path that led deeper into the earth was very dark, even with two light orbs that Richard summoned were able to give enough light just for everyone to see themselves and their friends, not anything else around them. They couldn't even tell where they were right now or how long had they walked from the entrance of the hidden passage at the Dragon Shrine. The only thing that they could tell was that they were still in the place that seemed to be a corridor of something…

"T… This place is so dark…" Rachael said as she tightly clung onto her elder brother's left arm as everyone continued walking deeper into the passageway.

"No wonder." Diego said. "After all, I would say that this place has never gotten a blessing from the god of sun."

"That's… quite sad." Anastasia commented. "Sun is the primary source of life. Anywhere that the light of the sun couldn't reach, lives could never hope to flourish…"

"But there are some lives that could flourish even in the darkness." Baromyteus said without turning his attention back to everyone because he knew that he would scare some of them. "Think of it. If lives couldn't flourish in the darkness, then how could the nation of Shadowlost Territory exist?"

"Y… You are right, brother…" Anastasia said.

Everyone continued walking along the dark passageway, which, as they went deeper. And they noticed that the path seemed to be larger and larger as they went deeper, as if they were getting closer to the place that this corridor will lead to.

And finally…

"Hm?"

Baromyteus stopped walking as he noticed that he had entered a place where the corridor suddenly became very large, indicating that the corridor was already over, and he was now in the place that this corridor led to, which seemed to be a large room.

"Finally, a large room…" Korben said as he and everyone else got out of the corridor and entered the room that Baromyteus entered first. "But I still can't see anything here."

"Everyone, stay together!" Claura said. "And don't touch anything here. We still don't know what lies in this place."

"But then, how could we know what this place is?" Zetarus asked.

"… Richard." Baromyteus said as he turned his attention to the Latios. "Can you lighten up this whole room?"

"If this place is truly a large room, not a corridor, then I think I can." Richard answered.

"Then, do it." Baromyteus commanded.

Richard nodded to Baromyteus in response as he opened the Chronicle of Darkside and started mumbling something, and several seconds later, the light started emitting from the Chronicle of Darkside. This time, because it was a large room, not a narrow corridor, the light was able to reach everywhere in the room, making it possible for everyone to see the entire room!

"Finally…" Korben said as he and everyone were able to see the place they were right now. "But… Wow… This place…"

Astonishingly, the room that they had just discovered, which it was thought by everyone that it must be a large underground cave due to being a place located underground, was a very large room with a wall made from rock-cut stone with the ancient carving into many pictures, indicating that this room wasn't a natural structure. It was an ancient man-made structure located deep into the ground.

"To think that there's a place like this exist underground…" Snow said as he looked around the room.

"This place seems like a hall of something…" Richard said as he, like everyone else, looked around the hall with a spark of curiosity in his eyes. "But what's the purpose of this place? And who built this place? There're so many unanswered questions…"

"Right." Rachael said as she looked around the hall too. "I wonder if there's anything here, or—EYAAAAA!"

Rachael suddenly let out a scream as she quickly rushed to her elder brother before hiding behind him, with her paws fiercely clung onto his arms.

"W… WHAT?!" Among everyone, Korben was the one who got startled most by Rachael's sudden scream. "W… WHAT THE HELL?!"

"What's wrong, Rachael?!" Richard asked after seeing the sudden reaction of his younger sister, and everyone else was also having their attention on the Latias too. "Is there something wrong?"

"O… O…. Over there…" Rachael said with a shaking voice as she slowly raised her paw and point at the other side of the hall, which was opposite to where the corridor that everyone was passing through was. "T… There's… someone there!"

"!" Everyone immediately turned their attention to where Rachael pointed her paw to, which was the other side of the corridor, and saw a figure of someone there!

The figure was in the shape of a draconic creature of a very large size. This figure was even taller than Snow, who was the tallest member of the Pendragon, and this figure was also much more muscular than everyone else here. The body of this figure was very rugged and rough, especially the part of its belly that had several ellipsoid scutes. This figure had two long arms; each with three sharp conical spikes on the forearm and one on the shoulder, as well three sharp fingers and claws at the paw. This figure's legs, on the other hand, were quite short. Each of them had two sharp conical spikes, one on the upper part of the leg and one on the lower part, as well as three toes and claws at the foot. The long arms and short legs gave this figure an appearance of a hunchback. This figure had a long, rugged tail with four sharp conical spikes on it. This figure also had two medium-sized wings in the shape of the leaves with jagged edged. For the head, this figure had a very rough head with a blunt snout and several fang-like protrusions sprout from its jaws and the edge above its head. This figure also had two ferocious eyes glaring at everyone here, as if it was ready to attack them at any moment!

"… Don't worry, everyone." Xavier was the first one who spoke up after everyone noticed the presence of the figure that made Rachael scream earlier. "That figure in front of us isn't alive. It's just a statue."

As everyone looked closer, they realized that the figure in front of them was entirely ash gray with rough texture, indicating that this figure was actually a stone status that was made into the shape of a certain Dragon type Pokemon. And the Pendragon could just notice that this stone statue also 'wore' a string around its neck like a necklace, with a strange object that shaped like a sharp claw or fang as a 'pendant' attaching to this 'necklace'. Moreover, the reason why this figure was very tall was just because this figure was standing on a stone base. And so, by subtracting the height of the stone base, this statue was actually not that tall, as its height was just a bit more than Korben's.

"Whew…" Rachael, Richard, Freya, Snow and Anastasia let out a sigh of relief after learning that the figure that they saw was just a stone statue. "That's good to hear…"

"But again…" Richard said as he gradually walked closer to the statue. "… As I take a closer look, I must say that the one who crafted this statue must be an excellent craftsman."

"True." Baromyteus said as he looked at the stone statue. "This statue looks so much like its real-life counterpart. I wouldn't be surprised if anyone mistakes this statue as a real Pokemon."

"But…" Freya spoke up. "What's a stone statue doing in a place like this?"

"Hm… Now that you mention it…" Snow spoke up. "I remember reading a book about the structures once, and it said that some ancient structures will have the statues in the shape of monsters in order to protect that structure from the evil spirit. If I remember correctly, I think they call a statue like this 'gargoyle'"

"Gargoyle? I know about this too." Richard said, and everyone else nodded in response. "As you said, Xavier, gargoyle is usually being made to resembled monster or scary creature, and in this case…" Richard looked at the gargoyle on the other side of the hall. "… I think this gargoyle was made to resemble the Pokemon called Druddigon."

"Druddigon? A perfect choice for a gargoyle, if you ask me…" Diego said.

"And… If there's a gargoyle in a place like this, then this place must be the important ancient underground ruins or something like that." Richard continued speaking.

"Ancient underground ruins? I like the sound of that." Diego said. "But… Even thought this room was quite large, I think it's too small to be 'ruins', especially since this room contained nothing more than a single gargoyle."

"Hm…" Xavier said and looked around the room. "If what you said is true, Diego, then it would mean that either this hall isn't the entire area of this ruins or there's something else in this room."

"Something else?!" Claura said as she turned her attention to her cousin, who was still looking around the room before looking up at the ceiling. "Are you blind?! Can't you see that there's nothing else—"

"Nope, you are wrong." Xavier spoke up while he was still looking at the ceiling of the hall. "It looks like we are having a company…"

"A company?" Everyone said before imitating Xavier's action by looking at the ceiling of the hall, and immediately after that…

"!"

"EEYAYAYAAYAYAYAYAAYAAAAAA!"

Once again, Rachael let out a loud scream and quickly hid behind her older brother as well as tightly held onto his arms. However, this time, Freya also did the same thing except that she didn't hide behind anyone. Anastasia, while she didn't scream like Rachael and Freya, was greatly bewildered, and the same reaction also extended to Richard, Snow and Korben. The cause of their sudden shock reaction was nothing more than what they saw as they looked at the ceiling of the hall.

"W…. WHAT THE HELL?!" Korben said.

At the ceiling, everyone could see several small red glowing spots at the dark ceiling of the hall, and as they looked more closely, they realized that what they saw wasn't the glowing spot, but they were several glowing pairs of eye of something!

"SCREEEEECHHH!"

As if knowing that they were finally noticed, the owners of those pairs of eyes let out a loud screech before jumping down from the ceiling, revealing themselves as…

"W… What?!" Diego said as he and everyone saw the appearance of the thing they saw on the ceiling. "Why are other gargoyles here?!"

Diego was right. The mysterious figures that just appeared from the ceiling of the hall were several stone gargoyles with creepy glowing red eyes. While all of them had their appearance differ from the single gargoyle that was standing on the base on the other side of the room, all of them were indeed gargoyles as they all had the appearance of an ugly winged monster. Judge by the point of view of the Pendragon, there must be over 50 of them here, and all of them were holding a spear that's made of stone.

"Well… Gargoyles were made to guard the ancient ruins from the evil spirit…" Xavier said. "And do you think that just a single gargoyle would be enough to do that job?"

"That's not the answer I want!" Diego said and turned his attention to Richard, who was still frightened by the sudden appearance of the gargoyles. "Richard, what I want is why all of them are alive! I thought that gargoyles are just stone statues, not something like this! And you did say that there's no living creature down here before we entered that corridor too!"

"W… Well…" Richard tried not to show how much he was frightened by the gargoyles. "Gargoyles aren't actually alive… But for the one we have here… If I have to guess… It must be some kind of dark magic that controlled them and allows them to be 'alive' like this. So, while they all seem to be alive, they are just the moving stone statues, and it means that they aren't technically alive, so that's why I can't detect them."

"And…" Zetarus spoke up. "And I also want to know why all of them are surrounding us like this?!"

Zetarus was right, as right now, all gargoyles that appeared from the ceiling, arming with their weapons, were surrounding the Pendragon, and all of them were showing a great hostility toward the dragons too!

"Well… Make sense." Xavier said. "After all… Gargoyles are made to be the guardians of this place, and we are all happening to be in the place that these gargoyles guarded…"

"I see…" Claura said. "Basically, we are the intruders of this place, and these gargoyles are the guardians of this place… So…"

"Either way…" Baromyteus said as he drew his Dragon Claw Swords out from their sheath. "These gargoyles aren't going to let us go easily for sure. Everyone, prepare yourself!"

After Baromyteus finished his words, everyone in the Pendragon quickly readied their weapons, with Rachael, Richard, Freya, Snow, Anastasia and Korben did it a bit slower than everyone else because they were still frightened by the sudden appearance of the gargoyles.

"Here they come!" Claura said.

"SCREEECH!" One of the gargoyles dashed up to the Pendragon with a spear in its grasp, but Diego was able to block its attack for the Pendragon with his Silver Naginata.

"SCREEECH!" Two more gargoyles attacked the Pendragon from their left and right flank, but their attacks were blocked by Claura and Korben.

"SCREECH!" Another gargoyle tried to attack the Pendragon from their rear, but Sirius, who was staying at the rear along with Rachael and Richard, was able to block its attack.

"SCREECHHH!"

"GGRRRAAA!" Noticing that another gargoyle was trying to attack him, Baromyteus quickly raised one of his swords to block the incoming attack from the said gargoyle before using the other sword to slash the gargoyle at its body!

"SCREECH!" The gargoyle that was attacked by Baromyteus' sword, which left a huge cut on its body at where it was attacked, staggered back a bit, but a second later, the cut from Baromyteus' sword suddenly vanished, and the gargoyle regained its strength, as if it was never attacked before!

"What the—" Baromyteus said before he noticed two more gargoyles trying to attack him! He then wasted no time by slashing his swords at both gargoyles again. This time, he used his Dragon Claw Swords to cut off the head of both gargoyles!

"…" Baromyteus looked at two gargoyles that got their head cut off by his swords. He then was about to turn his attention to fight other gargoyles when.

"!" While seeming to be already 'dead', the heads of both gargoyles that were cut off from their bodies suddenly returned to their original bodies before they magically merged together with their bodies, and then both gargoyles stood up again as if both of them were never attacked by anyone!

"W… What?!" Baromyteus was shocked after seeing that both gargoyles that he had already 'killed' suddenly became 'alive' again. "How could those gargoyles still alive?! I thought that I already cut their heads off!"

"Oh… I forgot to tell you one thing…" Xavier paused his battle in order to explain to everyone. "Gargoyles usually have an ability to restore their bodies from the damage that was inflicted onto their bodies regardless of how intense the damage they receive is, at a very fast rate. Well… They are the stone statues that were brought to life by magic anyway. So no matter how much we attack them, they will be able to quickly heal or revive themselves anyway."

"What?!" Claura yelled at her cousin. "And why didn't you tell us about this sooner?!"

"Well… I was so sleepy that I forgot to tell you about this… Yawn…" Xavier said before letting out another yawn from his mouth.

"And then, how the hell could we defeat them?!" Diego asked as he, like Baromyteus, was unable to defeat the gargoyles that attacked him because they were able to quickly restore themselves from the damage that Diego inflicted on them.

"SCREECH!" The gargoyles roared as they gradually approached the Pendragon, pointing their weapon at their enemies, and they all seemed to be ready to attack the Pendragon again at any moment!

But then…

"!"

Before any of them started attacking the Pendragon again, all gargoyles suddenly stopped moving, and a few seconds later, all of them put away their weapon and moved away from the Pendragon. Half of them then moved to the left side of the hall while the other half went to the right side. All of them then formed themselves into two lines, one on the left and one on the side, before turning to face each other on the other side of the hall, as if they were a group of soldiers who were preparing a welcome line for the homecoming of the king or queen, with the gap between them as the pathway for the king or queen to walk as they arrived.

"W… What?!" The Pendragon was surprised after seeing the action of the gargoyles. A moment earlier they were attacking them and now they were forming the welcoming lines as if they were welcoming someone…

But… Who?

And then, before the Pendragon was left to wonder for long, the answer they sought was revealed before their eyes…

"!"

Right now, all the gargoyles were forming two lines on the left side and the right side of the hall, making the Pendragon focus their attention on the last side of the hall, which was opposite to the side where they were right now, and apparently, there was only one thing over there, and it was the first thing everyone saw when they entered this hall…

"T… That gargoyle…" Korben said as everyone's attention was on the stone gargoyle, which resembled a Pokemon called Druddigon, that was standing on the statue base on the opposite side of the hall. While the other gargoyles that were staying at the ceiling of the hall suddenly became 'alive', this gargoyle was the only gargoyle in this hall that neither came to live nor attacked the Pendragon. And… Now that the Pendragon looked at it more closely, they realized that this gargoyle had its appearance much more detailed than any other gargoyle in this hall, and its appearance even greatly resembled a real Druddigon. And so, the one who created this gargoyle put much more effect into creating this one more than creating other gargoyles, as if they made this Druddigon Gargoyle to be the leader of all other gargoyles in this hall…

And if this Druddigon Gargoyle was the leader of all gargoyles in this hall, then it would mean that…

"You…" Baromyteus said as he gazed at the Druddigon Gargoyle on the opposite side of the hall.

And then…

"…" As if hearing Baromyteus' word, the 'pendant' and 'necklace' that the Druddigon Gargoyle on the opposite side of the hall was 'wearing' started glowing with a sinister dim light, and the gargoyle itself started moving its body, changing itself from a lifeless stone statue into a 'living' gargoyle. The Druddigon Gargoyle then jumped down from the statue base that it was standing before slowly approaching the Pendragon. Realizing that this gargoyle may trying to attack them like what other gargoyles did, the Pendragon equipped their weapon again and prepared themselves for the battle that was about to come…

… But it never came…

"!" As it reached where the Pendragon stood, instead of attacking the Pendragon, the Druddigon Gargoyle kneeled down onto the floor and bowed down to them, in the manner that a servant kneeling and bowing before their master.

"W… What?!" The Pendragon let out a word of confusion as they didn't expect this action from the gargoyle in front of them. A moment earlier they were attacked by the gargoyles of this hall and now another gargoyle that seemed to be the leader of all other gargoyles were kneeling before them!

However… That wasn't the most surprised thing that they had encountered today yet…

"PLEASE ACCEPT MY WORDS OF APOLOGIZE." Unexpectly, the Druddigon Gargoyle that was kneeling in front the words started speaking with a gruff and unnatural voice. "MY SUBORDINATES MISTOOK ALL OF YOU AS THE INTRUDERS OF THIS PLACE, SO THEY WERE JUST TRYING TO PROTECT THIS PLACE, AND SO, I SINCERE APOLOGIZE FOR OUR RUDE WELCOME."

"W… Wait…" Anastasia was the first one who spoke up after hearing the words of the Druddigon Gargoyle in front of her and her friends. "You… can talk?! But you are a gargoyle…"

"IT'S BECAUSE I WAS MADE TO BE THE LEADER OF THE GUARDIANS." The Druddigon Gargoyle continued speaking. "AND BECAUSE OF THAT, I AM THE ONLY GUARDIAN OF THIS PLACE WHO WAS GRANT AN ABILITY OF COMMUNICATION, AS WELL AS THE POWER THAT EXCEEDS OTHER GUARDIANS OF THIS PLACE."

"And…" Baromyteus spoke up. "Who are all of you? And what is this place?"

"WE ARE THE GUARDIANS OF THIS PLACE." The Druddigon Gargoyle, who was the leader of all gargoyles in this place, answered as it stood up. "AND THIS PLACE IS KNOWN TO BE THE HALL OF THE ANCIENT DRAGON."

"Hall of the ancient dragon?" Claura repeated the words she had just heard. "Is it some kind of the ancient underground ruins?"

"I CAN'T SAY WHAT THIS PLACE IS." The Druddigon Gargoyle answered. "THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN TELL WHAT THIS PLACE ARE IS THE MASTERS OF THIS PLACE."

"MasterS? So… This place is owned by someone, after all…" Diego said.

"And…" Baromyteus spoke up. "Who ARE the 'masters' of this hall?"

"THE MASTERS OF THIS HALL IS ALL OF YOU." The Druddigon gargoyle answered.

"All of—Wait, WHAT?!" Everyone let out a cry of shock and astonish after hearing the words of the Druddigon Gargoyle in front of him.

"H… How could it be that we are the owners of this place!?" Rachael said.

"Right!" Richard nodded. "This is the first time that we arrive at this place, and before that, we didn't even hear or know of this place's existence!"

"THERE'S NO MISTAKE THAT ALL OF YOU ARE THE MASTERS OF THIS HALL." The Druddigon Gargoyle continued speaking. "ALL OF YOU HAVE ALREADY BOUND YOUR BODY AND SOUL WITH THIS PLACE. THE SIGHT OF YOUR BLOOD IS THE PROOF THAT YOU ALL ARE THE MASTERS OF THIS HALL."

"Our blood? Wait…" Baromyteus said before he realized something. "T… That altar at the Dragon Shrine… It must be that thing…"

"… I HAVE NO IDEA OF WHAT YOU ARE SPEAKING OF, FOR THAT I HAVE NEVER STEPPED OUTSIDE THIS HALL FOR AS LONG AS I CAN REMEMBER…" The Druddigon Gargoyle continued speaking. "BUT BEFORE THIS, THIS HALL WAS LEFT WITHOUT ANY MASTER FOR THE COUNTLESS TIME. HOWEVER, A FEW MOMENT EARLIER, I CAN SENSE THAT THE BLOOD THAT HAD BEEN DROPPED FROM THE BODY OF 12 POKEMON HAS BEEN BOUND TO THIS HALL, AND ALL OF YOU ARE THE ONWERS OF THOSE BLOOD, WHICH MADE YOU THE OWNERS OF THIS HALL, AND THUS… ALL OF US, THE GUARDIANS OF THE HALL, ARE BOUND TO SERVE YOU."

"So… As a result of our action at the Dragon Shrine, all we got is the old ruins with these living stone statues…" Zetarus said with a sarcastic voice. "What a good deal…"

"AND NOW…" The Druddigon Gargoyle bowed at the Pendragon before continued speaking. "RIGHT NOW, IS THERE A TASK THAT YOU WANT US TO PERFORM, MASTERS?"

"First, leave us for a few minutes…" Baromyteus said to the gargoyle in front of him before turning his attention to the other members of the Pendragon. "Well… What do you all think of this?"

"This is such a fxxxxxg waste…" Diego said. "We fxxxxxg waste our time by going into that fxxxxxg corridor, and what do we get? A crumbling ruin with these cxxp gargoyles! They said that we are the 'masters' of this hall, but to be honest, who would want to become the master of this fxxxxxg place?! It's just a hall with nothing but those fxxxxxg gargoyles!"

"I agree with Diego." Zetarus said. "I don't think that we can make anything good out of this place."

"A… And…" Freya said. "Those gargoyles are so scary too…"

"And so…" Claura spoke up. "You all suggest that we should turn back and leave this place at once?"

"Onii-chan, what do you think?" Rachael asked her elder brother. "Should we leave this place? For me, this place is quite scary too…"

"… I think that we can make something good out of this hall." Richard spoke up, which surprised everyone who heard him. (Except for the gargoyles that were left out of this conversation.)

"H… How so?!" Snow asked.

"Well…" Like everyone in the Pendragon, Xavier was surprised by Richard's words too, but the reason why he was surprised wasn't the same as everyone else. "Richard, you surprised me. I didn't think that there will be anyone who share the same idea with me too."

"Xavier?!" Claura said as her attention, as well as everyone's, was shifted to the Dragonite. "You too?!"

"Well… What can I say? I am not an 'idiot', after all…" Xavier said. "This place actually has some use for us… Actually, the 'use' of this place for us is actually what we're really desperate for, and it would also fulfill a perfect work for us in that role too."

"Desperate for?" Korben said. "What you're talking about?"

"Think about it." Richard spoke up. "This place is located underground, and the entrance of this place is in the Valley of No Return, meaning that it's a far-from-civilize place that's also hard to access. And so, no one would bother to come to this place…"

"Wait…" Claura spoke up as she started to realize what Richard and Xavier wanted to say. "Don't tell me that…"

"Right." Xavier said. "Everyone, let's make this place our team base."

* * *

"Are you serious?!" Claura yelled at her cousin. "What kind of absurd idea is this?!"

"I don't see why not." Xavier said as he looked at everyone, as all of them had a shock expression on their face. "After all… We are trying to find a place that would become our team base, aren't we? But we can't stay in any place on the continent of Symmetria except for Valley of No Return because we are 'traitors', and for Valley of No Return, most area of that place are dangerous with wild Pokemon, so the area of Hidden Village of Dragon is our only choice. However, most buildings of that place were burnt down into ruins, leaving only a single building that we can use as our shelter, the Dragon Shrine. And comparing that shrine with this hall, I would say that this hall is a thousand times better than that shrine as our team base."

"Xavier, take a fxxxxxg look around this fxxxxxg place!" Diego said as he pointed around the hall. "This is just a single square hall! I agree with you that at least this hall is larger than the Dragon Shrine, but a single hall with nothing but gargoyles like this won't do any fxxxxxg good as our team base!"

"… You should be the one who should take another look at this hall." Xavier said. "First, this hall isn't a square hall, but it's a pentagon hall."

Xavier was right. As everyone took another look at the hall, they saw that this hall wasn't a square hall, but it was a hall in the shape of a polygon with five sides instead of four. The five sides were located to the north, northeast, southeast, southwest and northwest, forming into a shape of an upside-down pentagon. The corridor that the Pendragon used to enter this hall was located at the vertex between the southeast side and the southwest side, or in other word, the southernmost point of this 'pentagon'. The spot where the statue base that the leader of the gargoyle were standing earlier was on the north side of this hall. And the other gargoyles were standing in two lines near the other four sides of the hall, one line near the northeast side and southeast side and another one near the southwest side and northwest side.

"See? This hall is a pentagon hall." Xavier said. "Isn't this alone make it a perfect team base for us?"

"I see…" Snow nodded. "A pentagon hall as a team base of us, the Pendragon…"

"But that still doesn't answer all of Diego's questions, Xavier." Zetarus spoke up. "Pentagon or not, in the end, this hall is just a large hall with nothing but gargoyles. How the hell could we use this as our team base?"

"… So you still don't notice it?" Xavier said. "What the shame…"

"What are you trying to say, Xavier?" Baromyteus asked.

"Think about it…" Xavier said. "You said this place is just a large hall with nothing but gargoyles, but look at those gargoyles."

"Hm?" Everyone looked at all the gargoyles in this hall again, but other than what they have already seen, there was nothing they could think of when they saw them…

Except for…

"… I see it now…" Baromyteus said. "You said that this place is just a large hall… But look at those gargoyles… The leader of them said that they are the guardians of this hall, but there must be over 30 of them… More than 50 gargoyles that guard just a single hall? It makes no sense."

"So…" Korben spoke up as he looked at Xavier. "You want to say that this place has more than just a single large hall?"

"Hm… Other than letting me answering your question, why don't we ask someone who actually knows the answer?" Xavier said as he turned his attention back to the Druddigon Gargoyle. "Hey, you. Is this large hall the entire area of this place?"

"NO, MASTERS." The Druddigon Gargoyle answered. "THIS HALL IS ONLY ONE OF FIVE FLOORS OF THIS PLACE."

"Five?!" Rachael said. "This place has that much floors?!"

"CORRECT." The Druddigon Gargoyle SAID. "THE AREA YOU ARE CURRENTLY IN IS THE FOYER OF THIS HALL, WHICH IS THE ENTIRE AREA OF FLOOR B1."

"And so, there's four more floors of this place…" Diego said and tried to look around the hall, as if he was trying to find something. "But I don't see any path that would lead to the other floor of this place…"

"THE PATH DOWN TO THE REMAINING AREA OF THIS HALL IS CURRENTLY SEALED TO PROTECT THE INTRUDERS FROM GAINING THE ACCESS." The Druddigon Gargoyle said as it slowly walked up to a spot left of the statue base that it was standing earlier. It then pointed its 'paw' at the floor at that spot, and suddenly, the stone tile at that spot started moving away, revealing a large spiral staircase that led downward!

"THIS IS THE PATH THAT WILL LEAD ALL OF YOU TO THE REMAINING AREA OF THIS HALL, MASTERS." The Druddigon Gargoyle said as it slowly walked back to where the Pendragon was standing.

"I see… So it's right over there all the time…" Zetarus said.

"And… How about we move downstairs?" Xavier spoke up. "I still have no idea about the remaining area of this hall, but maybe it could be a decent team base for us."

"It could be…" Baromyteus said. "Everyone, let's move."

"Right." Every member of the Pendragon nodded to Baromyteus, except for only one who didn't nod. Actually, he hadn't even said anything after Xavier revealed that this place could be a nice team base for them.

"Onii-chan?" Rachael said as she looked at her elder brother, who didn't say anything for quite some times. "What's wrong, Onii-chan? Is there something on your mind?"

"… Xavier." Instead of answering his younger sister's question, Richard spoke up to the Dragonite who suggested to make this place their team base. "When you said that this place has some use for us, do you really mean that this place can be our team base?"

"Well…If I was actually lying, this guy…" Xavier said as he glanced at Baromyteus for a second before he continued speaking. "… wouldn't let me go unpunished. After all, he seems to be quite 'sensitive' to lie and deception."

"… I see…" Richard said.

"My turn, Richard." Xavier said. "Could it be that when you said that this place could have some use for us, you actually meant otherwise?"

"Right." Richard said. "I was thinking that this place, being the ancient underground ruins that no one had stepped their foot in for such a long time, it may hold so many invaluable knowledge about the ancient world that's waiting for us to discover.

"…" A moment of silence occurred after Richard revealed what was in his mind, and the eyes of the Pendragon were replaced with two small black dots in a comical way, as they didn't know what to say after hearing the words of the Latios.

"Just thinking of what knowledge would we unearth in this ancient hall makes me excite." Richard continued speaking. "But I didn't think that you would mean that you would want to make this place our team base."

"… So…" Xavier was finally able to say something. "You don't like the idea of making this place our team base?"

"On the contrary." Richard said. "Making this place our team base would allow me to research it even better, so I completely agree with your idea, Xavier."

"I… see…" Rachael said after hearing the words of her elder brother.

"Then, let's get ourselves moving, everyone." Baromyteus said. "Before we make a decision, we will need to see the remaining area of this place first."

"Hm." All members of the Pendragon nodded to their leader, and then the Shiny Haxorus turned his attention back to the Druddigon Gargoyle.

"Lead the way." Baromyteus said.

"AS YOU SAY, MASTER." The Druddigon Gargoyle said and bowed at Baromyteus and others. It then waved its paw backward, dismissing all other gargoyles that were standing in this hall and making them jump onto the ceiling before turning into the lifeless stone statues again, just like what they were before the Pendragon arrived at this hall. The Druddigon Gargoyle then slowly walked toward the path that it opened earlier, with the Pendragon following it.

* * *

Following the Druddigon Gargoyle, the Pendragon walked along the long spiral staircases down to the lower floor of this place. Because this spiral stairway was quite long, it would take some time before the Pendragon reached the end of the stairway, but it didn't take a long time before the remaining area of this hall unfold before their eyes…

Upon seeing the remaining area of this place, the Pendragon was bewildered by what they had seen. They thought that they were going to the 'remaining' area of this place, but after seeing the hall, they realized that they weren't going to the 'remaining' area, they were just leaving the 'remaining' area of this place.

The first thing that they saw as Floor B2 unfold before their eyes were a large pentagon hall just like the foyer on Floor B1. However, unlike the foyer, the hall of Floor B2 was actually just a corridor along the five sides of the building, with a large opening in the shape of a pentagon in the center, making it possible for everyone to see Floor B3 and even Floor B4 below there. And unlike the foyer that was almost empty except with a single statue base and over 50 gargoyles, the hall of Floor B2 had several ornaments and trinkets such as several wall sconces on the stone wall with the red candles that lit up as the Pendragon walked downstairs, as if they could sense the incoming of their new masters. The most outstanding thing that the Pendragon could see as they reached Floor B2 was a large chandelier that was hanged over the opening area at the center of the Floor B2 hall, which meant that it's also possible for someone who was on Floor B3 and Floor B4 to see the chandelier too. And like the wall sconces, as the Pendragon arrived on the Floor B2, the chandeliers started glowing with a mysterious dark red light, giving this place an eerie look.

However, this hall wasn't the only thing on Floor B2, as on each side of the pentagon corridor, there was a door that led to another room on each side of the hall.

"So… This is Floor B2 of this place…" Anastasia said as she and everyone looked around after they reached the end of the spiral stairway. "This place is so much… cleaner than I expect. It's as if it was built yesterday!"

"Right." Claura said. "I thought that the underground place that was kept hidden for such a long time would be old and dirty, but I was wrong."

"And this place is so big…" Rachael said. "But the chandelier at the center makes this place so scary…"

"Really?" Zetarus said. "I think this… Chun-der-lia-thing makes this place quite lovely, with the glowing light of blood…"

"D… Don't say something like that…" Rachael said.

"But…" Richard said as he looked around the hall again. "… Strange…"

"What are you thinking, Richard?" Diego asked.

"… This place…" Richard said as he continued looking around the hall. "Despite being located underground, the place where the light from the sun would never hope to reach, I don't even feel… uneasy. I thought that an underground place like this will make me feel confining… But… I now feel that this place makes me feel… comfortable."

"You too?" Diego said. "While this place was a dark indoor place like the gladiator quarter back at the Brawl Arena, I don't feel uneasy too. In fact, I must say that I like this place."

"Me too." Zetarus said. "I thought that a dark underground place would be cold like that hellhole I grew up in, but… This place… It's quite warm, and I like it."

"R… Right…" Freya spoke up. "T… The warmness of this place reminds me of the desert in the morning…"

"But then…" Richard spoke up again. "How could an underground place like this to be this warm? It should be much colder than this."

"IF I MAY…" The Druddigon Gargoyle spoke up after hearing the words of the Latios. "THE REASON WHY THE TEMPERATURE OF THIS PLACE IS A BIT HIGHER THAN NORMAL IS BECAUSE THIS PLACE IS LOCATED NEAR THE UNDERGROUND PIT OF MAGMA."

"M… Magma?!" Snow spoke up.

"PLEASE DO NOT BE AFRAID, MASTER." The Druddigon Gargoyle continued speaking. "THE STONE WALL OF THIS PLACE WAS BEING MANTLED WITH A STRONG MAGIC TO EXPEL THE MAGMA THAT WOULD HARM THIS PLACE, SO IT WOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE FOR MAGMA TO FLOW INTO THIS PLACE."

"That's a relief to hear…" Snow said.

"And now…" Xavier spoke up. "After seeing all of this, I think that we may finally have the answer in our mind."

"Answer?" Claura spoke up. "Answer for what?"

"To make this place our team base or not." Xavier answered. "At first, I was already convinced that this place could serve as a decent team base for us, but after this area, I now have no doubt in my thought, as this place is much better than I expect from an ancient underground ruin."

"I think so." Claura said. "This place is located in the Hidden Village of Dragon in the Valley of No Return, which is one of the most isolated places on the continent of Symmetria, so no one would come to this place anyway, making it a perfect place for a group of Symmetria's traitors like us."

"Moreover…" Zetarus spoke up. "Even if they know that we are hiding in the Valley of No Return, they will never know the exact location of our hideout."

"And this place makes us feel really nice too…" Diego said. "I guess the reason why we feel nice in an underground place near a pit of magma like this is because we are Dragon type Pokemon."

"You are right, Diego." Anastasia said. "While I, being a Goodra, don't feel really good when I am in a hot place, I also feel very good inside this place too."

"Us dragons staying in the underground ruins? It sounds so much like the bedtime stories! I like it!" Rachael said.

"One more thing…" Korben spoke up. "Because this place is located in Valley of No Return, we won't have to worry about our food and drink, because we can hunt the wild Pokemon from the Valley of No Return for food and get the water from the river near the village too."

"T… That's good!" Freya spoke up. "And this place is big enough for all of us!"

"As long as everyone is okay, then I am with you too." Snow spoke up.

"…" Sirius nodded to everyone.

"Then, it's settled." Baromyteus spoke up. "From now on, this place shall serve as the team base for the Pendragon!"

"YEAH!" All other members of the Pendragon raised their fist in the air and let their enthusiastic voice out.

"THEN, PLEASE ALLOW ME…" The Druddion Gargoyle said before it clapped its paw one time, summoning all gargoyles from the foyer of this place on this floor! The gargoyles then flew from floor B1 before they stayed behind their leader, with their weapon in their paws. "FROM NOW ON, WE, THE GUARDIANS OF THIS PLACE, SHALL SERVE UNDER ALL OF YOU, OUR NEW MASTERS!"

"SCREECH!" The other gargoyles let out a shrieking voice after their leader finished their words, before they started flying away. However, only less than half of them returned to Floor B1 while the other flew to the other four floors of this place before turning back into the lifeless stone statues at several spots on the wall of each floor.

"FROM NOW ON, WE SHALL STAY IN ALL AREA OF THIS PLACE IN ORDER TO GUARD THIS PLACE FROM THE INTRUDER OF ALL TIME, AS WELL AS GUARD ALL OF YOU DURING YOUR STAY." The Druddion Gargoyle spoke up again after it dismissed other gargoyles. "BUT DO NOT WORRY. WE SHALL STAY FROM YOUR PRIVATE QUARTER TO GIVE YOU PRIVACY."

"Great." Baromyteus said. "That takes care of the security problem. We can leave the guarding work to these gargoyles when we are out, and we can be safe while we stay here too."

"Then, the next thing that we must do is exploring the entire area of this place…" Xavier said.

"No." Richard spoke up. "The next thing we must do is giving a name to this place."

"Name this place?" Zetarus said. "Why the hell must we do something like that?"

"I strongly suggest us to name this place, unless we want to continue calling this place the ancient underground ruins." Richard said.

"You have a point." Baromyteus said before turning his attention to the Druddigon Gargoyle. "Is it alright for us to name this place?"

"ABSOLUTELY, MASTERS." The Druddigon Gargoyle said.

"Then…" Baromyteus said as he turned his attention back to his teammates. "Everyone, give me a suggestion about the name of this place."

"How about… 'Underground Castle'? This place is located underground after all…" Freya suggested.

"Castle? We are dragons, not the knights in the shining armor, Freya." Korben said. "How about 'Lair of No Return'? You know… Dragon's Lair in the Valley of No Return."

"Such a generic name…" Diego said. "I think 'Magma Lair' sounds much better."

"That's even worse, Diego." Claura said. "How about… Pendragon Ruins? We are the Pendragon, and this place is the ancient ruins after all…"

"It sounds like you're suggesting us to end up in ruin, Claura." Xavier said. "Personally, I will just call it 'Our Team Base'."

"No! It's too lazy to call this place with that name, Xavier!" Rachael said. "Why don't we call it 'Little Dragon Cave'? I think it fit us—"

"I think I have a better name." Richard spoke up. "How about 'Ancient Ruins of the Valorous Pendragon in the Realm Beneath the Cursed Earth'?"

"…"

"…"

"…"

A moment of silence followed the words of the Latios, as everyone, including the Druddigon Gargoyle, was cringing after they heard the suggestion from the Latios.

"… Richard, I know that you are smart and knowledgeable…" Zetarus spoke up. "But your skill at naming sucks."

"W… What?!" Rachael spoke up." Why, Zetarus? I thought that Onii-chan's name is quite lovely!"

"That name is too long and too mouthful for us to speak!" Diego said. "It would take me six weeks to even remember that name!"

"Sigh…" Baromyteus sighed. "In the end, it seemed like none of us could come up with a good name."

"But we did come up with a great name for our group, didn't we?" Korben said.

"Now that you say about it…" Claura spoke up. "How could we come up with the name of our group?"

"Well… It was our leader who came up with the name 'Pendragon'." Xavier said as he shifted his attention to the Shiny Haxorus. "Baromyteus, how did you come up with the name 'Pendragon?"

"I don't know…" Baromyteus said. "That name just popped up in my head, and I found it to be a good name for us."

"If I have to guess, the name 'Pendragon' you came up with comes from the words 'Dragon' and 'Paragon', because we are the paragon of the dragons." Richard spoke up. "But again, the word 'Pendragon' may have another meaning…"

"But now, in our current situation…" Diego spoke up. "I don't think that we will have luck with it…"

"Um…" Anastasia, who had been keeping silent for some time, spoke up. "… Can I make a suggestion?"

"Hm? Sure, Anastasia." Baromyteus said.

"How about… 'Pendracomonium'?" Anastasia said.

"Hm?" Everyone's attention was focused at the Goodra after she suggested a name for this place.

"I…. I am sorry…" Thinking that she had made a bad suggestion, Anastasia quickly apologized. "I am sorry that I suggested a bad—"

"Anastasia…" Baromyteus spoke up. "… How did you come up with that name…"

"I don't know…" Anastasia said. "A moment earlier… This name just popped up in my mind, and I think that all of you may like it, so I suggest it… Is it… a bad name?"

"On the contrary…" Baromyteus said. "I kinda like this name myself."

"Me too." Claura said, and Xavier nodded in response with his cousin.

"And this name also suits this place too…" Richard spoke up. "If I have to guess, the name you suggested came from the words 'Pendragon', which is the name of our group, and the word 'Pandemonium'."

"Pande-what?!" Zetarus said. "What the hell is that word?"

"… It will take us quite some time if I explain, so never mind it…" Richard said.

"Nevertheless, it really sounds like a name for a place for us." Diego said.

"Yeah." Zetarus said. "The only thing I don't like about this name is that it will take me at least one week to remember it correctly, which is still acceptable."

"I… I like this name too…" Freya said.

"I, too, have no objection." Snow said.

"And this name also sounds much better than the name all of us suggested." Korben said.

"…" Sirius nodded in agreement with everyone.

"Then it's settled." Baromyteus said. "From now on, this place shall be known as Pendracomonium, dubbed 'Lair of the Pendragon'."

"Right!" Everyone nodded in agreement with the Shiny Haxorus.

"Now that another problem has already been solved…" Xavier said. "Can we finally explore this place?"

"You say that because you just want to see the place where we sleep, Xavier." Claura said.

"Well… I won't deny it. Yawn…" Xavier said before letting a yawn from his mouth.

"THEN, I SHALL INTRODUCE ALL OF YOU TO THE ROOMS OF PENDRACOMONIUM…" The Druddigon Gargoyle spoke up, already adapting the new name of this place. "FIRST, ON FLOOR B1 IS THE FOYER OF PENDRACOMONIUM. THE SAME THING APPLIES FOR FLOOR B5 TOO AS FLOOR B5 OF PENDRACOMONIUM ONLY CONSISTS OF THE MAIN HALL TOO."

"Wait, there's Floor B5?!" Rachael said as she looked below from the opening area in the center of the main hall of Floor B2, but all she could see were Floor B3, which its main hall also, like Floor B2, consisted of a corridor along the five sides of the main hall and a large opening in the shape of a pentagon in the center, making it possible to see even further below to Floor B4 too. Floor B4 also had a main hall too, but the main hall of Floor B4, unlike the main hall of Floor B2 and Floor B3, was, like the foyer on Floor B1, just a large hall in the shape of a pentagon with no opening in the center, making it impossible to tell that there was another floor below Floor B4 by looking from here.

"THERE WAS A SPIRAL STAIRWAY THAT SHALL LEAD YOU DOWN TO FLOOR B5, MASTER, BUT THE STAIRWAY CAN'T BE SEEN FROM HERE." The Druddigon Gargoyle answered Rachael's question. "AND JUST LIKE FROM FLOOR B1 TO FLOOR B2 AND FROM FLOOR B4 TO FLOOR B5, YOU CAN ACCESS TO THE ABOVE FLOOR AND BELOW FLOOR BY USING THE SPIRAL STAIRWAY AT THE MAIN HALL."

"So… While staying here, we will have to run upstairs and downstairs a lot…" Korben said. "Well… I will think of it as training anyway…"

"NEXT…" The Druddigon Gargoyle continued speaking. "UNLIKE FLOOR B1 AND FLOOR B5 WHICH ONLY CONSIST OF A SINGLE MAIN HALL, ON FLOOR B2, THERE WERE FIVE OTHER ROOMS THAT CAN BE ACCESSED BY USING THE DOOR ON EACH SIDE OF THIS MAIN HALL…"

The Pendragon looked around the main hall again and found a door on each side of them. (Since the main hall of Pendracomonium was in the shape of a pentagon, the main hall itself consisted of five sides, which were the north side, northeast side, southeast side, southwest side and northwest side.) This meant that there were five doors on this floor, which can be used to access the other five rooms on this floor.

"THE LAYOUT OF FLOOR B2 ALSO APPLIES TO THE LAYOUT OF FLOOR B4 TOO, EXCEPT THAT EACH ROOM OF FLOOR B4 BARRED THE MAIN HALL WILL ALSO HAVE AN ACCESS TO ANOTHER ROOM ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE MAIN HALL TOO…" The Druddigon Gargoyle explained.

"So… There are five rooms on Floor B2… And another five rooms on Floor B4…" Claura said. "However, there are five more rooms that can be accessed via each room on Floor B4, making it a total of 15 rooms on Floor B2 and Floor B4 combined."

"We will have to find a use for all of them." Baromyteus said.

"And…" Xavier spoke up. "Where will we sleep?"

"THIS WAY, PLEASE…" The Druddigon Gargoyle said as it slowly walked toward the spiral stairway again. However, instead of going up to Floor B1, it went downstairs to the floor below, and the Pendragon followed it.

* * *

"This floor…" Richard said as he and the other members of Pendragon reached Floor B3 by following the Druddigon Gargoyle.

As they reached Floor B3, the Pendragon could tell that the layout of Floor B3 was quite different from the layout of Floor B2 and Floor B4. As, unlike Floor B2 and Floor B4 that had a door to the other room on each side of the main hall, Floor B3 instead had another corridor at the center of each side of the main hall. While each corridor led to the dead end, there were two doors there, one to the left of each corridor and another one to the right of each corridor. The only exception of this was the corridor on the north side of the main hall, which had another door at the end of the corridor.

"FLOOR B3 IS THE PLACE THAT ALL OF YOU WILL STAY." The Druddigon Gargoyle explained. "THIS FLOOR CONSISTS OF FIVE WINGS, THE NORTH WING, THE NORTHEAST WING, THE SOUTHEAST WING, THE SOUTHWEST WING AND THE NORTHWEST WING. EACH WING HAS AN ACCESS TO TWO ROOMS ON EACH SIDE OF THE CORRIDOR OF EACH WING, EXCEPT FOR THE NORTH WING THAT HAS AN ACCESS TO THREE ROOMS."

"I see…" Diego said. "Five wings with two rooms on each wing except for one wing with three rooms instead. That would make it… 11 rooms on this floor."

"But there are 12 of us!" Rachael said. "This place is just one room short!"

"…AMONG ALL OF YOU…" Instead of answering the trouble that Rachael stated, the Druddigon Gargoyle asked yet another question. "WHO IS THE LEADER?"

"That would be me." Baromyteus said.

"THEN, YOU WILL BE STAYING AT THE ROOM AT THE END OF NORTHERN CORRIDOR." The Druddigon Gargoyle said as it pointed its paw at the one of three rooms at the North Wing, which was the room at the end of the corridor. "THAT ROOM WAS CREATED AS A PRIVATE QUARTER FOR THE MASTER OF THIS PLACE, SO THAT ROOM IS MORE THAN TWICE LARGER THAN OTHER ROOMS ON THIS FLOOR AS THE SIZE OF THAT ROOM IS EQUAL TO THE SIZE OF TWO SMALL ROOMS AND THE CORRIDOR OF THE SAME WING. HOWEVER, IN THIS CASE, THAT ROOM SHALL BELONG TO THE LEADER OF YOUR GROUP."

"I refused." Baromyteus said.

"W… Why?!" Anastasia asked.

"It's because I am the 'leader' of the Pendragon, not the 'boss'." Baromyteus said. "I chose to be the leader of the Pendragon because everyone said that I am most suited for this role, not that I want a privilege for myself. And so, I refuse to stay in a room that's more than twice larger than other rooms on this floor."

"But that would be a problem because we will be short of one room." Diego said.

"We will still be short of one room regardless of if Baromyteus stays in that large room or not." Richard said.

"Then, why don't we let the leader and the second-in-command of the Pendragon stays in that room together?" Zetarus suggested. "We could have Baromyteus and Claura—"

"NEVER!" Baromyteus and Claura roared at Zetarus at the same time, which shocked the Garchomp. However, as both of them realized that they had said the same word as each other at the same time, the Kingdra and the Shiny Haxorus turned their face to each other and were about to start another bickering when Anastasia and Xavier got between them.

"P… Please calm down, brother…" Anastasia said as she tried to calm her elder brother down.

"Yawn…" Unlike Anastasia, Xavier didn't try very hard to calm his cousin down.

"HM!" Claura and Baromyteus grumbled before turning their face away from each other at the same time.

"Sigh…" Anastasia sighed as she was finally able to calm her brother down.

"Back to our trouble." Xavier spoke up after seeing that Claura and Baromyteus had already somewhat calm down. "What can we do with this problem?"

"But again…" Richard spoke up. "The idea of having two of us staying together in that room is actually not bad…"

"But… Who would stay in that big room?" Korben said. "And it would mean that everyone wouldn't be equal to other too…"

"Um…" Freya spoke up. "Why don't… Why don't we turn that large room into two rooms of the same size as other rooms on this floor? With this, everyone will get their own private room, and all of us would be equal to other too…"

"Yeah, it sounds nice." Zetarus said. "But Freya, how could we turn that large room into two smaller rooms? It's much easier said than done…"

"I CAN HELP YOU WITH THAT, MASTERS." The Druddigon Gargoyle spoke up.

"What?!" Zetarus said as he and everyone else turned their attention to the Druddigon Gargoyle.

"AS THE LEADER OF ALL GUARDIANS OF PENDRACOMONIUM, I HAVE AN ABILITY TO CHANGE THE INTERIOR OF THIS PLACE TO SUIT YOUR NEED, MASTERS."

"Why didn't you just say it in the first place?!" Diego scolded the Druddigon Gargoyle.

"It couldn't be helped. That guy is just a gargoyle, which means that it's just a stone statue that was brought to live by magic." Richard said. "That guy isn't really alive."

"THEN, WOULD YOU LIKE ME TO TURN THE LEADER'S PRIVATE QUARTER INTO TWO PRIVATE QUARTERS?" The Druddigon Gargoyle asked.

"Go ahead." Baromyteus said.

"THEN…" The Druddigon Gargoyle slowly walked to the entrance of the corridor at the North Wing. It then raised its paw and pointed it at the door at the dead end of this corridor, and a second later, the door disappeared, and the dead end of this corridor started expanding until it reached another dead end. This time, there was no more door at the dead end of the northern corridor, but there were two more doors on the corridor that was expanded, one on the left of the corridor and one on the right of the corridor, making it a total of four rooms at the North Wing, with two rooms on the left of the corridor and two rooms on the right of the corridor, and 12 rooms on this floor!

"… I HAVE SUCCESSFULLY TURNED THE LEADER'S PRIVATE QUARTER INTO TWO PRIVATE QUARTERS, MASTERS." The Druddigon Gargoyle said as it slowly walked toward the Pendragon again.

"Great." Baromyteus said. "Now that we have 12 rooms, we can now start choosing which room that each of us will stay."

"Among the five wings of this floor, the North Wing has four rooms while the rest of them has two rooms." Xavier said.

"Then… Rachael and I will take one wing that's not the North Wing for ourselves." Richard spoke up. "I don't want both of us to get to stay too far from each other."

"And I want to stay near Onii-chan too!" Rachael said.

"Agree." Baromyteus said. "And that means that Anastasia and I will also take another wing for ourselves too, so that I will be able to take care of her."

"Okay…" Anastasia nodded to her elder brother.

"If that's so, then I guess Claura and I will take another wing then…" Xavier said. "After all, Claura is helpless without me, so I will have to stick with her."

"You are the one who talk!" Claura said to her cousin.

"Then it would mean that…" Zetarus said as he turned his attention to Diego. "Diego, why don't we take another wing for ourselves? Or maybe we can stay together in the same room. I don't mind."

"Fxxk off." Diego said. "Staying in the same wing is fine, but nothing more."

"What?! Why do you have to say something like that?!" Zetarus said as he looked at the Mega Charizard X with a crafty look on his face. "After all, didn't we stay in the same room while we were in the Hidden Village of Dragon? I still remember the time when I help you with your master—"

"Cough! Cough!" Richard faked his cough to cut of Zetarus' words. "And that would mean that the remaining wing is the North Wing, with four remaining Pokemon." Richard finished his words by looking at Korben, Freya, Snow and Sirius.

"I am completely fine with this." Snow said.

"M… Me too." Freya nodded.

"Hm!" Korben seemed not to be very pleased as it would mean that he had to stay at the same wing as the Pokemon he hated most.

"…" Sirius turned its face away from Korben.

"Then, Korben, Freya, Snow and Sirius, you four decide which room at the North Wing that each of you will stay…" Baromyteus spoke up. "And for the rest, we will decide which wing that each pair of us will stay."

"But before that…" Richard spoke up. "There's one more thing that we must do, or should I say, that we must finish?"

"What is it this time, Richard?" Diego asked.

"Remember shortly after we chose the leader and the second-in-command of the Pendragon?" Richard said. "We were in the middle of choosing the strategist of the Pendragon, but Bahamut appeared before we could reach our agreement."

"Oh, right." Claura said. "I remember that we are choosing between Richard and Xavier about who will be the strategist of the Pendragon."

"Right, and I think that we have finally reached our agreement" Richard said as he moved to the Dragonite. "Xavier, you should be the one who takes the role of strategist."

"Hm?" Xavier looked at the Latios in front of him. "Why me?"

"… I'd hate to say this, but it's because I have already seen that, between both of us, you are far more superior as a strategist than me." Richard said. "After we arrived at the Pendracomonium, I have observed that your skill of judging the situation exceeds mine, and while my knowledge is far more superior than you, I think that an ability to judge a situation is preferred over knowledge for a strategist."

"You think so?" Xavier said. "But that would mean that I will have to work harder… What a pain."

"If you aren't a strategist of the Pendragon, then you will be assigned to the other role anyway, Xavier." Claura said. "And you may not really like the other role that you will get, such as hunting food for us—"

"Fine, I will be the strategist of the Pendragon." Xavier said. "At least I could take a nap while I come up with a plan for us, but hunting food? Forget it… I like blood and killing, but chasing after the preys is still too much of a pain."

"That's settled." Richard said. "Now we can finally decide which room will each of us stay."

"ONE MORE THING, MASTERS." The Druddigon Gargoyle spoke up, turning the attention to everyone to it. "AFTER YOU CHOOSE THE PRIVATE QUARTER FOR YOURSELF, BEFORE ENTERING THE ROOM, PLEASE PLACE YOUR PAW ON THE DOOR FIRST, AND THE INTERIOR OF YOUR PRIVATE QUARTER WILL CHANGE TO SUIT YOUR SPECIE AND YOUR PREFERENCE."

"What?" Zetarus said. "This place can do something like that?!"

"YES, MASTER." The Druddigon Gargoyle said. "THE MAGICAL AURA OF EACH PRIVATE QUARTER WILL RESPOND TO YOUR BODY AND SOUL BEFORE IT ADAPTS THE PRIVATE QUARTER AS YOU WILL."

"Geeze… And I thought that I couldn't like this place better." Zetarus said.

"And it also makes this place much more interesting…" Richard said. "I have never known that there's a place that can change itself like that in this world. It seems like this place isn't ordinary ruins indeed."

"And we are also lucky to discover this place and make it our team base." Korben said.

"AND NOW, IF YOU WILL EXCUSE ME, I SHALL TAKE MY LEAVE RIGHT NOW." The Druddigon Gargoyle spoke up again. "I WILL CONTINUE MY DUTY OF GUARDING THIS PLACE AT THE FOYER OF THE PENDRACOMONIUM. IF YOU NEED A MODIFICATION OF THE INTERIOR OF THIS PLACE TO SUIT YOUR NEED AGAIN OR ANYTHING ELSE REGARDING THIS PLACE, PLEASE TELL ME AND I WILL GRANT YOU YOUR WISH."

"T… Thank you so much, Sir err…" Freya said before she remembered something. "By the way, do you have a name?"

"A… NAME?" The Druddigon Gargoyle said as it looked at the Latias who spoke up earlier.

"R… Right, a name." Freya said. "I… I understand that you are made to be the leader of all gargoyles in this place, and as a leader, you also have several more abilities than other gargoyles too, so I think that… M… Maybe you have a name too?"

"… IF THAT'S YOUR WISH…" The Druddigon Gargoyle slowly spoke up after hearing the words of the Flygon. "THEN YOU MAY CALL ME… RYUGAN."

"Ryugan… S… So, that's your name…" Freya said. "T… Thank you for everything you have done for us, Sir Ryugan."

"I AM NOT WORTHY OF YOUR PRAISE, MASTER." The Druddigon Gargoyle, whose name was Ryugan, said. "AND SO, IF YOU'LL EXCUSED ME, I SHALL TAKE MY LEAVE NOW."

After finished speaking, Ryugan slowly walked toward the spiral stairway before it went upstairs, back to the foyer on Floor B1, to the statue base that it was standing before, leaving the Pendragon on Floor B3.

"Ryugan…" Rachael said. "He seems to be… I don't know, but I feel a strange feeling toward him. I feel that he's… empty. I can't feel any single soul within his body."

"That's because he's a gargoyle, Rachael." Richard spoke up. "As I said before, a gargoyle is just a stone statue that comes to life, not a real living creature, so that guy is only alive because of the magic that commands him, which, if I'm not wrong, is being embedded in that strange object that looks like a claw or a fang that was attached to the string that he was wearing around his neck. He isn't alive because he has a soul within his body like us, or should I say that he isn't actually alive after all."

"That's…" Rachael said.

"Never mind it, Rachael." Claura spoke up. "Now, let's get back to our business. It's time for us to choose our room."

"Finally…" Xavier spoke up.

"Then…" Diego was about to say something when he noticed that Anastasia and Baromyteus didn't have their attention at their current conversation. Instead, they both had their attention at the spiral stairway, the same stairway that led to Floor B2 and Floor B1 above."

"Anastasia, Baromyteus, are you listening to us?" Diego called the name of the Goodra and the Shiny Haxorus.

"Hm? Oh…" Realizing that someone had called them, Anastasia and Baromyteus quickly turned their attention back to the other members of the Pendragon. "Forgive us. We were just spacing out."

"And so…" Xavier said after seeing that Baromyteus and Anastasia had finally turned their attention to their current conversation. "Everyone, which room and which wing would you stay?"

* * *

 **-Five Minutes Later…**

While deciding the room, the Pendragon decided to assign a number to each room to make it easier to call them, starting with the room to the right of the corridor of the North Wing (The original room, not the room that was created from the leader's room) as the Room Number 01, and the number of the room rotated clockwise (The room to the left of the corridor of the North Wing as Room Number 02, the room to the right of the corridor of the North Wing as Room Number 03, and so on.), and the number finished at the room to the left of the corridor of the North Wing as the Room Number 10. (The reason why they chose the room to the right of the corridor of the North Wing as Room Number 01 and the room to the left of the corridor of the North Wing as Room Number 10 was because the leader's room, which was being turned into two more rooms, was once located between both rooms on the North Wing.) For the rooms that was created from the original leader's room, both room was given the name of 'Special Room I' and 'Special Room II', with the Special Room I located next to Room Number 01 and Special Room II located next to Room Number 10, because they were created from the original leader's room. (But both special rooms didn't have anything different from the other rooms.)

After five minutes, the Pendragon was finally able to agree on their room, and they were now staying in the room they chose to see the atmosphere that, according to Ryugan, was changed to match the preference of each of them.

* * *

 **-List of the Pendragon's Private Quarters and their themes (Start with Northeast Wing; Rotate Clockwise):**

 **A. Northeast Wing**

 **-Room Number 02**

 **Owner:** Claura Pulsawhirl the Kingdra

 **Theme:** Undersea World (The room that resembled world below the surface of the sea where the light from the sun could still reach the bottom of the sea, with many life forms that lived together with the wave in harmony.)

 **-Room Number 03**

 **Owner:** Xavier Stormwing the Dragonite

 **Theme:** Sky Realm (The room that resembled realm beyond the cloud with the sky of various color depended on the time of the day and the fluffy cloud that could immediately sent everyone who laid down onto it to the dream world.)

 **B. Southeast Wing**

 **-Room Number 04**

 **Owner:** Anastasia Wyrmscale the Goodra

 **Theme:** White Darkness (The room with the atmosphere of the land of the everlasting winter that was always veiled in the white embrace of the howling blizzard that could freeze even the hottest flame, which made it almost impossible to see around the world veiled in the white darkness.)

 **-Room Number 05**

 **Owner:** Baromyteus Drawyvern the Shiny Haxorus

 **Theme:** Black Light (The room with the atmosphere of the land covered in the light that always shone down upon and turned the whole room dark. However, despite being veiled in the darkness, one could still see around the room clearly, as if the darkness also worked as a light that opened a new path.)

 **C. Southwest Wing**

 **-Room Number 06**

 **Owner:** Diego Pyrotorch the Mega Charizard X

 **Theme:** Inferno Cavern (The room that resembled the deepest pit of lava deep under the earth, with the fiery lava pit and the burning flame that always burnt and would never die out, just like the flame of hell that would continue burning even after the end of the world.)

 **-Room Number 07**

 **Owner:** Zetarus Quakersand the Garchomp

 **Theme:** Mirage Desert (The room that resembled the vast desert of burning sand of the earth, with the high temperature that could generate the mirage of a haunted past out of nowhere, despite that there was nothing else inside this room other than the sea of sand.)

 **D. Northwest Wing**

 **-Room Number 08**

 **Owner:** Rachael Lustermist the Latias

 **Theme:** Forest of Purity (A room that resembled a forest full with many life forms in the forms of plants, trees and flowers that gave out the purest atmosphere, as if the trees were greeting their guests. This also gave out a feeling that the whole room was alive.)

 **-Room Number 09**

 **Owner:** Richard Lustermist the Latios

 **Theme:** Library of Wisdom (A room that resembled a library decorated in the exotic style to give out a feeling of nostalgic and relaxing, with a vast amount of books inside that one would never hope to finish all of them in their lifetime unless they were immortal.)

 **E. North Wing**

 **-Room Number 10**

 **Owner:** Sirius Xenomask the Type: Null

 **Theme:** Distant Future (The advanced room that was decorated with the decoration of the future civilization of technology to resemble the thought of what would the continent of Symmetria in the future be, which mostly existed as the imagination.)

 **-Special Room II**

 **Owner:** Snow Tundrafrost the Draconic Lapras

 **Theme:** Vintage Hall (The room with the vintage atmosphere of the high-class society with the subtle snowfall occurred outside the room, which gave out the feeling of sipping tea next a fireplace while looking at the windows to see the world outside with the snow that gently fell onto the ground.)

 **-Special Room I**

 **Owner:** Freya Mirasert the Flygon

 **Theme:** Flower Garden (The room that looked like an abundant garden full with many flowers that bloomed into the beautiful flowers to the heart's content, yet no one would ever realize how much obstacles these flowers must endure before they could flourish at last.)

 **-Room Number 01**

 **Owner:** Korben Forcenter the Kommo-o

 **Theme:** Wounded Past (The traditional room that was decorated with the tribal decoration of the Dragon type Pokemon to resemble the primeval civilization of the lost Hidden Village of Dragon, which now only existed in the realm of memory.)

* * *

After they finished inspecting their private quarters, the Pendragon spent the rest of the day by exploring the remaining area of Pendracomonium. Other than the foyer on Floor B1, which also served as the Chamber of the Guardian, a place where the 'guardians' of Pendracomonium gathered, and the private quarters on Floor B3, there were still several rooms that were still left empty, including five rooms on Floor B2, ten rooms on Floor B4 and the single hall on Floor B5. Because of this, the Pendragon decided that they will put those rooms into a good use, but for what use?

Other than to find a use for the remaining rooms in the Pendracomonium, the Pendragon also had to assign a role for the remaining members of their group, which they could also do while they were trying to find a use for the remaining rooms

A few hours later, the Pendragon managed to find a use for the remaining rooms in this place, as well as assign a role to the remaining members of the Pendragon, and all of them were happy with the role they received.

While the rooms on Floor B3 was the private quarters of each member of the Pendragon, all rooms on Floor B2 and Floor B4, as well as Floor B5, were turned into the facilities for them to use. Starting with Floor B4, which had five large rooms on each side of the main hall and five small rooms that connected to each large room on this floor. Moreover, each rooms on Floor B4 was unique, so it could be turned into a facility that would put its unique quality to the maximum.

The Small Northwest Room of Floor B4 was turned into a Food Storage as the temperature of this room was much lower than other room in this place, with the outer part of this room had its temperature at lower than 10 degree Celsius while the deeper part of this room had its temperature at even lower than 0 degree Celsius, and only Snow and Anastasia that could enter this room without suffering from Hypothermia. (It was understandable for Snow as he was still the Ice type Pokemon, but no one except Baromyteus understood why Anastasia was able to enter this room with ease.) Richard also mentioned that the reason why this room was much colder than other rooms in the Pendracomonium was because there were several frozen rivers located in the ground nearby this room, as indicated by the soil of this room that was full with the crystals of frozen water. However, while this room was like a frozen hell for the Pendragon, it was a great place for storing fresh food such as vegetable and berries, as well as the meat they got from hunting and the fish they got from fishing. This was the reason why the Small Northwest Room of Floor B4 was turned into a Food Storage.

The Large Northwest Room of Floor B4, being located next to the frozen room, was also colder than other room in the Pendracomonium, albeit not as cold as its smaller counterpart because the heat from the lava pit nearby heated up this room a bit. The heat from the lava pit also melted the frozen rivers in the ground nearby, creating several small waterfalls flowing out of the wall of the room and flowing down through the holes on the floor. Richard also mentioned that, because these waterfalls were created by melting the frozen underground river, the water from these waterfalls was very clear, pure and also drinkable. With all of these reasons, including the fact that this room was located next to the Food Storage, the Large Northwest Room of Floor B4 was turned into a Kitchen, with the waterfalls in this room as the source of water for the Kitchen, both for utilizing and consuming. And so, Snow as appointed to be the Chef of the Pendragon as he was the best at cooking and he was among a few members of the Pendragon who could enter the Food Storage with ease, and Snow happily accepted this duty. However, some members, such as Freya, Rachael and Anastasia, also promised that they will help him cook too if they were free.

The Large Southwest Room of Floor B4 was different from other rooms on this floor too, as this was the only room that other life forms could be found, and in this case, the plants, as there were a few plants that were native to the lightless area growing up in this room. It was because this room had a perfect condition for these plants to flourish, with an appropriate temperature, abundant soil and the source of water in the form of several small waterfalls just like the Kitchen. (But because the waterfalls here came from the normal underground river, not the frozen one, the water from these waterfalls wasn't pure enough for drinking.) This gave Rachael an idea to turn this room into a Greenhouse for growing the plants that would be used as the ingredients for food and potion, and Richard helped his younger sister by dividing this room into two sections, and he then created the artificial sunlight for one of them as it would be the section for growing the normal plants such as berries trees and vegetables trees while leaving the other section of the room in dark for growing the plants that were native to the lightless area, which were mainly used for making potions. And, of course, Rachael was appointed to be the Gardener who would grow and take care of the plants in this garden, as well as harvesting them for food, as Rachael was very good at taking care of plants as she was once lived in the berry farm, and because she loved this work, Rachael happily accepted the job as a Gardener.

The Small Southwest Room had nothing extraordinary inside. However, because this room was located next to the Greenhouse, Richard suggested that this room should be the Laboratory, a place used for researching, as well as a place for Rachael to use for making potions. As potions were quite essential for the Pendragon that always got themselves into a battle, the Pendragon agreed to Richard's suggestion and turned this room into a Laboratory, and Rachael got one more job as an Apothecary, someone who brewed potions, as she was talented at this work.

Other than Rachael working as an Apothecary at the Laboratory, Richard also assigned himself as the Researcher of the Pendragon. His job was researching something new for the Pendragon, as well as uncovering the 'secret' that the Pendragon had encountered. Richard also took the work of managing the move for the Pendragon such as deleting the unwanted move and teaching a new move, both move that was learned naturally and the move that required special machine for teaching. While the Pendragon didn't know that the job as Researcher would be much uses for them, they agreed that the job of managing move was important for them, so they allowed Richard to work as a Researcher. Also, Richard chose the Laboratory that Rachael used for making potions as his workplace too, as he figured that the Laboratory would be able to do more than being a place for Rachael to make her potion. Moreover, Richard also said that this Laboratory shall serve as the First aid Room of the Pendracomonium as Rachael could brew a potion to heal the injured Pendragon and Richard could work as a doctor alongside his sister as he was once lived in a clinic before.

The Large Southeast Room of Floor B4 had a smoother floor and wall than other room on this floor, and this room also had no obstacle such as rock or stone, and so, the Pendragon decided to turn this room into a Training Ground for them, and they appointed Korben as a Training Coach, the one who would help the Pendragon with their training by assigning the best training for them, because he was once trained in the Training Dojo of Hidden Village of Dragon, and his marriage with balance and equality (As stated by Xavier and Baromyteus) ensured that he would manage to find a training that matched the current strength of each member of the Pendragon, not too tense and not too loose.

At first, Korben was a bit scared when he realized that this would mean that he would have to eventually battle Baromyteus, but the Shiny Haxorus ensured the Kommo-o that there was nothing to worry about…

"The person I hate most is already dead by my paw, so I have no need to unleash my rage on you, Korben." Baromyteus said. This put the Kommo-o at ease and he finally accepted the role as the Training Coach of the Pendragon.

For the Small Southeast Room of Floor B4 next to the Training Hall, because the Pendragon couldn't think of any use for this room, this room was turned into a Storage Room that the Pendragon used for storing the non-food objects.

The Small Northeast Room of Floor B4, on the other hand, was unique as this room had an access to the tiny part of the lava pit that was located nearby the Pendracomonium, which was the very same thing that caused the Pendracomonium to be a bit warmer than above the ground. However, because this room had an access to the lava pit, the temperature of this room was higher than other rooms in this place, which caused Snow and Anastasia to feel very uncomfortable, but Diego and Zetarus, on the other hand, found this room comfortable for them. And so, with an access to the lava pit, albeit a tiny part, the Pendragon decided to turn this room into a Forge, a place for forging, upgrading and modifying weapons, and so, Diego was appointed to be the Blacksmith for the Pendragon as he was the only one who knew how to forge, and he could do a very good job in this duty, as well as being one of a few members of the Pendragon who had high heat tolerance, so Diego accepted.

The Large Northeast Room of Floor B4 had nothing extraordinary, but because this room was located next to the Forge, it was turned into a Workshop, a place for Diego to do the work that didn't require the use of the lava pit, as Diego said that he will start working on crafting the defensive gear too.

"From now on, we will always get ourselves into a perilous situation, so I think this would at least help us live a little longer." Diego said.

The North Rooms of Floor B4, both the large room and the small room, like the Kitchen and the Greenhouse, also had waterfalls inside too. However, because this room was located between the Kitchen, a place located next to the frozen rivers, and the Workshop, a place located next to the lava pit, the waterfalls in this room were much larger than the one in the Kitchen and the Greenhouse. And so, the Large North Room of Floor B4 was turned into the Bathroom for the Pendragon. The Bathroom shall be divided into three sections. The first section was the entrance of the room, which covered the area that connected to the main hall. This would be the area that the Pendragon would prepare themselves before going into the bath. The other two sections were the male bath and female bath, with the male bath located to the right and the female bath located to the left. Both sections were technically a mirrored version of each other, with a large bath that covered almost the entire area of the section (The baths themselves seemed more like a hot spring, except that the Pendragon could adjust the temperature of the water to their will as there were two waterfalls in each bath, with one had the 'hot' water that came from the river that passed near the lava pit and the other one had the 'cold' water that was melt from the frozen river.), and a few resting area that the Pendragon used to do everything else while they were taking a bath beside soaking in the bath, such as taking a break from soaking in the bath or changing their cloth. Both male and female sections of the bath had two doors, with one that led to the entrance of the Bathroom and the other one led to the Small North Room of Floor B4, which was turned into the 'Outdoors' Bathroom.

While the Outdoor Bathroom was technically still located indoors, the room was different from the main bathroom as it was decorated with many plants, small trees and flowers, creating the atmosphere that this bathroom was a hot spring located in the middle of the exotic garden, where the Pendragon could enjoy the scenery of nature while they were soaking in the bath, and the bath in the Outhdoors Bathrooms was larger than the baths in the male and the female sections too as it took up almost the entire area of the small room, while the baths in the male and female section only took up almost the entire area of one of three sections of the large room. However, because of all of this, the Outdoors Bathroom had become the shared bathroom, where both male and female could come and enjoy it. Also, the Outdoors Bathroom was a perfect place for Sirius to take a bath as it was a genderless Pokemon.

Floor B5 of Pendracomonium, unlike Floor B2, B3 and B4, only had one single room, which was the main hall. The main hall of this floor, however, was much darker than the other main halls as it was located very deep into the ground, as well as being separated from other main halls, just like the foyer of Floor B1, but as the Pendragon looked around this main hall closely, they found that this hall had an access to another place other than the main hall of Floor B4 too. Nevertheless, another place that Floor B5 had an access to was just a natural cavern, which was very dark as no light could ever shine into that place, and so, there was not much use that the Pendragon could gain from this floor and the cavern… Except that Richard had analyzed that the cavern here was very rich in valuable items such as ores and stones as it was located very deep in the ground, and the lava pit nearby helped too, and those items would be valuable for Diego as he would be able to use them in his as a Blacksmith. However, because the cavern was very dark, and its inside area was mostly uncharted, the only one who could explore this cavern and find the valuable items inside was Sirius, as it could travel in the darkness with ease due to its gene of Dark type allowed it to see in the darkness, and its gene of other types helped it to travel in the uncharted cavern with ease, and so, Sirius was appointed to be the Cavern Explorer, the one who would explore the uncharted cavern and brought the items it found in the cavern back to the Pendragon, and the Type: Null didn't mind doing this job.

While all rooms on Floor B4, as well as the entire Floor B5, were unique, all five rooms on Floor B2 weren't as four of five of them were just a plain room with nothing inside. The only exception was the Northeast Room of Floor B2, which had several warp portals inside…

"YOU CAN USE THESE WARP PORTALS TO TRAVEL TO ANY PLACE THAT YOU HAVE ALREADY VISITED IN THE INSTANT, AND BECAUSE YOU HAVE ALREADY SEALED YOUR BLOOD IN THIS PLACE, YOU CAN ALWAYS RETURN TO THIS PLACE AT ANYTIME YOU WANT BY USING THE TELEPORTATION, WHICH WILL BRING YOU BACK TO THIS ROOM." Ryugan explained as the Pendragon asked him about the warp portals. "THE ONLY THING THAT YOU NEED TO CONSIDER IS THAT YOU MUST REMEMBER ABOUT THAT PLACE. IF YOU HAVE ALREADY VISITED ONE PLACE, BUT YOU DON'T HAVE A MEMORY OF THAT PLACE AT ALL, THE WARP PORTAL WILL NOT RESPOND TO YOUR DESIRE. ALSO, THERE MAY BE SOME PLACES THAT DENY YOU FROM TELEPORTING BACK TO THIS PLACE, SO KEEP THAT IN YOUR MIND, MASTERS."

With this, the Northeast Room of Floor B2 had become a Portal Room, a place that the Pendragon would use to travel around the continent of Symmetria in the part that they had already visited and still remembered about it. (However, considered their status right now, the Pendragon decided that they won't use it for travelling to the other part of Symmetria for now, but they would still use it to travel around the area of Valley of No Return.)

The four other rooms on Floor B2 weren't unique, so the Pendragon could turn each of them into anything they wanted. First, the Northeast Room of Floor B2 was turned into a Dining Hall for the Pendragon to have their meal, as this room was located directly above the Kitchen, so Snow could easily send the food he made from the Kitchen to the Dining Hall directly using a lift that would be installed later.

For the Southwest Room of Floor B2, everyone agreed that this room shall be the Resting Room, a room where the Pendragon would spend their time after hard work by relaxing themselves or playing games with their friends.

For the Southeast Room of Floor B2, while the Pendragon was trying to decide on what would they turn this room into, Anastasia asked that she would turn this room into a Boutique, a place for making cloth and accessory, as some members of the Pendragon such as Rachael, Richard and Anastasia herself didn't wear armor suit in a battle, and it wasn't necessary for the one who wore the armor suit such as Claura, Xavier and Diego to wear it of all time, as they could change from wearing armor suit into wearing cloth too, at least while they were staying in the Pendracomonium, and the accessory would help the Pendragon in some case, so the Pendragon decided to go with Anastasia's suggestion and turned this room into a Boutique, and, of course, Anastasia was appointed to be the Tailor of the Pendragon as she was used to sewing and making cloth since she was a songstress, and she loved sewing too. Moreover, Rachael and Freya asked Anastasia if they would be able to come here and help her sewing cloth some time, and Anastasia happily accepted their offer.

The last room was the North Room of Floor B2. This room was finally decided to be made into the Meeting Room, a room for the Pendragon to assemble and have a meeting about what would they do next in their mission, as well as a working place for Xavier to come up with a plan for the Pendragon.

Then, Freya volunteered herself to work as a Maid who would take care of keeping the Pendracomonium clean, as someone must keep this place clean. Since the foyer on Floor B1 was the domain of the gargoyles, all rooms on Floor B3 were the private quarters, all room on Floor B4 and B5 except for the Bathroom were the working place of the other members of the Pendragon (Such as Snow working in the Kitchen and Korben working in the Training Ground), and the Boutique on Floor B2 was the working place of Anastasia, Freya didn't have to take care of those rooms too, so the rooms that she must keep clean were the Bathroom, both indoors and outdoors, the Resting Room, the Portal Room, the Meeting Room and all Main Halls. (Snow said that he would take care of the Dining Hall by himself.) And so, the Pendragon accepted Freya's volunteer and appointed her to be the Maid of the Pendragon.

At this point, the only member of the Pendragon who hadn't gotten a work yet was Zetarus, which wasn't a much problem since the Pendragon could easily find a suitable job for him. Zetarus then was appointed to be the Hunter of the Pendragon, which was the one who would hunt wild Pokemon in Valley of No Return as a food for the Pendragon, as Valley of No Return was the only place that the Pendragon could hunt their food, which was also a great place for hunting as Valley of No Return was a very abundant place that was full with many kind of wild Pokemon, so they would be able to hunt them for their food with ease. Also, Zetarus was the most skilled hunter in the Pendragon as he used a pistol for hunting, and he could hunt both on the ground, under the water and in the sky as he was a Garchomp. Moreover, Zetarus was more than happy to work as a hunter as he loved killing, so he happily accepted this work. However, because there were so many members in the Pendragon, and several of them were the big eaters, having only one hunter might not be sufficient as, while Zetarus could hunt enough food for the Pendragon in one day, it would require the hunter to work too hard. And so, some members of the Pendragon such as Claura, Baromyteus and Diego agreed to help Zetarus in hunting if they were free.

After assigning the roles to all members of the Pendragon and decided the rooms of Pendracomonium, the Pendragon paid a visit to Ryugan and told him about this, and the Druddigon Gargoyle accepted their order and commanded other gargoyles to renovate and modify the rooms in the Pendracomonium as the Pendragon ordered, as well as installing the tools or objects that would be necessary for each room, which were the cooking appliances, kitchen wares and cooking utensils for the Kitchen, the storage package for the Food Storage and the Storage Room, the training gears for the Training Ground, the garden tools for the Greenhouse, the scientific tools, apparatuses, Technical Machines and first aid kits for the Laboratory, the forging and armory tools for the Forge and Workshop, the bathing equipment for the Bathroom, the explorer kits and a smelter (For smelting ores that were discovered in the cavern into the ready-to-use ingots) for Floor B5, the eating utensils and a lift from the Kitchen for the Dining Hall, several relaxing couches and game sets such as chess and card for the Resting Room, clothing tools for the Boutique and some more things for the Meeting Room. (How these gargoyles were able to find those things and objects for each room remained a mystery as Ryugan didn't say anything about it, and the other gargoyles couldn't speak.) They also added a fireplace to the Dining Hall, Resting Room and Meeting Room too.

"ONE MORE THING, MASTERS." Ryugan spoke up while he was letting other gargoyles renovating the rooms in the Pendracomonium. "WE THE GUARDIANS OF PENDRACOMONIUM WOULD BE GLAD TO LEND YOU OUR HANDS. IF YOU WANT TO, WE CAN HELP YOU IN THE WORKS THAT COULD USE A HELP SUCH AS CAVE EXPLORING AND GARDENING. ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS TELL ME WHAT YOU WANT US TO DO AND I WILL ASSIGN MY SUBORDINATE TO DO YOUR BIDDING, BUT KEEP IN MIND THAT WE WOULD ONLY ABLE TO WORK INSIDE THE PENDRACOMONIUM AS THIS PLACE HOUSES THE SOURCE OF OUR LIFE FORCES, SO WE WOULD ABLE TO EXIST IN THIS STATE ONLY INSIDE THE PENDRACOMONIUM, MAKING THE WORKS THAT REQUIRE US TO LEAVE THIS PLACE IMPOSSIBLE FOR US TO PERFORM."

"Understood." Korben said. "Thanks for your offer, Ryugan."

With all of this, the Pendragon was finally able to find the team base within the Valley of No Return, a region that was considered to be enigmatic, but for the Pendragon, it was the only place on the continent of Symmetria that belonged to them, as everywhere else in the Land of Equilibrium had already betrayed them, but they would never give up, as they finally found a place that would be used as their lair…

Pendracomonium, lair of the Pendragon…

 **To Be Continued…**

* * *

 **Dragon of Vale: I am sorry that this story has gone on a hiatus after the last chapter, as this chapter took me forever to write down. The reason why it took me so long to write this chapter was because I needed to design the interior of Pendracomonium, as well as the rooms inside and the roles of each member of the Pendragon. However, the hardest part would be the bedrooms of the Pendragon, as well as theme of each of them. It was a bit challenging to create 12 bedrooms in a place that was in the shape of a 5-side polygon. Nevertheless, I was finally able to do it and here we are, the lair of the Pendragon, and I am quite happy with the result.**

 **Also, I understand that the design of the Pendracomonium tended to be confusing. If you have a question regarding the Pendracomonium, feel free to ask me and I will answer you right away, except if the answer of your question was the spoiler of this story.**

 **Anyway, here we are. The Pendragon had finished assigning roles to each of them, and they finally got their team base, which was quite a grandeur, if you ask me. This would serve as their base of operation until the end of the story, except for the parts that they had to travel to the other place. And also, they had gotten a group of gargoyles and their leader that was a Druddigon Gargoyle named Ryugan that would serve under them as the guardians of the Pendracomonium too! How convenient!**

 **And now, after this chapter, the remaining chapters of Intermission I would be much easier for me to write, and I promise you that this intermission would end within this year, and I will start the 7th tail, as well as answering the Q &A, in the next year!**

 **P.S. If I have to choose a theme song that would be played inside the Pendracomonium, I will choose the song 'Castle Frozen In Time' from Final Fantasy IX.**


	67. Intermission I-5: Distant Sand

**A Dragon's Tail**

 **Intermission I: Freya's Tail - Arrogance**

 **Intermission I-5: Distant Sand**

Symmetria, the Land of Equilibrium, was the last major continent in this world, the World of Pokemon, that was still inhabited by Pokemon. This continent was created when the three major continents, Mytherel, the Land of Legend, Luminus, the Land of Light, and Origia, the Land of Origin, were merged together at the end of War of the God III, creating a single continent of Symmetria. During the 150 years of its existence, the continent of Symmetria had passed through many hardships. The most notable 'hardship' that the continent of Symmetria had endured was the Fallen Crisis, which occurred 33 years before the current year. The Fallen Crisis had left Symmetria a huge scar by distorting its land mass and turning the Land of Equilibrium into what they were today. However, during these last three years, the seven nations of Symmetria had been facing several 'changes', but most of them could never be considered to be positive…

After the death of Pontifex Hawkins, the role of the ruler of the Theocracy of Venturnome was left empty, and the next Pontifex of the holy land was none other than the mysterious crown prince of Venturnome. However, after the coronation day, the new Pontifex of Venturnome rarely appeared in the publish, and he left most duties as a Pontifex to his mother, Archsage Iris, who also worked as his regent. The new Pontifex, however, always kept himself in his private quarter. No one knew what he was trying to do, including his mother, and when being asked, he always gave out a cryptic answer. And so, while the outskirt of the holy land may seem peaceful and nice, such as the Solar Village that was guarded by a vigilante group consisting of the new leader of Solar Village Dojo, the daughter of the magistrate, and two children of the Archbishop, everyone knew that the situation in the capital city wasn't moving toward the good path. The lack of strong leadership that the Theocracy of Venturnome were facing would soon lead the holy land into its darkest time, and the situation would even turn worse when the death of Archsage Iris was discovered…

The Principality of Leafburg was currently on the blink of another Succession War after the death of Daimyo Augustine one year ago. His last words told that he would leave the forest nation in the paw of the one with his blood. However, apparently, Daimyo Augustine didn't have any child, and he was never married. However, it was soon discovered after his death that Daimyo Augustine was having a wife before he ascended to the throne of Leafburg, and while his wife was already dead, it was also discovered that he and his wife also had a child with each other. This led to the search of Daimyo Augustine's lost child. The search led them to the discovery that his child, like his wife, was already dead, as they found her body being buried in an abandoned berry farm in the Forezon Village to the north of the capital, which was where she was working after she fled from the capital during the War of Jasmine. However, while the only daughter of Daimyo Augustine was already dead, it was quickly discovered that before she died, she had given birth to two sons who grew up to be the finest warriors, as well as the one who inherited the title of the Heroes of Legend, with the first son being the Hero of Bug type and the second son being the Hero of Grass type. This, however, led to a conflict of which son should inherit the throne of Leafburg. The Bug type Pokemon said that the throne should belong to the first son as he was the older and the more mature of two, but the Grass type Pokemon said that the throne should belong to the second son because he was the friendlier and the more socialize of two. The conflict soon turned even more heated as the Grass type Pokemon said that the first son, being the son of the Hokage of a hidden ninja village, must inherit the title of the Hokage of his village rather than the title of the ruler of Leafburg, while the Bug type Pokemon completely protested the idea of having the younger son as the ruler of Leafburg as he was revealed to be the son of the mysterious Tsujigiri who caused a huge chaos in the forest nation three years ago, and the blade that had taken the lives of countless residents of Leafburg was also in his possession. And when both sons were questioned, both of them refused to inherit the throne of Leafburg and insisted the other one to be the new ruler of the forest nation. All of these caused the Principality of Leafburg to almost be split into two sides of Bug type Pokemon and Grass type Pokemon after their opposite idea, and it was only a matter of time before the new Succession War emerged if the conflict didn't soon reach the conclusion.

Following his regent, the old King Leonardo of Fireview Kingdom passed away one year after the coronation of the king of the land of flame and stone, who was none other than his grandson, Prince Apollo (Who was now King Apollo). The young King Apollo, along with his twin sister, Lady Artemis, and the new guardian of the sacred volcano, was trying their hardest to rule the land of flame and stone, and they were also trying to atone for the sin that their father, Regent Orion, had committed. Their most challenging tasks was restoring the diplomatic relationship with other nations of Symmetria as Fireview Kingdom only had a strong diplomatic relationship with Dustorm Empire and not the other five nations, especially the Shadowlost Territory, due to what happened during the Bloodmoon War, but so far, it couldn't be said that their attempt on this was successful, especially with the Shadowlost Territory that still couldn't forgive the Fireview Kingdom for the crime they committed during the Bloodmoon War…

Queendom of Riverbrine had been facing the hard situation longer than any nation on the continent of Symmetria, starting with the tyrannical rule of Queen Nyxier that was soon followed by a successful rebellion to overthrow the evil queen. At first, they thought that peace would finally return to the land of ice and snow, but thing changed when the lost princess of Riverbrine had returned after she was sent to Fireview Kingdom near the end of the rebellion. The return of the princes caused another conflict as some Pokemon of Riverbrine wanted the princess to ascend to the throne as the princess was always kind and nice despite of her mother's action while some wanted to execute the princess to prevent her from being another tyrant queen as she shared the same blood as Queen Nyxier for being her daughter. Nevertheless, the throne of Queendom of Riverbrine couldn't be left empty, so for the time being, the princess was crowned as the new queen of the land of ice and water. However, the conflict still continued as there were still many that didn't accept her as the ruler of Riverbrine, but none of them even dared to do anything bad to the queen as she was always guarded by a warrior from Fireview Kingdom, who was also the same Pokemon who rescued her when she fled to the land of flame and stone. While not much was known about him except that he was an apprentice under the former Volcano Guardian of Fireview Kingdom, he always stayed at the queen's side and guarded her from anyone who tried to hurt her. Some speculated that the new queen and her guardian had a relationship of lover with each other, but both of them had already said that they were neither in the relationship of lover, nor that they would be able to marry each other…

The Republic of Civilight was also facing a hard time following the event that occurred three years ago when the top-secret laboratory of the land of steel and thunder was detonated by the mysterious incident there. While the government was trying their hardest to conceal the news of this, their failure during the Dragon Massacre had shaken the faith that the Pokemon of Civilight had toward the government and President Voltson himself. And then, during these last three years, the hidden crimes that the government and President Voltson had committed had gradually been revealed to the publish by the anonymous group, which was recently revealed to be a group of Pokemon who were, like the rebels of Queendom of Riverbrine, trying to subvert the corrupted government of President Voltson, which was led by two Pokemon, the mysterious thief and the former pirate captain from the Riverbrine Archipelago. Right now, while the rebel group was still not strong enough to openly oppose the government, it continued to gradually grow up, and would soon be enough to overthrow the corrupt government of the land of steel and thunder and bring the new light toward the Republic of Civilight.

While the land of steel and thunder was moving toward the new light, the desert nation of Dustorm Empire, on the other hand, was moving toward the darkness, as after the day of the Dragon Massacre, the emperor of Dustorm Empire, Emperor Garland, had become more and more ruthless. He became very strict with the Pokemon of not only the Windsky Plateau but also the Dustorm Empire too. If no one dared to oppose or even question his words and action, he would immediately punish them or worse, kill them. No one would be able to stop him, not even the crown prince who was always accompanied by his retainer from the Windsky Plateau, and so did the first princess and the 'second' prince who were staying in the Dustorm Empire right now. No one knew why Emperor Garland sudden became aggressive. Some speculated that it was because his youngest child, who was also the second princess of the Dustorm Empire, had gone missing since 3 years ago, but many also doubted this idea as she was never the favorite child of Emperor Garland. Nevertheless, the ruthless emperor of Dustorm Empire was now ruling his land with the iron fist, and this would continue unless someone was able to take him down…

Shadowlost Territory, unlike other six nations, didn't face with any major misfortune, and the whole nation still remained as enigmatic as ever as the land of darkness usually didn't have much relationship with the other nations due to being considered as the cursed land by many, especially those who lived in the Theocracy of Venturnome. The only misfortune that this nation had faced during these last three years was the death of Lord Noctis, the ruler of the Shadowlost Territory. And according to his will, the next ruler of the Shadowlost Territory would be the son of the current chancellor of the Shadowlost Territory. However, because the heir to the throne of Shadowlost said that he was yet ready to rule over the land of darkness, the Shadowlost Territory was now under the rule of the chancellor, who was also the mother of the heir.

In the conclusion, it could be said that during these three years, the seven nation of the continent of Symmetria were facing a dark time. No one knew why all of them were facing the dark time within these few years. However, there was one thing that some Pokemon of Symmetria knew…

The dark time that the continent of Symmetria was facing right now… was a punishment for the crime they had committed to the Valley of No Return 3 years ago…

And the punishments would never be lessened, but they would gradually become harsher and harsher…

Until they reached the point… Where they were harsh enough to break…

* * *

It had already been one week since the day that the Pendragon was found, as well as the day that the Pendragon found their team base, the underground ruins named Pendracomonium. All of them were still staying in the Pendracomonium, with some occasion that some of them left their base only to go to the Valley of No Return to hunt for food, as they were still adjusting themselves to their new life after their 'rebirth' after the Dragon Massacre, and they were still deciding on what would they do next.

"Xavier, how long before you tell us what we must do next?!" Claura asked impatiently. Right now, she was in the Meeting Room of the Pendracomonium along with Xavier and Baromyteus. All three were trying to figure out what the Pendragon should do next.

"Yawn… I already told you what to do…" Xavier yawned before continued speaking. "Our main objective was defeating the remaining Hero/ine of Legend from the Fallen Crisis, and only four of them remain. From what I know, one is in the Theocracy of Venturnome, one is in the Dustorm Empire, one is in the Shadowlost Territory, and the last one's whereabouts is still unknown. That's what you must decide. Which place would we visit next? Venturnome? Dustorm? Or Shadowlost?"

"I would say that we should go to Venturnome first." Baromyteus spoke up. "If I remember correctly, the one who is currently in the Venturnome is the weakest of all Hero/ine of Legend, so she will be our easiest target too."

"But I think we should go to the Shadowlost Territory first." Claura spoke up. "Venturnome is an easy place for us to go, but going to Shadowlost is much more challenging as none of us, not counting Snow as he doesn't remember anything, had ever been to this nation before, and the road to the land of darkness is one of the most arduous roads on this continent."

"So… You are suggesting that we should start with the hard mission first?" Xavier asked.

"Yes, because no one else knows about us, the Pendragon, so we should tackle the hard mission first, not taking the easy one first and giving our enemy a time and opportunity to prepare for our upcoming." Claura said.

"And then half of us would be dead or harshly injured by taking the hard path first." Baromyteus said. "Don't forget that there are some of us who aren't physically strong, so it may be too much for them."

"Then, why don't we go to Dustorm first?" Xavier asked. "Don't forget that Valley of No Return is located in the Dustorm Empire too, and since some of us had already been to where that emperor is right now, we can just use the warp portal to gain a quick access to that place."

"But that guy, being an emperor, is heavily guarded by his lap dogs." Baromyteus said with his arms crossed. "The one in Venturnome is just a small priestess, so she is an easy target, and for the one in Shadowlost… Considered her nature, I would say that she wouldn't need a help from any bodyguard."

"You know about them?" Claura asked.

"Don't forget that Anastasia and I once travelled with them before we… betrayed them." Baromyteus said. "But I digress. Now, let's get back to our discussion."

The Shiny Haxorus, the Kingdra and the Dragonite then got back to their discussion. However, none of them noticed that a second ago, there was someone standing on the other side of the door to the Meeting Room, and they were listening to their conversation, but if any of those inside the Meeting Room walked toward the door and opened it, they would find no one there as the one who was there had already left…

* * *

 **-Meanwhile… In a Private Quarter on the North Wing:**

"… How is it, Onii-chan?" Rachael asked with a worried voice.

"Don't interrupt me right now, Rachael." Richard said as his attention was still focused at Sirius who was standing in front of him. Right now, Rachael and Richard were in Sirius' Private Quarter, along with the owner of the room. The reason why they were here was to check up the physical condition of the Type: Null, as it was living in the Civilight Laboratory for the whole time before the Dragon Massacre, and this was the first time that Sirius was able to live 'freely', so Richard said that the Type: Null needed a check up in order to ensure that there was no harm done to his physical condition, and if there was, the Latios would be able to fix it as he owned the data file about 'Experiment Delta'.

"… Done." Richard said as he closed the Chronicle of Darkside and the file about Experiment Delta that were used in this examination. "Your physical condition is in the topmost form, and I am quite sure that you won't have any problem living with us. However, we still can't be too sure, so we will need to keep a close eye on you, Sirius."

"…" Sirius nodded in a grateful manner to the Latios as if it wanted to thank the Latios.

"No need to thank me, Sirius." Richard said. "I just wish that I could help you more, especially about the mask that suppresses your fullest potential."

It could be clearly seen that the mask that Sirius was forced to wear not only limited his ability, but also created much discomfort and torment to its wearer. Both Rachael and Richard really wanted to help removing them, but both didn't dare to because removing it incorrectly might result in a damage to Sirius' face, so they needed to find another way to remove the mask of the Type: Null.

"The file I have doesn't hold any record about the way to remove that mask, indicating that those wretched idiots never wanted to remove that mask, as they fear that your strength after removing that helmet may be enough to break free out of their control." Richard said. "And so, we will have to find a way to remove that mask. Sirius, could you endure a bit longer?"

"…" Sirius slowly nodded to the Latios.

"Sirius…" Rachael said as she approached the Type: Null and gently touched his body. "I know that you are in pain and suffering, but please remember that, no matter what, Onii-chan and I will always help you in the way I can."

"…" Sirius gently nodded to the Latias and looked at her and her elder brother with gentle eyes.

"Now that I think about it…" Richard spoke up, turning the attention of both Rachael and Sirius to him. "There is one important thing that I need to tell both of you."

"What is it?" Rachael asked.

"It's Sirius' body." Richard said. "After the Dragon Massacre, his body—"

"PANG!"

"Sigh…" Richard let out a sigh before turning his attention to the door of the room that was just abruptly opened by another Pokemon, who was now walking into the room.

"Hey!" Rachael said and looked at the newcoming Pokemon, who was none other than Zetarus. "Why didn't you knock the door before coming in?!"

"I don't see any reason to do so." Zetarus answered nonchalantly.

"That's very mean!" Rachael said. "What if I am still dressing when you enter the room without the permission?! You could see me nake—"

"Let him go, Rachael." Richard said. "That guy never learn, so there's no point in trying to stuff the knowledge of manner and etiquette into his hollowed brain."

"Whatever you said, Richard. I never understand what you are trying to say anyway." Zetarus said. "And I am just here to see you, Richard."

"Before you say anything else, could you tell me how your hollowed brain figure out that my sister and I are in this private quarter?" Richard asked.

"If you were asking how I know that you are here, it's because I heard Rachael's and your voice from outside." Zetarus said. "I happen to be around here as I was trying to visit Freya in her room, but it seems like she isn't there. I guess she's in the Kitchen with that Lapras, preparing dinner for us right now."

"Anyway, what do you want from Onii-chan?" Rachael asked.

"Today, when I went hunting in the Valley of No Return, I went into it a bit deeper than usual." Zetarus started explaining. "… And I found a place that seems like a place that was used by those invaders as their base before they… you know."

"…" Rachael and Richard nodded in understanding of Zetarus' words, as the Pendragon had agreed not to talk about the Dragon Massacre much, especially in front of Korben, who was still suffering from that horrible tragedy more than anyone else.

"Anyway, there wasn't much there that's worth my attention... Except these." Zetarus said before he picked something up and showed them to Richard, Rachael and Sirius. "Richard, you are the cocky-know-it-all of our group, so I figure that you may know what they are."

"…" Richard received the items from the Garchomp. The items he received were several round disks that looked very much like the Technical Machines that the Latios used to teach everyone new moves, as all of them were in the different colors, but all color matched the colors of the Technical Machines. The difference between these disks and the Technical Machines was that there was a part of the disk that was a rugged area with a darker color than normal, while there was nothing like this on the Technical Machines. Moreover, when it first saw it, Sirius' eyes were glowing with a mysterious feeling, as if it knew what those disks were…

"… These disks are the Memories." Richard answered after examining the disks that were given to him for a while.

"Memories?" Rachael and Zetarus said.

"I won't go for the detail while you are here, Zetarus, because you will find it extremely boring." Richard said as he looked at the Garchomp. "And learning about them won't make your life any better anyway."

"Well… If you say so…" Zetarus said before he walked toward the door. "Then, I will catch a nap like now. Wake me up at the dinner time, okay?"

"I am not your alarm boy—" Richard immediately spoke up, but Zetarus had already left the room before he finished his words.

"Geez… That guy…" Richard mumbled to himself before turning his attention to his younger sister and Sirius. "Anyway, Rachael, Sirius, the things that Zetarus found in the Valley of No Return is called 'Memories', and for everyone else, they are quite useless. However, for Sirius, they are very valuable."

"For Sirius?" Rachael looked at the Type: Null beside her before turning her attention back to her elder brother. "Do these things have anything to do with Sirius?"

"Normally, they will allow Sirius to change its type from its initial type to the type that matches the Memory that was given to it." Richard explained. "Such as the Fighting Memory will change its type into a Fighting type Pokemon, and the Dark Memory will change its type into a Dark type Pokemon."

"Wow!" Rachael said. "That would make Sirius a very versatile Pokemon, as it was able to turn into any type of Pokemon!"

"… Unfortunately…" Richard continued speaking. "In order for these Memories to work, Sirius must be without that mask, as that mask is suppressing his ability to use these Memories right now."

"Aww…" Rachael said with a disappointed voice before changing back to the happy one as she turned her attention to Sirius. "But don't worry, Sirius! Soon, we will be able to remove that mask, and you will be able to make a good use of these Memories!"

"…" Sirius nodded to the Latias.

"… I hope that it would be as simple as that…" Richard mumbled after hearing the words of his sister.

"Hm? Did you say anything, Onii-chan?" Rachael turned her attention to her brother.

"… Nothing, Rachael." Richard said.

"Then, I will go downstairs and help Snow and Freya make dinner!" Rachael said and turned her attention to Sirius. "Sirius, you don't have to go out and hunt by your own! You can just stay here, and then I will—"

"…" Before Rachael was able to finished her words, Sirius nodded to the Latias in the manner of apologize before it dashed up toward the door and quickly left his room.

"Sirius…" Rachael said as he looked at the door after the Type: Null had already left. "Such a poor creature… Why?"

"… Sirius is just trying to do what it thinks that's the best thing to do right now, considered… You know." Richard said. "Anyway, I will go back to my room and read the Chronicle of Darkside a bit more. Rachael, I'll see you at the Dining Hall at the dinner time, okay."

"Okay!" Rachael said before she and her brother left Sirius' room together.

* * *

 **A Few Hours Later…**

In the Dining Hall of the Pendracomonium, 11 Pokemon were gathering there to have dinner as it was dinner time. Like the meals during the past week, the dinner time of the Pendragon was quite 'lively' as many things happened during this time. First, the food that was served by Snow and others was always heavenly, as not only Snow's skill at cooking was top-notch, but he was also capable of adjusting the taste and the style of the food to matched each Pokemon's preference, such as Rachael who loved sweet food or Richard who preferred sour food (Snow would use the sour berries such as Nomel Berry in Richard's food and used the sweet berries such as Magost Berry in Rachael's food). The talk and action during dinner was also lively too, as it was common for Claura and Baromyteus to start another argument with each other. (However, from other's point of view, they saw their quarrel as just a bickering of a husband and a wife. None of them, of course, ever dared to say this to the Kingdra and the Shiny Haxorus.) But if she wasn't bickering with Baromyteus, Claura would spend her time during the meal by having a chat with other girls in the group, Rachael, Freya and Anastasia, which usually lasted even longer that the meal time, and they would continue their chat while they were bathing. Xavier usually spoke with Richard during the meal to exchange their knowledge (and sarcasm), and they were sometimes joined by Korben, Snow (after he had finished serving the food to everyone) and Baromyteus (when he wasn't bickering with Claura). Zetarus and Diego rarely joined the male's conversation as both usually didn't have enough knowledge to understand what other (especially Richard) was talking about. The only one who was missing during the meal was Sirius, who usually went to Valley of No Return to hunt for food and have its meal there by itself as it didn't want to have meal with everyone and upset them, especially Korben.

Other than Sirius, the others who were not present during the meal were the gargoyles, including Ryugan, as they were just lifeless stone statues that were brought to life with the magic, so there were no need for them to consume food as the magic that controlled them were the source of their energy.

After dinner, Snow and Freya would wash dishes and others would go back to their rooms. Some of them would take a bath now while some would do something else, such as Rachael would go back to the Greenhouse to check the trees that she grew once more or Korben who would go to the Training Ground and meditate. The activities of the Pendragon after dinner would continue until about 23:00, when everyone would finish their stuff and went back to their room, including Sirius who usually came back from Valley of No Return during this time.

But tonight, after 23:00, someone else was still up as they were still working on their work…

"…" Inside the forge, a Mega Charizard X was still there. He was now working with his work. No one knew what he was working on, as he kept this as a secret from everyone, despite that everyone knew that he was now working on something.

"… I think this is it for today…" Diego said as he put down his working tool on the table and walked toward the door of the Forge in order to go back to his room. However, as he opened the door of the Forge, he found that there was someone already standing on the other side of the door.

"Zetarus?" Diego said as he closed the door behind him after he left the Forge and entered the main hall, where the Garchomp was standing right in front of him. "What are you doing here at the time like this?"

"… I have something that I want to talk with you, Diego." Zetarus answered with his arms crossed before turning toward the stair that led to Floor B3. "… Come with me. We will talk in my room."

"… Fine." Diego nodded to the Garchomp as he slowly followed the Garchomp upstairs.

* * *

 **-A Few Minutes Later…**

Zetarus led the Mega Charizard X into his room, which was opposite of Diego's room. As the Garchomp closed the door after both of them had already entered the room, the Mega Charizard X could sense a hint of seriousness from the Garchomp, as his action from when he met him a few minutes ago when he left the Forge until now wasn't the Garchomp's usual demeanor, which meant that…

"… What do you want to talk with me?" Diego asked as the Garchomp turned his attention toward him. Right now, as the Mega Charizard X looked into the eyes of the Garchomp, he could no longer see the same peppy and lively sparkle that Zetarus usually had, but it was the sparkle of seriousness and emptiness, just like the first time that both of them met each other over three years ago.

"… I have already decided." Zetarus started speaking with a serious voice. "… Tonight is the night that I will finish the mission of my lifetime."

"… Do you mean that…" Diego said.

"… After we finished speaking, I will leave for the Desert Palace of the Dustorm Empire." Zetarus continued speaking. "I will go back to that place and finish what I intend to do; to kill the emperor of the Dustorm Empire."

"… Do you really intend to do it now?" Diego asked with his arms crossed.

"Yes." Zetarus gave out a firm answer.

"Then, we have nothing else to speak." Diego said. "Let's go, Zetarus. The sooner we finish, the better."

"Wait, are you going to come with me?" Zetarus asked with a hint of surprising in his voice.

"Of course." Diego said. "Don't forget that we make a deal to help each other, and you have already finished your end of the bargain, so it's time for me to finish mine."

"… Won't you even ask me why I suddenly want to do this?" Zetarus said.

"Before I answer yours, answer me first." Diego said. "A while ago, it's clear that you didn't expect me to go with you, so why did you decide to tell me about this in the first place?"

"I just don't want to make you angry, as I know that you would be furious at me if I didn't tell you about this." Zetarus answered. "And moreover, if something unexpected happened and I don't come back before the sunrise, at least there will be someone who will be able to tell a bit about me. That's it."

"You want me to be your messenger?! That's what makes me angry about you." Diego said. "And for your question, I already know that you are someone who is without reason when you are in a serious situation, so I don't expect that I will learn anything if I ask."

"Fair point." Zetarus said.

"And how long will we standing here?!" Diego asked. "Move your axs! We have a Pokemon to kill!"

"Nope. Not you. Me only." Zetarus said.

"Whatever!" Diego said.

After finished their conversation, both Pokemon left Zetarus' room, and then Zetarus waited a bit for Diego to go into his room to prepare for the upcoming battle, and a few minutes later, the Mega Charizard X came back, and he was now wearing his red armor suit that he usually wore, but he took them off when he was working in the Forge. He was also holding his Silver Naginata in his paw.

"Let's go." Diego said as he closed the door of his room. "We can use the warp portal to teleport back to the Desert Palace, and then we can sneak into there."

"Yes." Zetarus nodded as he grabbed his Sniper's Eye. "But be sure not to make any noise. We can't let anyone else know what we are doing, especially Freya."

"Hm." Diego nodded before both Pokemon silently walked toward the Portal Room and entered it in order to use the warp portal to the Desert Palace of Dustorm Empire….

But then…

While Zetarus and Diego thought that as they didn't make any noise, no one would be able to see them, but both of them were wrong, as while both of them were going to the Portal Room, someone else was able to spot them…

"…" The person who saw Zetarus and Diego waited in the shadow for both of them to enter the Portal Room before they revealed themselves, who was none other than…

"Zetarus… That sparkle in your eye… That's just like…" The Pokemon mumbled to themselves after Zetarus and Diego entered the Portal Room "Don't tell me that… the time has come… The time that we…"

Without any hesitation, the Pokemon walked toward the Portal Room and waited for a bit. After hearing that both Zetarus and Diego had already warped away, the Pokemon entered the Portal Room and walked toward the warp portal before they set the destination as 'Desert Palace, Dustorm Empire' and then they enter it, and a few second later, the only Pokemon who was in the Portal Room was no longer in the room…

* * *

 **-Meanwhile… At the Desert Palace…**

Desert Palace was the biggest structure located in the Dustorm City, the capital of Dustorm Empire. The palace could be divided into three sections. The first one was the main hall that was located in the center, which was also where the foyer and the throne room of the Desert Palace were located. The other two sections were the East Wing and the West Wing. Both wings consisted of several rooms, including the private quarters of the royal siblings on the East Wing and the private quarters of the emperor and the empresses on the West Wing. Other than all of this, the Desert Palace also had the rooftop that was made into a beautiful garden that consisted of exotic plants and flowers that were native to the Dustorm Empire. However, the rooftop garden was off-limited, which meant that the only one who could gain the access to it were the members of the royal family and someone who was approved by them, making this place also a perfect place for the royal family to have a private meeting if they ever had one.

"…" Standing in the middle of the garden on the rooftop of Desert Palace was the emperor of the Dustorm Empire who had ruled over the desert nation for over 33 years, starting from the Fallen Crisis. He was standing alone in the garden, and his attention was on the dark sky above him, which, strangely, was voided of any stars tonight, as if the dark cloud had veiled and devoured all the light that usually be seen during the night.

"… Father."

The matured voice called the emperor, turning his attention from the dark sky to see the owner of the voice, who was now standing in front of him, along with three other Pokemon. The one who called him was none other than his successor and the crown prince of the Dustorm Empire.

"Terrus." Emperor Garland said as he looked at the younger Garchomp in front of him. Beside him was two of his other children, Natasha and Largo. The last Pokemon among them, however, didn't bear any royal blood, but he was able to be here because he was Terrus' retainer, Soryl.

"Father, all of us have come to your summon." Terrus said as he and everyone bowed down to the emperor of the Dustorm Empire.

"… For tonight only, I want all of you to drop the formality." Emperor Garland said. "This also applies to the Windsky whelp over there too."

"As you say—I mean, okay, father." Terrus, Natasha and Largo said.

"…" Unlike others, Soryl said nothing after hearing the words of Emperor Garland.

"Now…" Emperor Garland continued speaking. "All the Royal Children of Quakersand, I—"

"Not 'all', father." Largo spoke up, interrupting Emperor Garland's speech. "Can't you see that Freya isn't here?! And it has been 3 years that she had gone missing!"

"… Impudent, aren't you, Largo?" Emperor Garland said. "But then… So what? Does that have anything to do with this?"

"Does that… How could you say something like that?!" Largo said. "Freya had gone missing for three whole years! THREE WHOLE YEARS! Three whole years have already passed and you haven't done anything about this! Don't you care for her?! Don't you care for Freya?! Don't you care for your own daughter—"

"That's enough, Largo." Terrus scolded his younger brother, but soon he was scolded by his father.

"Terrus, Largo and I are having our conversation. Don't interrupt us." Emperor Garland said before turning his attention back to Largo. "Back to our topic. Largo, there is one thing in what you said that's wrong. I don't consider Freya as my daughter."

"W…. WHAT?!" Not only Largo, but Terrus, Natasha and Soryl were also surprised after hearing the words of Emperor Garland.

"W… Why, father?!" Natasha asked.

"There's nothing to be surprised about this, Natasha." Emperor Garland continued speaking. "Technically, I am Freya's father no matter what, but in my feeling, I am not her father. The only reason that she was born as my 'daughter' is because I raped her mother, whom I later killed a minute before her daughter was born, and she would never be born into this world if it wasn't for Sharon who protected her from me. Looking at all of these, are you still able to count Freya, the spawn of my sin, as my child?"

"…" Terrus, Natasha, Largo and Soryl weren't able to say anything after hearing the words of Emperor Garland.

"… And don't think that you are above this, Largo." Emperor Garland said as he directed his attention to the Alolan Marowak, who was glaring at him. "And if you ask me, what you have done is even worse than mine."

"W… What?!" Largo said. "What have I done for you to suggest that, father?!"

"And how dare you still act like you haven't done anything wrong, my 'son'." Emperor Garland said with a sarcastic voice, especially when he said the word 'son'. "Don't you remember that you are the one who killed your own mother?"

"NO! YOU ARE WRONG!" Largo roared out. "I… I didn't kill her! She… She died from giving birth to me!"

"That's still the same thing." Emperor Garland said. "Your birth is the reason that your mother, Empress Lylalia, died. And so, no matter how hard I try, I can love you as my child as much as I should."

"How… How could you say something like that?!" Largo said. "How could you say that you 'love' us?! I know that you never love either Terrus or me, and among all of us your 'children', the only one you love is Natasha!"

"That's enough, Largo!" Terrus scolded.

"Hm… Maybe you aren't wrong, Largo." Instead of becoming angry, Emperor Garland just continued speaking with the nonchalant voice. "You already know why I can't love Freya, but do any of you know the real reason why I can't love the rest of you except Natasha as much as I want?"

"W… What?!" Terrus, Natasha, Largo and even Soryl spoke out after hearing the words of Emperor Garland.

"… It's because your mother, Empress Lylalia, isn't someone that I truly love." Emperor Garland slowly spoke. "Between my two wives, Natasha's mother, Empress Sharon, is the only one I truly love, and I still love her until now."

"T… Then why?!" Largo asked with a shaking voice. "W… Why did you marry mother if you don't love her?!"

"… I have no choice." Emperor Garland answered with a grim voice. "33 years ago, as the last descendant of the ancient kingdom of earth, I was chosen to be the first emperor of the newly-formed Dustorm Empire, and as one of the Hero/ine of Legend who saved Symmetria from the Fallen Crisis, everyone had a high expectation on me that I would be able to bring the desert nation to the prosperity. However, there's one thing about me that they couldn't accept. It's Sharon, my beloved wife. While everyone agreed that I am well-suited as the Emperor of the Dustorm Empire, very few people approved of having Sharon as the empress of the desert nation, and the reason why is just because she isn't a Ground type Pokemon!"

"… And you married mother just to make everyone approved?!" Largo said.

"No." Emperor Garland answered. "The real reason why I married Lylalia is to protect Sharon, as among the people who didn't approve Sharon's title as the Empress of the Dustorm Empire were ALL nobles and senates of this very nation, and somehow I found out that they would soon try to assassinate Sharon in order to prevent her from becoming the empress. This left me no choice. I couldn't abandon the throne of Dustorm Empire as doing so means that I would leave the desert nation and its people in the hand of the very group of nobles and senates that tried to kill my wife just because she isn't a Ground type Pokemon. And so, the only choice I have was to marry someone who is both a Ground type Pokemon and someone who would be accepted by the people of the desert nation, as well as someone that I could at least have an affection for, and Lylalia, being the sister of my friend, was the only Pokemon that fit in this criteria."

"…" Everyone said nothing as they waited for Emperor Garland to continue speaking.

"Lylalia… Now come to think of it, she was such a nice Pokemon." Emperor Garland continued speaking. "She agreed to marry me despite knowing that I didn't truly love her, and she was still a great wife to me and the great empress to the empire, and the thing that made me very happy was Lylalia and Sharon were able to get along very well with each other as both of them understood the situation of each other. That made me very happy despite that I had to marry someone that I don't have any love to, and so, for the sake of everyone, be the people of the desert nation or my wives, I tried very hard to love Lylalia and the son that she had given birth to later, and later, I was able to feel the true love when my beloved wife Sharon gave birth to our daughter."

"… Father…" Natasha said.

"… But all of that was only in the past now." Emperor Garland continued speaking with a grim voice. "After everything that happened, I finally realized one important thing; pretending would never bring anything good. The only thing that it brought is pain and agony. I should never pretend to love Lylalia, as it brought upon so much pain and agony to both of us. However, it was already too late. I already lost too much, and both Lylalia and Sharon are already gone, but it was not too late for me to stop pretending, and that was what I did. I stopped pretending that I love Lylalia's sons, and if Lylalia is alive, I would surely stop pretending to love her, as Sharon is the only one I truly love."

"…" Everyone said nothing after hearing the words of Emperor Garland.

"Come to think of it… Natasha…" Emperor Garland said as he turned his attention to the Dragalge. "Thinking about all of this makes me question one more thing; do I truly love you? Or do I only love you because you are the split image of my loved wife, Sharon?"

"…" Natasha said nothing after hearing the words of her father.

"… But that doesn't matter." Emperor Garland continued speaking. "The important thing right now is that I stopped caring for the people of Dustorm Empire, and I stopped caring what everyone thinks of me. I know that many consider me as the ruthless ruler of the desert nation. I know that many consider me as the devil, but they forget that they once considered me as the savior, and they were the once who brought me upon themselves."

"… So, that's your real reason for your invasion of the Windsky Plateau?" Soryl suddenly spoke up, which turned the attention of everyone there to him. "I heard from the late Pontifex Hawkins that the reason why you invaded the Windsky Plateau was because of your grief after you lost Empress Sharon, and I did feel a bit sorry for you. But now, after hearing the truth from your mouth, my former opinion about you is proved to be right, that you are the heartless and soulless person who only thinks of the benefit of yourself!"

"!" Terrus, Natasha and Largo were surprised to see that Soryl was able to make up his mind to speak all these words to the emperor of the Dustorm Empire, and all three knew that this wouldn't end well, and Soryl would surely be punished for his impertinent. However, after hearing the words of the young Aerodactyl, all that Emperor Garland did was let out a sinister laugh!

"Hehehehehe…" Emperor Garland let out a sinister laugh before he continued speaking. "That's so funny hearing it from you, Windsky whelp."

"What's so funny about that?!" Soryl asked with an irritated voice.

"If you want to know, all you have to do is answer some simple questions." Emperor Garland spoke. "What is your REAL reason for 'befriending' Terrus?"

"W… What?" Soryl was puzzled by the question he heard. "What's with a question like that?!"

"So… That question may be a bit too hard for someone like you…" Emperor Garland spoke with a sarcastic voice. "Then, let me clarify my question; do you really think of Terrus as your 'friend'? Or… Do you become a 'friend' with Terrus just because you want to obtain the benefit about the Windsky Plateau from him?"

"!" Soryl was shocked after hearing the question of Emperor Garland.

"Don't you think that I can't see what you are trying to do, Windsky whelp…" Emperor Garland continued speaking. "You want your homeland, Windsky Plateau, to be freed from the grasp of my Dustorm Empire, but considered your statue right now, there's nothing that you can do about this. However, you saw the opportunity to help your homeland if you become a friend and a retainer of Terrus, as after I died, Terrus would become the new emperor of Dustorm Empire, and you would be able to use Terrus' influence to free the Windsky Plateau from Dustorm Empire's grasp, as well as to gain the profit from the desert nation too."

"T… That's…" Soryl said with a shaking voice.

"Well? What would you say about this?" Emperor Garland said. "It isn't hard to say the word 'no' and refuse everything that I have just said, right?"

"…" Soryl said nothing after hearing the words of Emperor Garland.

"Soryl…" Terrus said as he looked at the Aerodactyl beside him, but the Aerodactyl still didn't let any words out of his mouth.

"Heh… As I thought." Emperor Garland continued speaking after seeing that the Aerodactyl won't say anything. "If it's in the normal condition, I would surely order your execution right now, not only for your ill intent toward my empire, but also for your impertinent that you have shown to me. The only reason that you are still alive is because you are now the Hero of Legend who holds the power of Flying type after Pontifex Hawkins, my brother, passed his power to him. To be blunt, I don't know why did my brother choose you as his successor, as there are many Flying type out there that're much better candidates than you, Windsky whelp."

"…" Soryl still said nothing after hearing the words of Emperor Garland.

"Father…" Terrus spoke up as he turned his attention from his retainer to his father.

"Hm? Now that I think about it, the bond between two friends would never be formed if it lacked the friendship from both sides." Emperor Garland said as he shifted his attention to his eldest son. "So, Terrus, what's your real intention behind your friendship with that Windsky whelp? Do you become friend with him because you really think of him as your 'friend', or do you think of him as your substitute 'brother'?"

"F… Father?!" Terrus was shocked after hearing the words of his father.

"Again, never think that I can't see what you are thinking, Terrus." Emperor Garland continued speaking. "That Windsky whelp was born in 'that' year isn't it, meaning that he would be at the same age as—"

"Father, that's not—" Terrus suddenly spoke up, but Emperor Garland didn't let him continue speaking.

"Terrus, think first before you say anything else." Emperor Garland scolded. "Can you really refuse the words that I have just stated. Can you really deny that you aren't like what I said? Can you really say that your conscience is clear?"

"…" Terrus said nothing after hearing the words of his father.

"… You don't need to answer me, as your answer won't do anything good to me." Emperor Garland said. "What happen to any of you and the desert nation is no more important to me, as I do not care about any of these anymore."

"Father!" Natasha spoke up. "Why did you say such a terrible thing like that?!"

"…" Emperor Garland didn't say anything. All he did was shift his attention from any of Pokemon in front of him to the entrance of the rooftop garden, which was covered by the darkness of the night. "… Staying hidden like that won't do anything good. Why don't you come out and face your destiny, you infernal creatures?"

"!" Terrus, Natasha, Largo and Soryl quickly turned their attention to the entrance of the rooftop garden as they realized that Emperor Garland wasn't talking with them, but with someone else who was hiding at the entrance to the rooftop garden!

"… Heh…"

After Emperor Garland finished speaking, two Pokemon slowly revealed themselves from the shadow. One of them was a Mega Charizard X and the other one was, like Emperor Garland and Terrus, a Garchomp. As they showed up, Terrus, Natasha and Largo immediately recognized one of them, as they were none other than…

"Z… ZETARUS?!"

* * *

Zetarus and Diego were standing near the entrance of the rooftop garden of the Desert Palace. Their attentions were focused at five Pokemon in front of them. Three of them were Zetarus' sibling, Terrus, Natasha and Largo. The fourth Pokemon was the crown prince's retainer from the Windsky Plateau, and the last Pokemon was none other than Zetarus' target for tonight.

"Emperor Garland…" Zetarus slowly spoke up with a creepy voice. "… Are you ready to die?"

"… I remember you." Emperor Garland said with a grim voice as he looked at the newly-appeared Garchomp. "You were the loser who tried to kill me 3 years ago, and I see that you have come back for your revenge."

"Right." Zetarus said. "And tonight is going to be your last night."

"Speak for yourself." Emperor Garland said. "And what can a loser like you do? You are nothing more than a inferal creature that even the gate of Afterlife won't accept you, so you are doomed to roam around this land."

"You are wrong." Zetarus said. "It's me who chooses not to enter the gate of Afterlife until I am able to kill you, and I will do anything in order to achieve that, even if I have to drag you to the Afterlife with me!"

"Heh." Emperor Garland let out a sarcastic laugh before he glanced at Diego for a bit. "It seems like you have brought another creature from hell too. Good! That's very good! I will be able to send both of you back to the place where you belong, the deepest pit of hell!"

"Good. I don't want to waste my breath any longer, as I have already wasted it long enough." Zetarus said as he equipped his Sniper's Eye and Diego equipped his Silver Naginata. They then were about to get into a fight with Emperor Garland when four Pokemon who were standing between them turned their attention toward them, and all of them didn't seem to step out of their way anytime soon.

"Out of my way." Zetarus said to Terrus, Natasha, Largo and Soryl.

"No." Terrus answered. "As the crown prince of Dustorm Empire, I won't allow you to inflict any harm upon the emperor of the desert nation! So, cease your action at once!"

"… What if I refuse?" Zetarus said.

"… Then we have no choice." Terrus said as he equipped his Garnent Blade, along with Soryl with his Amethyst Chakram, Natasha with her whip and Largo with his club. "Then we will have to engage in a fight!"

"… This is what I am waiting for." Zetarus said. "Terrus, I have been waiting to resume our battle. Our battle 3 years ago didn't reach a conclusion, but tonight, it will."

"And you too." Diego suddenly spoke up as he looked at Soryl. "You have done too much to me 3 years ago, so I will be sure to enjoy my revenge."

"... I remember you." Soryl said. "You are that wanted criminal that I chased after during Terrus' Succession Ceremony, and now I see that you are siding with another wanted criminal."

"And now." Terrus said. "Zetarus, please forgive me for this, but as the crown prince of Dustorm Empire, my duty must come first, even if it's against what I have in my heart."

"No more talking, Prince Terrus." Zetarus said. "There's nothing else between us. No bond. No bloodline. No birthright. And no hard feeling. Let's end this."

"I am ready, Zetarus." Terrus said.

Zetarus and Diego glared at Terrus, Natasha, Largo and Soryl in front of them. All of them were holding their weapon in their grasp, and all of them were ready to attack each other, for the sake of their ideal, for any moment, even if they had to cut the blood tie that bound them together!

But…

"STOP!"

"!" A familiar voice was heard by everyone who was in the rooftop garden, and a few second later, another Pokemon suddenly appeared and stood between Zetarus, Diego and Terrus, Natasha, Largo, Soryl, with the serious and determined look on her face. It took everyone not too long to figure out who this Pokemon was, as she was also the Pokemon who shared a blood tie with them, as well as the youngest princess of Dustorm Empire who had gone missing for 3 years!

"FREYA?!"

 **To Be Continued…**

* * *

 **Dragon of Vale: Now the Intermission I had already reached its final arc, following Zetarus' mission to kill Emperor Garland. This time, will he succeed? Or will he fail again? And what would happen next?**


	68. Intermission I-6: Rose of the Desert

**A Dragon's Tail**

 **Intermission I: Freya's Tail - Arrogance**

 **Intermission I-6: Rose of the Desert**

"Freya, w… why are you here?!" Terrus asked with a shaking voice after seeing his youngest sister who had been missing for three whole years suddenly appeared, and she was now standing between him and his first younger brother just before both of them started a battle with each other. "And where have you been for 3 whole years?"

"I… I was with Zetarus…" Freya answered with a shaking voice.

"Zetarus, explain all of this!" Terrus said as he looked at the younger Garchomp in front of him. "Why is Freya with you? And what happened with both of you during these 3 years?!"

"I… I am sorry…" Freya said with a shaking voice.

"… I will tell you about what happened to us later, Terrus." Zetarus answered. "But for now, there're more important things that I must do! Freya! Out of my way!"

"N… No!" Freya said as she was still standing between Zetarus and Terrus. "I… I won't!"

"Freya! Get away from that guy before you get hurt!" Largo said and pointed his bone club at Zetarus. "That guy is dangerous! He is trying to kill our father!"

"He isn't!" Freya said. "He's… He's our brother!"

"Freya, listen to your elder brother." Zetarus said. "My only target tonight is Emperor Garland, and I don't want to kill anyone else."

"Then why do you have to battle Terrus?!" Freya asked. "And Terrus, why do you have to battle Zetarus?!"

"Freya, we have already spoken about this three years ago." Zetarus said. "My main mission is to kill Emperor Garland, and I would never stop doing so until I accomplish this, even if I have to kill everyone who stands in my way."

"And Freya, it's because I am the crown prince of the Dustorm Empire." Terrus said. "As the crown prince of the desert nation, I have to prioritize my duty above all, even if it's against what I have in my heart. And now, someone is trying to murder the emperor of Dustorm Empire, so I can't stand still and let him do as he pleases!"

"Zetarus…" Freya said as she looked at her second brother. "… Why do you have to kill our father?"

"Don't ask this question again, Freya, because I don't know." Zetarus said. "I don't even know why do I want to murder that bastard. The only thing I know is that I must do it no matter what before I die."

"…" Freya, Terrus, Soryl, Natasha, Largo and Diego said nothing as they waited for Zetarus to continue speaking.

"After realizing that I have to kill Garland, I have always been thinking about why." Zetarus continued speaking. "But no matter how much I think, I never find the answer I want, and I doubt that I would be able to find one for the rest of your life."

"Of course you do."

Another voice was heard by everyone, turning the attention of all of them to the Pokemon who had been keeping silent for some time, which was none other than Emperor Garland.

"… What do you mean by that?" Zetarus asked as he glared at his target, who was also his father.

"I don't deny that you are both dumb and idiots, but even if you are genius, there's no way that you would figure out the reason behind your intention to kill me." Emperor Garland spoke with a nonchalant voice. "Because I am the only one who is still alive that knows the reason behind your murderous intention toward me."

"Don't think of yourself too highly." Zetarus said. "How the hell would you know about me? You are not me, and we barely know each other."

"That's what I thought 33 years ago when I met that red bird…" Emperor Garland mumbled to himself before he continued speaking to everyone here. "Have any of you heard of the Curse of Quakersand?"

"The Curse of… Quakersand?" Terrus, Natasha, Zetarus, Largo and Freya spoke out at the same time. It was clear that none of them had ever heard about this before.

"It seems like any of you know about this. That's not surprising, considering that we are the last remnants of the Quakersand family, after almost everyone of the Quakersand family was wiped out when the ancient Earth Kingdom came to the end." Emperor Garland said. "Well… History time, kiddo."

"I don't have time for this sxxt, bastard." Zetarus spoke with his arms crossed.

"Shut up, you miserable infernal creature." Emperor Garland scolded the youngest Garchomp here before he continued his speaking. "Back in the distant past when Symmetria was still three separated continents, Mytherel, Luminus and Origia, on the northern region of the Mytherel continent stood the ancient Earth Kingdom, which was ruled by the Quakersand family. The number of the members of the Quakersand family, however, was never high, and in the fateful year, about a decade before the Twilight Crisis, the last king who held the blood of Quakersand was assassinated, and his heir, who was the last member of the Quakersand family during that time, went missing. This foresaw the end of the ancient Earth Kingdom that would arrive one decade later, during the Twilight Crisis. The Quakersand family then faded out of the history for over one millennium… Until they appeared again during War of the God III 150 years ago as the Hero of Legend with the power of Ground type."

"…" Despite of the current situation, everyone in the rooftop garden carefully listened to the words of Emperor Garland.

"… That Hero of Legend…" Emperor Garland continued speaking. "… He was my father, and thus, I am the member of the Quakersand family, the family of earth that was thought to be lost in time, and this was also one of the reasons why I was chosen to rule the Dustorm Empire when it was found, as I descended from the family that ruled the ancient Earth Kingdom. "

"… What's the point of stuffing this useless information into my head?" Zetarus asked with his arms crossed. "Are you trying to lower my guard?"

"So, you still don't understand? Of course you would, as this is what I expect." Emperor Garland said with a sarcastic voice. "Very well then… Terrus, Natasha, Largo, Freya and the Windsky whelp, step away. It's time for me to take the matter by myself."

"…No, father." Terrus, Natasha, Largo and Freya answered, while Soryl just said nothing. "We are going to protect you."

"Who are you doing this for?" Emperor Garland asked. "For the emperor of the Dustorm Empire? Or for your father? If you are doing this for the emperor of the Dustorm Empire, then I order you to step away!"

"… We are doing this for our father." Terrus, Natasha, Largo and Freya answered.

"And I am doing this because I am Terrus' retainer, so I will follow his decision." Soryl answered.

"… I am disappointed." Emperor Garland said, shocking everyone who heard his words. "I am disappointed that I would soon have to leave Dustorm Empire in the hands of someone like you."

"W… What?!" Terrus, Natasha and Largo said.

"For the Windsky whelp, this question isn't for you, as it's for Terrus, Natasha, Largo and Freya." Emperor Garland said. "What's more important to you, the desert nation of Dustorm Empire or its emperor? If it has come to the point where you have to choose only one, which one would you choose?"

"…" Natasha, Largo and Freya said nothing after hearing the question of Emperor Garland.

"… As the crown prince of the Dustorm Empire, I have to prioritize my duty to the Dustorm Empire above all, even if I have to break my heart." Terrus repeated the words that he had already said.

"That's what I think too." Emperor Garland said. "But Terrus, what you are doing right now is the opposite of what you have just said."

"… What does that mean, father?" Terrus asked.

"Terrus, you claimed that protecting me is the duty of the crown prince, so you would protect me from someone who tries to kill me at all cost, but have you ever considered the consequence of your action? Have you ever considered what would happen if you are either able to defeat the one who tries to kill me or defeated by the one who tries to kill me?"

"!" Terrus was shocked after hearing the words of his father.

"That infernal creature from the deepest pit of hell that are trying to kill me…" Emperor Garland glanced at Zetarus for a bit before he continued speaking. "It was trying to kill me no matter what. If it is defeated, it would later come back for another attempt to kill me, and even if you kill it, it would climb back from the deepest pit of hell in order to spread its venom on me. Can you see what I am trying to say?"

"… No matter how much I try…" Terrus slowly spoke up. "If I still stand between the way, I would end up being killed, right?"

"Right." Emperor Garland said. "And if you die, what would the throne of the Dustorm Empire belong to?"

"…" Terrus didn't answer Emperor Garland's question.

"… According to the Royal Law of the Dustorm Empire." It was Natasha who slowly spoke up. "The child born to the empress would hold a higher priority than the child born to the concubine when it comes to the throne. The same thing also applies to the elder child, who holds a higher priority than the younger child, the male child, who holds a higher priority than the female child, and the Ground type child, who holds a higher priority than the non Ground type child. This would mean that, if Terrus dies, the throne of the Dustorm Empire would belong to…"

The end of Natasha's speech turned the attention of everyone to the youngest Garchomp in the rooftop garden, which also generated an expression of shock on everyone's face (Except for Emperor Garland who had a smirk on his face and Terrus whose face remained emotionless), including the one who was now the center of attention.

"… Me?" Zetarus said as he pointed at himself.

"Right." Emperor Garland said. "If Terrus dies, you, the infernal creature from the deepest pit of hell, will become the next emperor of the Dustorm Empire, and what would happen afterward, after you leave the desert nation in the hand of such an infernal creature? Have you ever think about it, Terrus?!"

"…" Terrus said nothing after hearing the words of his father.

"Now, Terrus…" Seeing that his eldest child won't say anything, Emperor Garland spoke up again. "… Will you now step out of my way?"

"Terrus…" Natasha, Largo, Soryl and Freya said as they looked at Terrus.

"… If that's what you want, then I would be obliged." Terrus said. "Natasha, Largo, Freya, Soryl, let's go."

"…" Natasha, Largo, Freya and Soryl nodded to Terrus' words before they slowly stepped out of the way, and Terrus soon followed them, leaving no one else between Emperor Garland and Zetarus!

"Now then…" Emperor Garland was about to shift his attention to the youngest Garchomp in this place when another Pokemon spoke up.

"Father…" The voice of the female Flygon was heard by everyone who was standing in the rooftop garden, turning the attention of everyone, especially her father, to her. "Can… Can I say something first before… the battle?"

"…" Emperor Garland didn't answer his daughter with a word, but with a gesture of nod.

"Thanks…" Freya thanked her father before she stopped speaking for a few second, and soon she continued speaking. "Father… I… I want to apologize… I want to apologize for everything I have done. I know that I don't reach your expectation, and I will never would. And now, I… I have already chosen my own path… Which means that… I am now—"

"That's enough." Emperor Garland suddenly spoke up, interrupting Freya's words. "You have already said too much, and all of them are enough for me to see that you are no different than your pathetic mother."

"F…Father?!" Freya was shocked after hearing Emperor Garland suddenly mention her deceased mother.

"You and your mother are no different than each other, as you both are pathetic, pitiful and miserable." Emperor Garland continued speaking. "But you are far more than your mother, especially for your humility."

"!" Freya and everyone else quickly turned their attention back to Emperor Garland after hearing his words.

"Freya, while your other qualities are nowhere near the rank of good, your humility really surpasses this." Emperor Garland continued speaking. "You always act modest and humble of all time. You always think of everyone else before yourself, despite of your status as a royalty. You are one of three Pokemon in my entire life who possesses as much quality of humility as this, with one of the other two being your mother, and the last one is my beloved Sharon."

"Father…" Freya said.

"Freya, you are the child of mine that I love least of all." Emperor Garland said. "But at the same time, you are also the child that I hate least of all too."

"… Thank you, father." Freya said as she bowed down at her father too.

"So, that's all I have for you, Freya." Emperor Garland said before he shifted his attention to the youngest Garchomp who was standing in the rooftop garden. "Now this brat, on the other hand…"

"…" Zetarus said nothing after hearing Emperor Garland's words. All he did was glaring at him like a ferocious dragon that was glaring at its enemy.

"Well, then…" Emperor Garland said and pointed his claw at Zetarus. "Are you ready for a rematch against me, the emperor of the Dustorm Empire?!"

"… I do." Zetarus answered before turning his attention to the Mega Charizard X who was standing beside him. "Diego, it's time."

"…" Diego, who had been staying silent for quite some time, still kept his silence as he nodded to the Garchomp beside him before he walked away to join with Terrus, Natasha, Largo, Freya and Soryl, leaving Zetarus and Emperor Garland facing each other!

"Before we battle, I want you to look around this place, which is going to be our battlefield." Emperor Garland said as he waved his paw backward, gesturing Zetarus to look around the rooftop garden that he was standing in.

The rooftop garden was perhaps the most beautiful place in the Dustorm Empire, as it was home to many plants, trees and flowers, all which were native to the soil of the desert nation, as well as some of them that came from the other six nations on the continent of Symmetria. This was the only place in the Dustorm Empire that had as much plants as this because most lives couldn't flourish in the harsh climate of the Dustorm Empire, but it could in the right condition of this garden.

The most outstanding plant in this garden was the tree that grew up in the middle of the garden, behind where Emperor Garland was standing. While the tree itself didn't look very impressive, with its trunk being gray and small, and its leaves were small and green, its flowers were one of the most beautiful flowers in this garden, perhaps even the most beautiful one. Each flower had five petals. The rim of the petals was dark pink while the remaining of the petals was light pink.

"Beautiful, isn't she?" Emperor Garland spoke up again as he saw that Zetarus' attention was focused on the flowers behind him. "They are called the Desert Rose, which is also the symbol of the Dustorm Empire. It is the beautiful flower that grows up in the harsh climate of the desert, a place where most lives would never hope to flourish, yet the Desert Rose is able to endure such an arduous terrain and finally blooms a beautiful flower."

"…" Zetarus said nothing.

"It was my beloved wife, Sharon, who chose Desert Rose as the symbol of Dustorm Empire." Emperor Garland continued speaking. "She wants us, the royal family of Dustorm Empire, as well as the people of the desert nation, to be able to endure the harsh ordeal and overcome the obstacle in our life, until we are able to flourish and accomplish our objective in life, just like the Desert Rose."

"… What's the point of this ranting of yours?" Zetarus asked with his arms crossed.

"I see that you are far more retarded than I thought…" Emperor Garland said. "Can't you see a bit of this? Can't you see the little resemble between you and the Desert Rose? Can't you see the resemble between the way you and the Desert Rose grow up before both are able to accomplish the mission of their life?"

"…" Zetarus said nothing after hearing the words of Emperor Garland.

"… I think I am wasting my time." Emperor Garland said after he realized that Zetarus won't say anything. "And I think I am tarnishing myself from comparing Desert Rose, the favorite flower of my beloved Sharon, with you, the infernal creature from the deepest pit of hell."

"Finally…" Zetarus said. "I am tired of your ranting, Garland, and I don't even see the point of your ranting."

"You don't?" Emperor Garland spoke with a sarcastic voice. "Very well, then… If you are able to defeat me, I will tell you something even more interesting, something that you may want to hear… Or may not."

"…" Zetarus said nothing after hearing Emperor Garland's words.

"But that's only if you are able to defeat me." Emperor Garland said. "And you should know one more thing. If you lose to me again, I would, once again, punish you with the same method as the last time, except with your remaining eye instead."

"…" Zetarus involuntarily reached his paw to touch the eyepatch that covered his right eye, which was made blind by Emperor Garland after their last fight, and as he looked at Emperor Garland, he could also seen that the emperor, like him, was one-eye blind too, as he also had an eyepatch cover one of his eyes, but Emperor Garland's eyepatch covered his left eye instead of his right eye, showing that it was his left eye that was blind, not his right eye like Zetarus.

"… Then, there's one last thing that I want to ask you before the battle." Zetarus spoke up again as his eyes were fixed at the Garchomp in front of him. "Back before the battle begins, Terrus, Natasha, Largo and Freya were in my way, and you, being the emperor of Dustorm Empire and their father, have the power to stop this madness from happening." Zetarus glanced at his four siblings who were standing a bit far from him before he continued speaking. "Yet you didn't use it until the last second, until the moment that the battle was about to start. It's understandable that you would do it sooner, for that there would be no bloodshed of your children, or you wouldn't do it at all, as they were protecting you from me, but I don't understand that why would you wait until the last second before you interrupt."

"… I see…" Emperor Garland said. "So, you aren't totally an idiot at all…"

"…" Zetarus said nothing after hearing the words of Emperor Garland.

"Well… The reason being this is because I want to see how far would you willing to go for your objective." Emperor Garland said. "Do you really intend to kill the Emperor of Dustorm Empire, despite that you have to fight its princes and princesses? Do you really determine kill me, despite that you have to kill your own siblings?"

"…" Zetarus still stayed silent while listening to Garland's answer to his question.

"And the answer is… yes." Emperor Garland continued speaking. "You are willing to do anything in order to achieve your goal, even if you have to kill everyone who stands in your way. Nothing would be able to stop you from achieving what you are doing… If it's in a normal condition, the best word to describe your action is 'Ambitious', but in your case, I think 'Tenacious' would suit you better. Are you satisfied with this answer?"

"…" Zetarus didn't answer Emperor Garland's question with words, but with a gesture of nod instead.

"… Enough talking." Emperor Garland said and pointed his claw at Zetarus. "Now, it's the time for the battle of the century! A battle between two Quakersands! A battle between father and son! The winner shall stand on the pillar of triumph while the loser will be sent into the world of eternal darkness! Now, if you want to surpass me, show me how much strength you have obtained during these 3 years! Show me how much of the infernal creature you are!"

 **Emperor of the Sand**

 **Garland Quakersand the Garchomp**

"…" Zetarus glared at the elder Garchomp in front of him, with his paw grabbing on his weapon, the Sniper's Eye. He could see that Emperor Garland was now holding his weapon, the Black Sniper, in his grasp. The weapon in his father's grasp was also the weapon that took away his right eye.

"Now!" Emperor Garland said and pointed his pistol at the Garchomp in front of him. "Die!"

"BANG" A blast of several bullets were fired from Garland's Black Sniper at the same time, and all of them were aiming toward Zetarus!

"DIG!" Zetarus roared as he quickly dug a hole into the floor, evading Garland's first attack!

"You fool!" Emperor Garland roared as he focused an energy into his fist before he slammed it onto the floor, releasing several shock waves along the floor. "EARTHQUAKE!"

"GRRR, YOU BASTARD!" Zetarus was forced to jump out of the floor into the air after the shock wave from Garland's Earthquake hit him with a critical damage. However, while he was in the air, Zetarus pointed his Sniper's Eye at Garland and fired several bullets at the emperor!

"YOU IDIOT!" Emperor Garland roared as he quickly moved away from the spots where the bullets would land, evading all bullets with ease!

"!" Zetarus was clearly surprised when he saw that Garland was able to dodge his attack. He then was about to land on the ground again in front of his opponent…

But…

"DON'T THINK THAT I AM GOING TO GIVE YOU A BREAK!" Garland quickly dashed up toward his opponent as Zetarus was about to land on the ground, with his claw pointing forward. He was intending to attack Zetarus as he landed on the ground, so that his opponent won't be able to dodge his attack! "DRAGON CLAW!"

"IRON TAIL!" Just before Garland was able to slash him with his claw, Zetarus's tail suddenly glowed silver and hardened into an iron before he did a midair backflip, countering Garland's attack with the move Iron Tail!

But it didn't stop at that..

"EAT THIS!" As his tail clashed with Garland's claw, Zetarus pointed his Sniper's Eye at Garland before firing several more bullets from it, forcing Garland to retreat away from him!

"Heh… Not bad…" Garland said after he jumped away from Zetarus, enabling Zetarus to land on the floor. "You really have improved after our last battle, infernal creature."

"…" Zetarus said nothing after hearing his father's words.

* * *

 **-Meanwhile…**

"That guy…" Largo said while he was watching a battle between Emperor Garland and Zetarus. His attention was now at Zetarus, who had just survived Garland's attack. "He is able to counter father's attack… That's… unbelievable…"

"Zetarus…" Natasha spoke up. "The sparkle in your eyes… Could it be that you are… suffering?"

"Father… Zetarus…" Freya mumbled.

"…" Unlike his sibling, Terrus didn't say anything. All he did was observing the battle with a calm demeanor.

"…" Like Terrus, Soryl also said nothing because he didn't know how to feel about this battle. He hated Emperor Garland, whom he always considered to be his enemy, but he wasn't sure about his feeling toward Emperor Garland's opponent right now, as Emperor Garland's words to him still echoed in his mind.

'… Zetarus…' Standing a bit away from Terrus, Natasha, Largo, Freya and Soryl was Diego, who was observing the battle with a worried look on his face. 'Zetarus' battle style is a long-range attack, but Emperor Garland is good in both close-range and long-range attack, while Zetarus isn't skilled in a close-ranged attack. Emperor Garland must have seen this, and he is trying to expose Zetarus to his weakness. If the battle still goes on like this…"

* * *

 **-Back to the Battle…**

Zetarus was gazing at the Garchomp in front of him, trying to come up with something that would help him win the battle against Emperor Garland, as he knew that, if the battle still continued like this, he wouldn't be able to defeat him…

"… Won't attack, hm?" Emperor Garland said before he pointed his pistol at his opponent. "Then… DIE!"

Emperor Garland fired a rain of bullets from his pistol at Zetarus, who dodged his attack by, once again, using the move Dig to go underground.

"THIS WON'T WORK!" Garland roared as he slammed his fist onto the ground, generating several shock waves on the ground with the move Earthquake!

"YAH!" A few second before the shock waves from Garland's Earthquake hit him, Zetarus jumped out of the floor before he did a back flip in the air, with his tail hardened into an iron once again, and slammed his tail on the floor, using the move Iron Tail!

"CRASH!" Zetarus' Iron Tail generated several shock waves on the ground, which crashed into the shock waves from Garland's Earthquake, disabling it!

"Y… YOU!" Garland was amazed that Zetarus was able to counter his Earthquake move, and he didn't notice that Zetarus was rushing up to him, with his tail still hardened like the iron!

"IRON TAIL!" Zetarus roared as he reached where Garland was standing and slammed Garland with his hardened tail!

"OUCH!" Garland roared in pain before his claw was cloaked in the sinister shadow, and it was pointing at Zetarus! "SHADOW CLAW!"

"GRAAA!" Zetarus' tail was hit by Garland's Shadow Claw, forcing him to jump away from his opponent!

"Hm! I must admit that I didn't expect you to approach me in the close range!" Garland said as he was gazing at Zetarus. His voice showed that he was now very angry. "But this battle has already gone too far! Now! It's time to end this!"

Garland then summoned several pointed stones, and all of them were aiming their sharp point at Zetarus. "NOW, DIE, YOU INFERNAL CREATURE! STONE EDGE!"

After finished speaking, all pointed stones were fired at Zetarus at the same time. The result of this attack caused the dust to form at where Zetarus was standing, making it unable to see what happened to Zetarus, or what happened at where Zetarus was standing!

"ZETARUS!" Terrus, Natasha, Largo and Freya cried out at the same time after seeing Zetarus being bombarded by Garland's Stone Edge attack!

"…" Like the royal children of Quakersand, Soryl was shocked after seeing Emperor Garland's brutal attack.

"…" Unlike everyone else, Diego still remained calm, as if he knew what was happening behind the veil of dust…

And then…

"WHOOSH!"

"W… WHAT?!" Emperor Garland, as well as everyone else except for Diego, was shocked as they saw Zetarus jumped out of veil of dust, using the small stones that were still floating in the air as his 'platforms' as he jumped!

"H… How could Zetarus do something like that?!" Largo said.

"And the move he uses…" Natasha spoke as she and everyone observed Zetarus jumping from one stone to another, and it was visible that Zetarus's body was cloaked in a clear light. "That's…"

"… Rock Climb." Terrus finished Natasha's words.

"RAAAWWWRRRRRR!" Zetarus roared as he used his pistol to shoot the remaining pointed stones that were still floating in the air in front of him, sending them back to attack Garland!

"GRAAAAA!" Garland roared in pain and fell on his knee as not only the pointed stones hit his body, but the fragments that split from the stones when the bullets from Zetarus' pistol hit the stones also hit his body and dug into his flesh too!

"NOW!" Zetarus roared as he covered his body with the light blue dragon-shaped energy released from his appendages that made him look like a soaring blue dragon, and he was rushing at wounded Garland! "GO TO HELL, GARLAND! DRAGON RUSH!"

Zetarus slammed his entire body at Garland with full power, attacking the emperor of Dustorm Empire with the move Dragon Rush. The overwhelming power of the attack made Garland unable to withstand the force of his son anymore!

"T… This is it…" Emperor Garland roared as he collapsed on the floor, with his body heavily injured! "T… This is the… Curse of Quakersand…"

 **To Be Continued…**

* * *

 **Dragon of Vale: Comparing to other chapters in Tail 6 and Intermission I, this chapter is a very short chapter, but comparing to other chapters in Tail 1 to Tail 5, this chapter is a quite long one.**

 **At last, the showdown between Garland and Zetarus begins and comes to the end. While the result of the battle means that Zetarus is finally able to complete his lifetime mission, but there are still many unanswered questions left, especially about the 'Curse of Quakersand' that was mentioned by Garland several times in the story…**


	69. Intermission I-7: TheCurseofQuakersand

**A Dragon's Tail**

 **Intermission I: Freya's Tail - Arrogance**

 **Intermission I-7: The Curse of Quakersand**

"…" Zetarus stared at the collapsing Garchomp in front of him. That Garchomp was Emperor Garland Quakersand the Garchomp, the current Emperor of Dustorm Empire, as well as his father. For his whole life, his life was dedicated to only a single cause, to defeat Garland. He tried to accomplish this once 3 years ago, but he failed, and his failure resulted in the loss of his right eye, but now, he had finally accomplished his lifetime mission…

He had finally defeated Emperor Garland…

He had finally defeated his father…

But…

For some reason, while he was finally able to defeat Garland, which was the objective of his lifetime, the cause that he had devoted his whole life to accomplish, Zetarus didn't feel any feeling of joy or accomplishment. The only feeling he could feel right now was… the feeling of confusion and emptiness, as if he had accomplished nothing. While he didn't feel any regret in defeating his father, he also didn't feel that he was 'whole', but he felt that there was some part of his life that was still missing…

"Father!"

Terrus, Natasha, Largo and Freya quickly ran up toward their father after the battle ended, while Soryl was still standing at the same spot as when he was observing the battle between Garland and Zetarus, and Diego was approaching Zetarus.

"Zetarus…" Diego spoke up for the first time after the battle between Garland and Zetarus had begun and ended. He then could see that Zetarus' body was covered with several injuries, but his injury wasn't as harsh as Emperor Garland's. "… Are you alright?"

"…" Zetarus didn't answer Diego's question. All he did was staring at Emperor Garland, who was being held in Terrus' arms. In seemed like Garland was finally able to regain his consciousness once again, but because he was heavily injured from the battle with Zetarus, the emperor of Dustorm Empire wouldn't live much longer than now…

"F… Father…" Freya said as she held her healing road forward at her father's wounded body, but that's all she could do, as Garland's body was beyond any healing, so her healing rod wouldn't work on her father's body!

"…" Garland silently gazed at the Garchomp in front of him, Zetarus. However, his eyes no longer contained the spark of anger like when he was battling Zetarus. Instead, he was having the spark of satisfied in his eyes, as if he was finally able to get what he wanted for so long in his life.

And then…

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"F… Father?!" Terrus, Natasha, Largo and Freya spoke out at the same time after they saw their father do something that they didn't expect, as well as something that they hadn't seen him doing for such a long time, laughing.

"… What's wrong with you?" Zetarus asked with an irritated voice as he saw the dying Garchomp in front of him laugh.

"Hahaha… C… Congratulation, Z… Zetarus…" Emperor Garland spoke with a shaking voice after he finished laughing. "Y… You have finally surpassed me…"

"… What's so funny about that?" Zetarus asked with his arms crossed. "And how could you laugh when you are about to die?

"H… How could I not?" Garland said. "As f… finally… I… It's finally over…"

"What are you talking about?" Zetarus asked.

"T… The Curse of Quakersand!" Garland said. "I… It's finally over! I… I have been freed from this curse! F… Finally!"

"…" Zetarus said nothing as he watched Garland speak like a madman, but he knew that Garland didn't really go mad, but he still didn't understand what Garland was talking about, especially about the Curse of Quakersand.

"B… But for you… I… It's not over yet!" Garland said as he slowly raised his paw and pointed his claw at Zetarus. "Y… You are still the holder o… of the Curse of Quakersand! S… Some day, y… you will be killed by your own blood!"

"… I don't understand what you are talking about." Zetarus said.

"O… Of course you wouldn't, as no one else who are still alive except me know about the Curse of Quakersand…" Garland continued speaking. "I… It is the terrible curse that has been plaguing the family of Quakersand for countless generations… I… It has already caused countless tragedies to befall o… on the Quakersand family…"

"…" Zetarus, as well as Terrus, Natasha, Largo and Freya, carefully listened to what Garland was saying.

"S… Starting from the first member of the Quakersand family ever, the curse will be inflicted on them and only one of their children…" Emperor Garland continued speaking. "T… The Curse of Quakersand will cause a conflict between two holders of the curse, a parent and a child, to occur… A… And the conflict would finally result in the loss of one eye for the child and the loss of life for the parent…"

"!" Zetarus involuntary reached his paw to the eyepatch that was covering his right eye, which was lost when he lost a battle against Emperor Garland 3 years ago, and he could also see that Emperor Garland was also one-eye blind too, which meant that…

It was the result of the Curse of Quakersand too…

"B… But that's not over…" Garland continued speaking. "T… The Curse of Quakersand would continue to haunt the Quakersand family… When a child kills their parent, that child would become a parent, who will later be killed by their child, creating the endless cycle of death!"

"!" Zetarus' mind was shocked and dismayed after hearing the truth from Emperor Garland, the truth behind his tenacious intention of killing Emperor Garland, his father, no matter what. He never knew why he was so devoted to this cause until today, when he learned why…

He was influenced by the Curse of Quakersand…

The curse had influenced his mind into going onto the mission of killing his own father…

" T… This curse had caused the Quakersand family to enter the endless cycle of death… As we, the Quakersand family, would never be able to escape this curse." Garland continued speaking. "Unless if the child who holds the curse doesn't have any child who will later kill them, the curse would never go away…"

"…" Everyone still said nothing as Garland paused speaking for a moment before he resumed his story.

"B… But that's impossible…" Garland continued speaking. "T… The Quakersand family must never end, we must continue, for that we are the holder of Blood of Legend… And so, each member of the Quakersand family who possesses the Blood of Legend must have at least one descendant in order to pass down their Blood of Legend, but doing so… Would result in the passing down of the Curse of Quakersand too… T… That's why the Curse of Quakersand wouldn't go away and still exist to plague our family, like now!"

"But father…" Terrus spoke up. "If that's true, then why I didn't receive the Curse of Quakersand? Why it's only Zetarus who have to suffer under this curse?"

"H… Haven't you listened to what I said?!" Garland scolded. "L… Like the Blood of Legend, only one child of the holder of the Curse of Quakersand would inherit the curse, and the curse would only pass down from one parent to one child, never from one sibling to another sibling, and because most holders of the Blood of Legend and the Curse of Quakersand only have one child, the Curse of Quakersand still exists until today… B… But in this case… The holder of Blood of Legend and the holder of the Curse of Quakersand are two different people…" Garland ended his words by looking at Terrus and Zetarus.

"Then, so… I don't understand." Largo spoke up. "If having only one child means that the Curse of Quakersand is still existing, then why don't some of our ancestors just had two or more children, so that the holder of the Blood of Legend and the holder of the Curse of Quakersand may be two different people, and the curse would cease to exist."

"… Y… You would make a terrible parent, Largo." Garland said. "T… Think of what would happen if you do something like that! It means that… It's equal to that you are condemned one of your children to doom! N… No parent w… would be able to make up their mind to do something like this—"

"You do." Zetarus suddenly spoke up with a grim voice, turning the attention of everyone to him.

"Z… Zetarus?" Freya spoke up.

"Garland… No, father." Zetarus spoke as he slowly approached the wounded Garchomp in front of him. His voice was a bit shaking. "Do you know that you are a terrible father? The way you treat all of your children… You don't care for Terrus, Largo and Freya because they aren't the children that were born to the woman you love, and you only care for Natasha because she's the daughter of the woman you love…"

"… Go on…" Garland said as he saw that Zetarus paused his speaking for a bit.

"… And for me… Do you have any idea how much I have to suffer?!" Zetarus continued speaking. This time, it was very clear that his voice was trembling. It might seem like his voice was trembling from anger, but that was actually not true. "Do you have any idea how much suffering I have to endure for my whole life in that hell I was born in?! I have to endure all of that torture alone, only to find that I am actually a cursed child who are destined to kill my own father?! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA ABOUT ALL OF THIS?!"

"… Heh" Garland mumbled after he heard Zetarus' words. Right now, it was clear that Zetarus was trying very hard to hold back the strong feeling that he was having in his heart. "… Y… You know what, my son? I can make you suffer even much more than now with just a few words… And I intend to do so…"

"…" Zetarus said nothing as he waited for his father to continue speaking.

"… I know the reason behind your suffering." Garland continued speaking. "My son, I know the truth about what happened 21 years ago, when everyone thought that you are already dead, when you were actually sent into that hell, the desert prison…"

"!" Zetarus looked at Garland with an expression of shock. He could barely believe in the words he had just heard! But this also awakened the memory that he had during the Dragon Massacre, when he heard one of his enemies speak something that was related to his suffering, but he didn't learn much from that, and now…

"… I was shocked too…" Garland continued speaking. "Three years ago… I saw my third child, who shouldn't still be alive anymore, standing in front of me, declaring that he will be the one who takes away my life. That was the moment that I remembered about the Curse of Quakersand, and I decided to act according to the curse. I didn't take the life of my third child, only taking away his right eye, and let him go. After that, I did an investigation about the truth behind what happened 21 years, behind the fate of my third child, and the truth had frozen my blood."

"…" Everyone, especially Zetarus, carefully listened to Garland's words.

"… I… It was madness and hunger for power that devoured the minds of living creatures." Garland continued speaking. "Despite that I finally agreed to have one wife who is a Ground type Pokemon while still keeping Sharon as my wife too, the nobles and aristocrats of Dustorm Empire were still not pleased, as what they wanted was having the child of Empress Lylalia as the next ruler instead the child of Empress Sharon. And soon, when Terrus was born, with him being the son of Empress Lylalia, as well as being the 'perfect reincarnation', it was very reasonable for Terrus to be the next ruler of Dustorm Empire, and for my next child, Natasha… She was both female and non-Ground type Pokemon, so the chance of her being the ruler of Dustorm Empire is very slim… However… When Empress Sharon was about to have another child… Things was changed because Sharon's second child, as well as my third child, was found to be both male and Ground type Pokemon… This caused those nobles and aristocrats to become panic as there was a chance that the throne of Dustorm Empire would fall into the grasp of my third child because my third child is not only both male and Ground type Pokemon, but he is also the child born to the woman that I love, and the royal rule of Dustorm Empire allows the current emperor of Dustorm Empire to assign any of their child to be the crown prince."

"!" As Garland's tale reached this point, Zetarus was able to grasp the truth behind his life now. The truth, however, was a very ugly one. It was so ugly that Zetarus had to pray that it was not true, despite that it was impossible, as it was the truth…

"A… And so… During that fateful night… They did it…" Garland continued speaking. "They faked the death of my third child, deceiving everyone, including Sharon and me, that the third child of Quakersand family is dead upon their birth. In the truth, they snuck that child away and tried to kill him, but because that child was the one who inherited the Curse of Quakersand, he couldn't go to the Afterlife until he was able to kill me… And so, they decided to send that child to Desert Prison, under the disguise as the wanted criminal who was sentenced for the life sentence…"

"No…" Zetarus spoke as he held his paw forward. "T… This cannot be…"

"A… And then… About 21 years after the 'birthday' of my third child…" Garland continued the last part of his story. "Because Terrus's Succession Ceremony was about to be held, the nobles and aristocrats became panic again when they remembered that the greatest obstacles in Terrus' path to the throne of Dustorm Empire still existed in the Desert Prison. They then decided to order the second execution of my third child. This time, however, my third child was able to escape from the grasp of grim reaper, and for the first time in his life, he was able to grasp the meaning of 'freedom'… Well… For the rest of the story… I think you know it better than me, Zetarus…"

"That's… That isn't true…" Zetarus said as he fell onto his knee, with his paws holding onto his head. "This… This cannot be… Please… Tell me this isn't true…"

"M… My son… I hope that I could say that I lied, but I can't…URGG!" Garland said before he roared out in pain, as the wound from the battle had started to get him.

"Father!" Terrus, Natasha, Largo and Freya said as they held their father's body in their arms. All of them could see that… their father's time was almost over.

"Hehe… Finally…" Garland mumbled. "The grim reaper has given me some more time in order to let me finish this story… But it seems like my time is almost over… So… My children… Listen to my last words…"

"F… Father…" The voices of Natasha and Freya were shaking as they were looking at their dying father, while Terrus and Largo weren't able to say anything.

"First…" Emperor Garland spoke up. "Conceal the real cause of my death to the public. Tell them… That I commit suicide… I leave a fake suicide note of mine in my room, as well as my testament there…"

"…" Terrus, Natasha, Largo and Freya nodded to their father.

"Next… Terrus…" Garland said as he shifted his attention to his first child. "I… I leave Dustorm Empire in your care."

"Yes, father." Terrus spoke up with a shaking voice. "I… I promise to take a good care of this desert nation!"

"Good…" Garland said before he shifted his attention to his second child and his fourth child. "Natasha… Largo…"

"F… Father…" Natasha and Largo said as their father's attention was on them.

"G… Go to the Shadowlost Territory…" Garland spoke. "I… In that place… You will find… the way… to awaken… your Blood of Legend…"

"Y… Yes! We will, father!" Natasha and Largo nodded to their father.

"Good…" Garland said before he shifted his attention to his fifth and the youngest child. "Freya…"

"F… Father!" Freya couldn't hold back her tear and started crying as she knew that this was the moment for her father's final words to her.

"… Dustorm Empire… This place… is not your home…" Garland slowly spoke. "But somewhere else… There is a place…That you would be able to call home… Go… And find that place… And you will finally… found the true meaning of… home…"

"Y… Yes, father!" Freya said as she continued to cry for her dying father.

"And last…" Garland said as he shifted his attention to his third son, who was standing still as if the entire blood in his body was frozen solid. "You… Zetarus…"

"…" Zetarus said nothing even when his father was about to say his last words to him.

"You… are now the holder… of the Curse of Quakersand…" Garland continued speaking. "Someday… in the future… you will be killed… by your own child… And so… Until that day comes… Remember what happened today, at this moment, when you killed your own father…"

"…" Zetarus still said nothing.

"Zetarus, among my five children, you are the child that I hate most…" Garland continued speaking. It was noticeable that Garland's voice has gradually become lower and lower… "But at the same time… You are also… the child that I love most too…"

"F… Father…" Zetarus finally spoke up with a shaking voice.

"A…Arg…" Garland groaned in pain as his head was tilted upward, enabled him to see the starry night sky… For the last time… "Ah! The night sky… Sharon… W… Where are you right now? A… Are you watching over me? I… I miss you so much… My… dear… S… Sha…ro…n…"

After saying the name of his true love, Emperor Garland succumbed to his injury. His body stopped moving, and his arms and legs became the lifeless limbs. His breath stopped. All of this showed that Emperor Garland Quakersand the Garchomp, the Emperor of Dustorm Empire and the former Hero of Ground type, had departed to the world of Afterlife.

"Father… Father! FATHER!" Terrus, Natasha, Largo and Freya cried as they hugged their father's lifeless body. The moment of their father's death was too much for all of them, even for Terrus, the eldest of them.

"…" Soryl closed his eyes and prayed for the deceased Emperor Garland. While he still considered Garland as his enemy, he knew that Garland, at least, deserved his prayer.

"…" Like Soryl, Diego also prayed for the fallen emperor of Dustorm Empire too. After he finished praying, he turned to his side and found that… Zetarus was not there. In fact, Zetarus was nowhere to be found anywhere in this rooftop garden…

"Zetarus…" Diego mumbled.

* * *

 **-Meanwhile…**

'Where am I?'

'What is this place?'

I didn't even know where I am anymore. The only thing I remembered was that after I saw my father died right in front of me, after I killed him… and after he revealed the ugly truth that had been kept hidden for 24 years…

The truth that I am the cursed child…

The truth that I am nothing more than the pawn of fate, being used by everyone else for their own benefits…

"…?"

I looked around the place I was in right now. It seemed like I had entered a room when I was running around aimlessly, which meant that this room must be one of the rooms inside the Desert Palace.

But… Which room?

 _"… You have finally come back."_

Suddenly, I heard a voice from somewhere inside this room. The voice sounded a bit familiar, as if I had heard it before, but I couldn't remember.

And then, a few second after I heard the voice, a glowing silhouette appeared right in front of me. While the silhouette wasn't very clear, I could see that it was a silhouette of a Garchomp. For some reason, I felt like I have seen a silhouette like this before, and also, seeing this silhouette reminded me of my father whom I had just killed…

"… Who are you?" I asked as I gazed at the silhouette of the Garchomp right in front of me.

 _"… Don't tell me that you have already forgotten me, brat?!"_

"…" I decided not to answer the questioned that I was asked.

 _"Anyway… I am your great-grandfather. We had met each other 3 years ago, remember, my great-grandson?"_

"!" I remembered it now. The Garchomp silhouette in front of me right now was the ghost of my great-grandfather. I had met him 3 years ago, in the night before my first attempt to kill my own father, which meant that… I am now in the Terra Room, the sacred room of the Quakersand royal family. Only the members of the Quakersand family were allowed to enter this room, and everyone who didn't possess the blood of Quakersand and entered this room would be immediately killed by the 'ancestor spirits' that guarded this room.

 _"… I can see that you finally remember me, Zetarus, and according to what happened on this side, I assume that you have finally able to kill your own father, my grandson, just like how I killed my own father. Good job, my great-grandson. I know that a bloodthirsty demon like you would be able to do it at last."_

"…" I said nothing after hearing the words of my great-grandfather.

 _"Hm? Is that the lingering regret I sense in your mind? That's a very unexpected thing coming from you. I mean, you should be happy that you are finally able to take down your own father."_

"… Hey… Gramps." I decided to speak up. "… Can I ask you something?"

 _"… What do you want to ask me about?"_

"… Do you still remember the feeling you had on that day?" I slowly asked a question. "Do you still remember the feeling you had after you killed your own father?"

 _"Of course. I could never forget the feeling I had at that moment when my father collapsed on the floor after I shot him right through his heart. The feeling I had at that time was the feeling of… freedom."_

"Freedom?" I repeated the words I had just heard.

 _"Before my father was killed, my entire life had always been under his grasp. He always commanded my life and told me what to do, and he never allowed me to do what I want to, and for the worst, he even separated me from my brother, who was the only one in my family that I could trust, and he would always punish me every time I tried to meet him, and the worst punishment he had ever done was taking away my right eye."_

"…" Zetarus involuntary reached his paw to the eyepatch that covered his right eye.

 _"And so, I have no regrets in killing my own father, and I would kill him even if our family isn't plagued with the Curse of Quakersand."_

"… I don't understand you…" Zetarus said. "How could you say something like that after you kill your own father?"

 _"I thought that you already understand that… Zetarus, we both had faced the similar obstacles in our life. We were born to one of the worst fathers ever, and both fathers of us were forced to marry the woman he didn't love, and for me, that woman was my mother. Zetarus, we both were separated from our siblings, and in your case, you even became their enemy. Both of us were just a tool being used by others just for their benefit and satisfaction. And in the end, both of us grew up into a mindless demon that would soon be purged from this world."_

"Mindless… Demon?" Zetarus said with his paw holding his head. "Am I… Am I really a mindless demon?"

 _"Yes, you are! Think of what happened in your life before now! You are just a pawn of fate, destined to be the tool of destruction and calamity!"_

"!" The memory of my time in the Desert Prison suddenly appeared in my head. I could see it all… I saw myself being chained to the wall and others, be the jailers or my fellow prisoners, beat me up, with others laughed at my pathetic self. I saw myself being used as an object for the benefit and pleasure of others. I saw myself being degenerated into a being that was no more than a lifeless tool that only existed for other's satisfaction.

And then… I could see myself today… I saw myself as a demon who had just killed his own father, with any remorse as I cut down the thread of life that bound him and this world. I saw myself willing to go as far as killing my own siblings who stood in my way. I saw myself as a wanted criminal who scavenged the world like a creature that no one else loved and cared.

And last… I could see myself in the future… I saw myself without any purpose in my life, unable to grasp what should I do and which path should I walk. I saw myself being despised by all of my siblings, who branded me as the traitors of the Quakersand… I saw Natasha turning cold toward me… I saw Largo becoming enraged to me… I saw Freya crying as she ran away from me… And I saw Terrus raised his blade as he prepared for my execution, which was most likely my fate in the nearby future, as soon… I have to return to where I really belonged…

To the deepest pit of hell…

"I… I…" I started mumbling with a trembling voice. "I… I am a monster…"

 _"Yes, we are. We are monsters, and we only exist to cause the mass destruction… That's our true purpose of life…"_

"I… I exist… only to cause the mass destruction upon this world…" I continued speaking with a trembling voice. "That's… I… I don't know… Is it really… the true purpose of my life?"

 _"Of course it is! If you don't believe me, think of what would happen to you from now on! Everyone else in your family hates you! They don't love you, and they view you as a thing, no more than a scum of the earth! You can't return to your family anymore, and the earth would never accept you!"_

"N… NO!" I said as I closed my ears with my paws. "It can't be! I… I…"

 _"It's true!"_

"I… It can't be!" I said as I shook my head.

 _"IT IS!"_

"IT CAN'T BE!"

 _"YOU ARE A MONSTER!"_

"I… I…"

 _"YOU ARE NOW A MONSTER! THIS IS THE PATH OF YOUR LIFE! ACCEPT IT!"_

"NOOOOOOOOOO!"

I roared out like a man who had already lost his mind, like a lunatic creature that plagued the world with dread and fear, like a savage beast that sought only the destruction to sate its bloodlust…

Is this… Who I really am?

Am I… really destined to be a monster like this?

I… I don't know it anymore…

I… I don't…

I…

"Zetarus!"

"!" Suddenly, I heard a voice calling my name, but as I looked in front of me, I could no longer see the ghost of my great-grandfather. Instead, when I looked behind me, I saw four Pokemon standing at the entrance of the Terra Room. They were… a male Garchomp, a female Dragalge, a male Alolan Marowak, and a female Flygon.

"!" All of my siblings were now standing in front of me, looking at me in the Terra Room alone. I couldn't see their face clearly because I was in the dark, but… I was sure that they weren't very delighted to see me…

Of course, all of them hated me… Because I had just killed their father…

All of them despised me, and they would never consider me as their sibling…

And the reason they came here… was to see the degeneration of mine… to see me as a lunatic creature that was not capable of feeling remorse or regret…

Or maybe… All of them coming here was the sign that it was now the time for me to face my punishment and redemption… Time for a wanted criminal to go accept his final fate… Time for a murderer to face his execution…

Time for me… to return to hell…

"Zetarus!"

"?" Suddenly, my body felt a warm embrace at my abdomen. The next thing I realized was that the female Flygon, who was standing at the entrance of the Terra Room a moment ago, was now standing in front of me, with her arms gently wrapping around my waist, embracing me in her arms.

"F… Freya?" I said with a confused voice as I realized what my younger sister was doing. She gently hugged me! But… Why would she do something like that?

"Brother… I… I am sorry…"

"!" Before I could grasp what my younger sister was doing, I heard another voice, but this time, it was the voice of a young male Pokemon, and a second later, I felt someone was hugging me at the right side of my body, and as I looked at him, I was very shocked to see this Pokemon hugging me because as far as I knew, this Pokemon hated me to the deepest part of his heart, yet why?

"Largo?" I said the name of the male Alolan Marowak, my younger brother, who was hugging me at the right side of my body.

"Big brother Zetarus… I… I am sorry… for everything I had done to you…" Largo spoke with a shaking voice as he continued hugging me.

"W… What?" That was the only words I could say, as everything that was happening right now was the thing that I never expected to ever happen…

But it didn't stop there…

"Zetarus… My little brother…"

"!" This time, I heard the voice of a matured woman, following by a warm hug at the left side of my body. The owner of this voice, as well as the Pokemon who was hugging me on the left side of my body right now, was a female Dragalge.

"N… Natasha?!" I called the name of my elder sister.

"My dear brother… You have suffered so much…" Natasha spoke as she gently rubbed my head with her fin. "I… I must apologize that I didn't try to understand your feeling…"

"!" Right now, I felt very confused. What were my siblings doing?! Why they did something like this to me!?

"… Zetarus."

Finally, I heard the taciturn voice of a male Pokemon, and then I felt a warm embrace at my back as someone who was standing behind me was hugging me with his arms. It didn't take me very long to figure out that the one who was hugging me from behind was a male Garchomp who was older than me, and he was none other than my elder brother.

"…" Terrus said nothing as he embraced me with his arms.

"…" I stood there with my mind being confused by the action of my siblings. I didn't understand what they were doing right now. Why were they acting like this? Why were they treating me, a Pokemon who had just murdered their father, as if I am their beloved brother?! Why were they doing all of this?! Was I so pathetic that they needed to share their mercy to a cursed child like me?!

"… Zetarus, my brother." My elder brother, Terrus, was the first one who spoke up after a minute of silence as he, Natasha, Largo and Freya gently hugged me. "It's okay… It's going to be okay…"

"… Why?" That was the first word that I could say after all of my siblings hugged me. "Why are all of you doing this to me?"

"… When one of us gets sad, the others would be there to comfort them…" Freya was the one who answered me. "This is what we always do when either of us are sad, and we did this since when we were just children."

"But… Why me?" I could feel that my voice was shaking as I tried to let my words slip out of my mouth. "I… I don't deserve this… I don't deserve to receive a mercy from all of you…"

"… It was us who don't deserve mercy from you, Zetarus." This time, it was Largo who replied me. "I had been treating you badly, calling you with something that's very unforgivable. I did all of this without considering the truth and your feeling, and I regret doing so very much…"

"Then… Why?" I continued asking the same question. I could feel my voice shaking even harder. "I… I just killed our father… And… I am also a wanted criminal… and the cursed child… I… I don't understand…"

"Zetarus… My dear…" Natasha spoke up with a gentle voice. "All of that is just a bad dream… And it's already over… You must be very tired… So… At least… Let us lend you our strength… Let us be the pillar that shared your joy and sorrow, smile and tear, happiness and burden… We promise that… We will pass this together…"

"But…" Right now, I could hardly control my words as my lip was shaking. "I… I am your enemy… And… Nothing will ever change that…"

"… Let's forget everything about that, my brother…" My elder brother, Terrus, spoke with a gentle voice. "For now, while we are here, in this room, let's forget about the wall of fate that separated us from each other… For now, let's stay together as siblings… And makes up for the time we have lost…"

"E… Everyone…" I spoke up again with a shaking voice. I could feel that my left eye, which was the only eye I had left, was damped.

"… Zetarus, I have already asked you this question three years ago, while all of us were in this very room…" Terrus spoke up again. "Zetarus, would you mind accepting us as your siblings?"

"I… I…" I could no longer speak anything, and I felt the warm water flowing out of my left eye. I couldn't remember the last time that I had water like this flowing out of my eyes… But… These water…

Was it… the thing that's called 'tear'?

Was I… crying?

Why I was crying? I didn't know…

All I knew was…

The water that flew out of my eye…

It represented the feeling I had in my heart right now…

And… For the first time in my life…

I felt that my life was no longer empty…

I finally knew the feeling of being 'whole'…

* * *

 **-Meanwhile… Outside the Terra Room…**

"…"

In front of the door that led into the Terra Room, a male Mega Charizard X was standing there, looking at the door of Terra Room with a grim look on his face. He was wondering what was happening inside the room in front of him, as well as what was happening to his friend…

"… Hey."

A voice of a male Pokemon turned Diego's attention to another Pokemon who was standing beside him. This Pokemon was a male Aerodactyl, as well as Terrus' retainer.

"… What?" Diego said as his attention was focused at the Aerodactyl, and the Aerodactyl's attention was focused at him too.

"… So, you are with Terrus' younger brother…" Soryl spoke as he looked at Diego. "And you are here in the same day that Terrus' younger brother appeared during the Succession Ceremony…"

"… You remember me?" Diego asked.

"Yeah." Soryl answered. "While your appearance has drastically changed, I could feel that the Pokemon I am speaking to right now was the same Pokemon I chased after 3 years ago…"

"…" Diego said nothing.

"… And you two finally decided to return here tonight… To finish what you were trying to do 3 years ago." Soryl continued speaking.

"… I only come here to accompany Zetarus." Diego spoke. "I have already accomplished my mission since 3 years ago, and tonight was Zetarus' turn to accomplish his."

"… I see…" Soryl said, but he still had his attention on the Mega Charizard X.

"… Are you going to arrest me again, just like what you failed to do 3 years ago?" Diego asked.

"No." Soryl answered. "For some reason, the Fireview Kingdom had already cancelled your bounty, so you are no longer the wanted criminal to them, making it no longer necessary for me to arrest you."

"… Won't you arrest me for accompanying someone who murdered the Emperor of Dustorm Empire?" Diego continued asking.

"That's Prince Terrus' decision, not mine." Soryl answered.

"… But you still shouldn't let your guard down." Diego said. "… For that I am still your enemy."

"I will remember that." Soryl said. "Anyway, I haven't asked your name yet, have I? What's your name?"

"… Diego Pyrotorch the Mega Charizard X." Diego answered. "And yours?"

"… My name is Soryl Hurricloud the Aerodactyl." Soryl replied. "Anyway, Diego, there's something that I need to speak with you about."

"… What is it?" Diego asked.

"… Zetarus." Soryl said. "… Will you continue to support him after this?"

"… What's with a question like that?" Diego said. "And what do you mean by the word 'continue'?"

"… Zetarus' task of killing Emperor Garland was an extremely hard one, and a dangerous one too." Soryl said. "However, you are presented here during both occasions that Zetarus attempted to murder Emperor Garland, both occasions which span three years from each other. This means that you have been supporting him during this whole time."

"… It's just a deal I made with him." Diego said. "I, too, had something that I must accomplish, and that thing was equally dangerous too. Zetarus had already helped me with that, so I am here to complete our deal on my end."

"Still, killing Emperor Garland is both difficult and dangerous…" Soryl said. "And yet you decided to help Zetarus despite that the consequence of your failure is a very harsh one…"

"…" Diego said nothing after hearing the words of the Aerodactyl.

"… But now, both you and Zetarus have already completed your deal…" Soryl continued speaking. "And Zetarus… Although I am just a Windsky whelp who is being here as the hostage, and it's not my place to speak about this, I could see that Zetarus is suffering."

"… Suffering?" Diego said.

"As far as I know… Zetarus, his entire life has been under the influence of the Curse of Quakersand…" Soryl spoke. "With the influence of the Curse of Quakersand, the only objective he had in his life was killing Emperor Garland, his father. But now, with that objective being completed…"

"… Zetarus… He had spent almost his entire life in the Desert Prison, one of the living hells on the continent of Symmetria…" Diego spoke up. "He was being treated as if he wasn't Pokemon, as if he was just a monster, or even worse, a lifeless object. He had never experienced the joy and happiness, as well as the will to live. The only thing that kept his life going on was the Curse of Quakersand. But now, with the influence of the Curse of Quakersand has already vanished…"

"… And so…" Soryl spoke up again. "Will you continue to support him, Diego?"

"… Heh… You were right. Something like this is really the thing that's your place for you to speak." Diego said. "What Zetarus and I would do in the future isn't something for you to know, is it?"

"I guess so…" Soryl said. "… Sorry for asking."

'… You fool…' Diego thought to himself as he turned his attention from Soryl back to the door of the Terra Room. 'Even if you didn't ask me to, I would continue to support Zetarus no matter what… Sure, maybe someday, we may end up as the enemies of each other… But… Like Zetarus, I would do anything in order to prevent that from happening… I swear it…'

* * *

 **-About half an hour later…**

"… Now…" Terrus spoke up. "It's time for us, the Royal Children of Quakersand, to decide our future fate…"

About a few minutes ago, Terrus, Natasha, Zetarus, Largo and Freya had left Terra Room, and all of them, as well as Diego and Soryl, were now standing in the rooftop garden of Desert Palace. Right now, the lifeless body of Emperor Garland was resting in front of the Desert Rose tree.

"Tomorrow, we will announce the death of our father to the public." Terrus said. "And then we will arrange a funeral for him."

"And there is a matter of his testament too." Natasha said.

"And so do the matter of Terrus' coronation." Largo spoke up.

"Those can wait until our father's funeral." Terrus answered. "But for now, other than our father's funeral, we will have to follow father's last words first."

"Then..." Largo spoke up. "Father wants Natasha and me to go to the Shadowlost Territory to awaken the power of legend in our blood."

"Right." Natasha said. "With this, I will become a full-fledge Heroine of Poison type while Largo will become a full-fledge Hero of Ghost type too. But Freya…"

"It's okay, everyone." Freya spoke up. "B… But according to father's last words to me, he… he wants me to leave Dustorm Empire…"

"… Father didn't say that you must leave Dustorm Empire, Freya." Largo spoke up. "If you don't want to leave, you can stay here with us too."

"I… I can't…" Freya said. "And moreover… I… I will go with Zetarus."

"… I see…" Natasha nodded. "Well… If you are with Zetarus, then there's nothing to worry about."

"Nothing to worry about?" Zetarus spoke up with a sarcastic voice. "Sure… Staying with a cursed child and a wanted criminal like me is nothing to worry about…"

"You are no longer a wanted criminal, Zetarus." Terrus said.

"That's only for you, Terrus." Zetarus said. "But for others, nothing will change that I am a heartless criminal who belongs to only one place, the deepest pit of hell."

"…" Terrus said nothing after hearing the words of Zetarus.

"… That's why I can't stay here too." Zetarus said. "After tonight, we will return to the same status as we were before, to be the enemy of each other."

"… I see…" Terrus said. "But listen to me, Zetarus, from now on, while it may be inevitable that we end up as the enemy of each other, I will try to do anything in order to avoid fighting against you."

"So do we." Natasha and Largo spoke up.

"… I see…" Zetarus said. "If you three say that, then I might as well do the same thing too. However, don't forget that one day, it may be inevitable that we have to fight each other."

"But even when that day comes, we will remain as brothers and sisters." Terrus spoke up.

"… Fair enough." Zetarus said.

"And one more thing…" Terrus spoke up. "About the Curse of Quakersand… Zetarus, you are now the holder of the curse, which means that in the future, when you have a child—"

"Oh, that?" Zetarus spoke up. "Don't worry about it. It would never happen."

"… What do you mean by that?" Terrus asked.

"Like I say, it would never happen." Zetarus said. "The Curse of Quakersand only passes down from parent to child, and because in the past, the holder of the Curse of Quakersand is also the one with the Blood of Legend, the curse wouldn't go away. But now, Terrus, you are the holder of Blood of Legend, while I am the holder of the Curse of Quakersand. Terrus, I want you to continue the line of Quakersand family, while for me… If I have no direct descendant, the Curse of Quakersand will never be able to resurface, and when I die, the curse that plagued our family for countless generation will finally come to the end, and that's what I intend to do so…"

"… You are so selfless, Zetarus." Terrus said. "There's no way that I could ever repay you for this…"

"It's not a great deal, Terrus." Zetarus spoke before he lowered his voice for the next part of his words. "Also, even if I am not the holder of the Curse of Quakersand, I will still never have any son or daughter anyway…"

"Anyway…" Largo spoke up. "Zetarus, please take a good care of Freya."

"I will." Zetarus gave a firm answer to his elder brother.

"And Freya, take a good care of our brother too." Natasha spoke up.

"I… I promise." Freya nodded to her sister.

"Then, we will have to go now." Zetarus spoke up again. "It would be a problem if anyone finds out that we are here. And so, until next time, farewell…"

After finished speaking, Zetarus and Freya turned back and walked toward the entrance of the rooftop garden, where Diego was waiting. The trio then were about to leave the rooftop garden when they heard the voice of the crown prince of Dustorm Empire calling them.

"… Zetarus…" Terrus spoke up, turning the attention of everyone to him. "… Will we ever have a chance to become a normal family, with all of us staying together?"

"… No." Zetarus answered. "I am sorry, my brother, but I don't think that it could ever happen."

"… I see." Terrus said. "… Well then, farewell for now, Zetarus, and… Thank you for taking care for Freya during these 3 years…"

"… You too, my brother." Zetarus said before he turned back and continued walking toward the entrance of the rooftop garden, and a few seconds later, Freya, Diego and Zetarus were no longer to be found in the rooftop garden anymore…

* * *

"Zetarus…" Natasha spoke up after Zetarus, Freya and Diego had already left. "Why? Why it has to be like this?"

"You are right, Natasha…" Largo spoke up. "I thought that, with the Curse of Quakersand being over, we could finally become a family… But… Why?"

"… All of this is my fault." Terrus spoke up as he looked at the entrance of the rooftop garden, the same place that Zetarus and Freya were standing a few minutes ago. "As a crown prince, I am such a failure when it comes to destroying the corruption that is plaguing the desert nation."

"…" Natasha and Largo said nothing after hearing the words of their elder brother.

"… Zetarus and Freya are both the victims of madness and corruption." Terrus continued speaking. "Zetarus was thrown away into that hellhole since the day he was born just because he was the obstacle to the absolute power of just a single group of power-hungry aristocrats, and Freya was being treated badly for her whole life just because she's not the child of the empress. To be honest, I would say that both of them leaving Dustorm Empire like this is perhaps better than them staying here, for that they may have to endure even more suffering."

"You are right…" Largo spoke up. "Our nation may seem to be a very powerful nation on the continent of Symmetria, but… power and righteousness are two different words. Having power doesn't mean that we have righteousness too, as power is never a righteousness."

"But on the contrary…" Natasha spoke up. "Righteousness is power, so if we have the righteousness, we would have power too…"

"And that's what I intend to do." Terrus spoke up again. "I will make Dustorm Empire a nation of not only power, but a nation of righteousness too."

"Right." Natasha nodded to her brother's words. "We will make it a nation where its people could live together in harmony, and a nation where its people could flourish and prosper, just like the Desert Rose."

"As well as a nation that's free of any corruption and prejudice." Largo said. "We will make our nation a place where its people would grow strong physically and mentally, but without falling under the influence of power…"

"And…" Terrus spoke up again. "We will make Dustorm Empire a nation where there's no one else have to suffer like what Freya and Zetarus did. I am sure that this is what our parents want for this entire time."

"Hm." Natasha and Largo nodded in agreement with their brother.

"… But now, it's getting very late." Terrus said as he looked at the moon in the night sky. "Natasha, Largo, you should go to sleep. We have a lot to do tomorrow, and you two will have to prepare for your journey to the Shadowlost Territory too."

"Okay." Largo said. "But Natasha and I have agreed that we will leave for Shadowlost Territory after father's funeral."

"Largo is right." Natasha said. "And Terrus, you also have a lot to do too because starting tomorrow, you will become the unofficial emperor of Dustorm Empire."

"I know." Terrus said. "But I want to look at the night sky for just a bit longer. You two don't have to worry about me, because I will return to my room within an hour."

"If that's what you say…" Natasha andLargo said. "Then, good night, Terrus."

"Good night to both of you too, Natasha, Largo." Terrus said.

After the conversation between three remaining royal siblings ended, Natasha and Largo walked toward the entrance of the rooftop garden before returning into the interior of the Desert Palace, leaving Terrus alone in the rooftop garden… with one more Pokemon.

"… Soryl." Terrus called the name of his retainer, who was waiting near the entrance of the rooftop garden, summoning the Aerodactyl to where he was standing. "Can I talk with you for a few minutes?"

"Of course, Prince Terrus." Soryl replied, but his reply made Terrus a bit uneasy. Soryl never called him 'Prince Terrus' or applied the formality while both of them were alone.

"Soryl, you have something that you want to talk to me too, right?" Terrus said.

"Certainly." Soryl said before he bowed down to the crown prince of Dustorm Empire. "To be frankly, I want to apologize to you."

"Apologize to me?" Terrus repeated the words he had just heard. "For what reason?"

"Not for reason, but for treason." Soryl continued speaking. "I have committed a major crime toward you, Prince Terrus, for that I deceive you, just like what Emperor Garland said."

"My father?" Soryl's words made Terrus think back to his father's words before Zetarus appeared.

"… Emperor Garland mentioned that the reason I became your retainer is because I plot to use your status as the crown prince of Dustorm Empire for the benefit of the people of Windsky Plateau, and… I would be lying if I say that the fact claimed by Emperor Garland is not the truth."

"…" Terrus said nothing as he waited for Soryl to continue speaking.

"… When I first had a chance to get close to you, I… I really intended to use your influence when you come to the power for freeing the Windsky Plateau from the grasp of the Dustorm Empire… I intended to use you for my selfish benefit, just like what the nobles of Dustorm Empire did. I… I am really ashamed for that, and I am really sorry for it. Prince Terrus, I am awaiting for your judgment. If you consider my action as a crime, please punish me, and only me, for the people of Windsky Plateau have nothing to do with my conspiracy." Soryl said as he kneeled down in front of the crown prince of Dustorm Empire, waiting for his judgment.

"… Soryl." Terrus spoke with a soft voice as he lowered himself to look at the kneeling Aerodactyl. "… Do you remember the day we met each other for the first time?"

"?" Terrus' words made Soryl think back to the day he met Terrus for the first time. It was about eight years ago, when Soryl was just sent to Dustorm City as the 'exchanging child' from the Windsky Plateau. As the 'exchanging child', he was put in the royal school of Dustorm Empire, where the children of nobles, aristocrats, rich people and royalty were sent to study in the arts of various subjects, such as the art of governance, diplomacy, war and trading. However, while Soryl was there as the 'exchanging child', he was no more than a hostage from the Windsky Plateau, so, like Freya during her stay in the Dustorm Empire, he wasn't treated very well. He was always bullied by the other kids there, and he couldn't do anything to counter their bully because everyone there was the child of people with a huge influence in the Dustorm Empire, while he was just a hostage. That was when he started to hold a grudge against the nobles, aristocrats and the royalty of Dustorm Empire, until one day…

"That day…" Terrus spoke up again. "It was the day that we had a fighting class… Near the end of the class, the teacher decided to arrange a little contest between the students, which every student could volunteer to join or not to join. The contest was a 3 rounds of a one-on-one fight, with the winner of the first round continued fighting in the second round, the winner of the second round continued fighting in the third round, and the winner of the third round will be the winner of this contest, and they would receive a reward from a noble who was present there to observe the class…"

"… In the first round…" Soryl spoke up. "The battle was between the son of a noble and the eldest prince of Dustorm Empire, who was the only child of royalty in the royal school as the first princess was in Shadowlost Territory, the 'second' prince was in Fireview Kingdom, and the second princess was at the Windsky Plateau, leaving only the first prince in the capital of Dustorm Empire. Anyway, the battle between the noble's son and the prince ended in a one-sided victory of the prince."

"… The battle only ended like that because the noble's son went easy on the prince." Terrus spoke up.

"Even if the noble's son didn't go easy on the prince, he wouldn't be able to win the battle." Soryl continued speaking. "It's because the prince is the strongest and the most skilled students in the class, and he was very good in all classes, including the fighting class."

"…" Terrus said nothing after hearing the words of the Aerodactyl.

"Anyway, the battle continued in the second round, which was between the prince and another student, who was the son of a knight of Dustorm Empire. Like the first round, the battle ended in the victory of the prince. This meant that only one round of battle remained, and if the prince won again, he would be the winner of the contest. However, because of the battle skills the prince had showed in the first two rounds, no one else dared to face the prince as they knew that they would never hope to triumph over the prince…"

"… Except for one student." Terrus said. "He was the new student from the Windsky Plateau, and he was the only one who volunteered to fight against the prince in the final round of the battle."

"The only reason that the Windsky child volunteered to battle the prince was because he still held a grudge against the prince, and the battle with the prince was the only chance that he could beat up the prince without being sent to jail." Soryl said. "And in the final round of the battle, the prince was still as skilled and powerful as ever. He was very skilled in using his blade to strike his opponent, as well as to defend himself from his opponent's attack."

"But the student from the Windsky Plateau also proved to be a powerful fighter as well." Terrus spoke up. "He was amazing with his speedy movement and his aerial battle was also proved to be difficult for the prince to battle against too."

"And in the end, the battle between the prince of Dustorm Empire and the hostage from the Windsky Plateau ended when both fighters collapsed on the floor at the same time, meaning that the battle ended in a tie…" Soryl said.

"However… The teacher, who was the judge of the battle, suddenly declared that the prince was the winner of the battle." Terrus said. "He announced that the Windsky student cheated the battle because he flew while the prince fought without flying at all. And so, the prince deserved to win the battle, and the Windsky student deserved to lose the battle."

"But… Unexpectedly, the prince refused to accept the judgment of the judge. Instead, he declared that the Windsky hostage didn't cheat, as it was the battle contest, and in a battle, the fighters must draw out their fullest potential in order to win, not to keep their potential hidden and be at risk of losing the battle, or even worse, losing their life. And so, both the Windsky hostage and he was the winner of the contest." Soryl said. "And because his logical was reasonable, no one was able to counter his words. So, the prince and the Windsky hostage were declared to be the winners of the battle at last." Soryl said. "And… That was the start of the friendship between the prince and the Windsky hostage, as well as the start of the disappearance of the grudge that the Windsky hostage was holding in his heart."

"… So, you remember it." Terrus spoke up. "Tell me… Why did the grudge of the Windsky student disappear after that day?"

"… Because the Windsky hostage had come to fully respect the prince, not only because of his status, but because of who he really is." Soryl answered. "Moreover, that was the first time that someone had showed a respect to the Windsky hostage since when he came to Dustorm City, and the respect he got came from the prince himself."

"… What if I told you that the respect that the prince had toward the Windsky student wasn't the true respect, but because the prince just saw the resemble between the Windsky student and his lost brother?" Terrus asked with a grim voice.

"…" Soryl said nothing after hearing Terrus' words.

"… The prince had lost one of his brothers since his young age, and his other siblings were sent to study abroad in the distant land…" Terrus continued speaking. "He then became lonely. He missed his siblings very much, but he couldn't show it because he was the heir to the throne, so he couldn't show his weakness out, but that also meant that he must endure the loneliness he had alone… Until when he met the Windsky student, who was at the same age as the brother that he had lost. And so, because of his selfish desire and the yearn of accompany, the prince had formed a false friendship with the Windsky student, seeing him as a substitute of his lost brother. While he knew that this wasn't the right thing to do, he couldn't stop doing it. It was his sin… His hidden sin… The sin that would never receive any forgiveness…"

"… What if I forgive you, Terrus?" Soryl spoke up.

"Hm?" Terrus said as he looked at Soryl. "But… Why?"

"It's because you never intend to do so, and what you did never cause any harm to anyone." Soryl said. "Desert is a harsh place to grow up, and in order to do so, one has become strong in order to flourish, but that would also mean that they have to seal away their feeling. That's not something that anyone should do, but you have no choice, Terrus. You are the heir, and you have to become strong. It takes a strong man to grow up in the harsh desert, but it takes a stronger man to grow up in the harsh desert without losing his heart. Terrus, you are a very strong man, and you haven't lost your heart. This is why I am honored to be your friends, Terrus. You are my first and my true friend, and I would never think less of you."

"… Then, the same thing applied to you too, Soryl." Terrus spoke up. "What you have done is not a guilt. You did it because you care for your people, not for yourself. You are willing to tarnish yourself for the sake of everyone back at your home. For me, I don't consider it as a sin, but I consider it as an honorable deed. Moreover, you weren't just saving your people, but you were saving me, too, for the pit of loneliness. If you still consider yourself a sinner, then I forgive you, Soryl."

"Terrus…" Soryl said.

"Soryl, let's start over…" Terrus said. "Let's forget everything… Let's forget about the sin both of us have committed… Let's forget what we have just confessed and start our… Let's start a new friendship together… This new friendship… It would become stronger than ever, and nothing would be able to break it…"

"Terrus… I…" Soryl said. "I… I don't know what to say… Other than… Thank you… Terrus… My best friend…"

"I know that you would say that…" Terrus said. "Soryl, you are my best friend too, and nothing will ever be able to change it…"

Terrus and Soryl looked up at the night sky above them. While the sky was very dark, there was not without light. The dark sky of the night was decorated with a shining moon and countless stars, giving out the sparkling light and the pale light onto the earth, onto the garden below…

The garden… It was home to several trees that grew up in the middle of the harsh desert… They were growing up from the earth, and they were dancing with the wind… They were the sight of the connection between the earth and the sky… They were the symbol of life… And the symbol of nature…

And tonight, the trees had served another purpose…

To be the witnesses of the renewed friendship…

A friendship… that would never be broken…

A friendship… between the earth and the sky…

* * *

 **-Meanwhile… Somewhere else on the continent of Symmetria…**

"Are you sure that you would keep going with us, Freya?" Zetarus asked. Right now, Zetarus, Freya and Diego were standing inside the Portal Room on the second floor of the Pendracomonium. The trio had just came back from the Desert Palace by using the same portal that they exitted when they arrived at the Desert Palace several hours ago.

"Yes, I am sure…" Freya said. "I will continue staying with the Pendragon."

"… Are you really sure about this?" Diego asked. "Back when the Pendragon was formed, you were hesitating about join the Pendragon or not…"

"Yes, I was…" Freya said with a soft voice. "After everything that happened tonight, I now finally understand what I must do. Thanks to everyone, I am not hesitating anymore. I am sure that this is the path I that I must walk from now on, and… I am sure that this is what my father wants me to do…"

"… But this would mean that you will be the enemy of Terrus, Natasha and Largo too." Zetarus said. "Freya, are you sure that you can accept this?"

"… It's not easy to accept that I am now the enemy of my siblings whom I spent my time with for the most part of my life…" Freya said. "But if I hesitate, something even worse is sure to happen. That's why I must do it… No matter how hard it is…"

"… Freya…" Zetarus spoke up. "I know that I could never be as good as Terrus or others as your brother, but don't forget that you still have me. I am still with you, Freya, and together, we will walk this path with no regret."

"… Thank you, Zetarus, my brother…" Freya said. "Anyway, it's getting late now. I should go back to sleep, or else I will wake up late tomorrow. Zetarus, Diego, you two must be very tired after… everything that happened, so you two should catch some sleep too."

"Okay." Zetarus said. "Good night, Freya."

"Good night, brother." Freya said before she turned her attention from Zetarus to Diego. "Good night, Diego."

After finishing her farewell, Freya left the Portal Room in order to go back to her own private quarter, leaving Zetarus and Diego alone in the Portal Room.

"… Diego." Seeing that his younger sister had already left, Zetarus spoke up again as he turned his attention to the Mega Charizard X who was standing beside him. "… Can I talk with you about something?"

"… What?" Diego replied.

"… I finally understand it…" Zetarus said. "I finally understand about… my curse."

"Your curse?" Diego said. "Do you mean the Curse of Quakersand?"

"No. I mean this curse…" Zetarus said as he showed the Mega Charizard X his left paw. With the light from the glowing portal behind them and the light from the lanterns on the wall, something that Zetarus was wearing around the claw on his left paw was sparkling with a mysterious light. It was none other than… the Ring of Balance.

"… I see." Diego finally understood what Zetarus was talking about. The Garchomp was talking about the curse that was inflicted on him when he decided to form a pact with a Legendary Pokemon. Zetarus' Dragon Legend was Zygarde, the Order Pokemon. The reason why Diego understood this because he, like Zetarus, also formed a pact with a Legendary Pokemon too, and in his case, Kyurem, the Boundary Pokemon. The Ring of Ruins that Diego wore on one of his claws on his right paw was the proof of this.

"When I formed a pact with Zygarde, he told me that I would be cursed to lose something in my life…" Zetarus said. "And during that night… The night after my first attempt to kill my father, I ask Zygarde if the right eye that I lost was from this curse or not, and he replied me that it isn't. But now, I understand it… The right eye that I lost was from the Curse of Quakersand, not from the curse of my pact with Zygarde… And… I finally realize what I have lost when I formed a pact with him…"

"…" Diego remained silent as he waited for Zetarus to continue speaking.

"… It's my birthright." Zetarus slowly spoke up again. "I have already abandoned my birthright as the prince of Dustorm Empire. I have decided that I would not return to be the part of Dustorm Empire's royal family ever again. That's it… That's the price that I have chosen to pay when I formed a pact with Zygarde."

"… Do you regret in doing so?" Diego asked. "Do you regret that you have to lose your birthright after you form a pact with your Dragon Legend?"

"… No." Zetarus answered. "I don't regret not being a part of Dustorm Empire's royal family. I am fine with being the member of Quakersand family, but not the royal family. I hate being a part of royalty, especially for the nation that sentenced me into hell."

"… I see…" Diego said. "Well… Me too… I also realized what I have lost when I formed a pact with Frostic."

"Wasn't the loss of your old body the price you paid when you formed a pact with your Dragon Legend?" Zetarus asked.

"No." Diego said. "While Frostic also said that the loss of my old body was the result of the curse I got when I formed a pact with him, it isn't really the thing I lose from that curse."

"Then… What is it?" Zetarus asked.

"It's my legacies." Diego said. "I have three legacies, two from my father and one from my mother. From my mother, I have a legacy of the king of Fireview Kingdom, and from my father, I have a legacy of the guardian of the sacred volcano and the legacy of the Hero of Legend, and. And yet, I abandoned all of them. I abandon my legacies as the guardian of volcano, the king of Fireview Kingdom, and the Hero of Fire type. That's the real price that I have to pay when I formed a pact with Frostic."

"… But as far as I could remember, I thought that you formed a pact with your Dragon Legend after you chose to abandon all of them, didn't you?" Zetarus asked.

"Yes." Diego said. "But without forming a pact with Frostic, I would never be able to truly abandon those legacies. In other words, I lost all of my legacies because I formed a pact with Frostic."

"… I see…" Zetarus said. "… And would you be fine without those legacies?"

"Of course." Diego said. "While I could no longer inherit any legacies from my parents, I could create a new one for me instead, and in my new legacies, I am the member of the Pendragon."

"Haha… I see…" Zetarus said. "Both of us are lucky that we have no problem with losing something from the curse after we formed a pact with our Dragon Legends."

"… But everyone else might not be as lucky as we are." Diego said as he looked at the door of the Portal Room, which would lead to the main hall of Pendracomonium. "I don't know what Rachael, Richard, Claura, Xavier, Anastasia and Baromyteus have lost after they formed a pact with their Dragon Legends. It could be something that they are no longer needed, something that they are pleased to get rid of… Or something that they couldn't live without…"

"… But no matter what happen…" Zetarus spoke up. "We are now the Pendragon, and there's no turn back for us now."

"Yeah." Diego nodded to Zetarus before he remembered something. "That reminds me… Zetarus, now that you don't possess your birthright anymore, what would you do about it? Can you live without your birthright?"

"Hm? Sure." Zetarus answered with a crafty voice, a voice that Diego hadn't heard from Zetarus for quite some time. "Just like you, Diego, if I don't have my birthright, I could just create a new one."

"Create a new one?" Diego repeated the words he had just heard. "What do you mean by that?"

"Well… While I am no longer the prince of Dustorm Empire, I could be something else…" Zetarus continued speaking with a crafty voice. "Such as… Your husband, Diego."

"Fxxk off, Zetarus." Diego quickly spoke up.

"Aww… Come on… Yawn…" Zetarus said before he released a yawn from his mouth. "Yawn… So sleepy… Hey, Diego, do you mind if I sleep in your bed tonight?"

"Get your fxxxxxg sxxt out of here." Diego replied.

"Aw… Why not?" Zetarus said as he pretended to have an innocent look on his face. "We could use a little cuddle for tonight. Don't you think so? Or maybe you want me to help you again with your master—"

"I SAID FXXK OFF!" Diego roared angrily as he tried to punch Zetarus' face with his fist, but the Garchomp was able to dodge the Mega Charizard X's fist.

"Hey, hey… Don't make such a noise like that…" Zetarus spoke with a cunning voice. "You don't want to wake up everyone in the middle of the night, especially Baromyteus, right? I bet that guy sleeps without his armor suit on, so when he came out of his room, he would be a naked ghostly skeleton… If that happen, then we are fxxxxd"

"Hm!" Diego grumbled as he pulled his fist back and turned his face away.

"But if you really want to be fxxxxd, then—" Zetarus spoke up again with a crafty voice, but his words were cut off when the Mega Charizard X threw an ore that he always carried with him at him, forcing the Garchomp to immediately cut off his words.

"Whatever! I will go back to my room! Zetarus! If you dare to even enter my room again, then I will make sure that you are really fxxxxd!" Diego declared as he turned his face away from Zetarus to hide the sight of blush he had on his face.

"Really?!" Zetarus said as if he was a young boy whose parent had just promised to take him to the amusement park. "Then, I won't hold anything back—"

"F… Fxxk off!" Diego roared as he released another punch at Zetarus again, and again, the Garchomp was able to dodge the attack of the Mega Charizard X. "I… I am going now!"

"Hey! Wait for me! We could at least use a cuddle!" Zetarus said as he quickly followed Diego, who quickly walked toward the door of the Portal Room, and a few seconds later, the Portal Room was devoid of any living creatures once again…

* * *

And so… One more Hero/ine of Legend had been slain…

But.. Their journey didn't end here…

It was actually the start of the true adventure…

The adventure of a group of Dragon type Pokemon… With their goal to defeat the Hero/ine of Legend from the previous generation…

Soon… The world would learn to fear the name of a group of dragons who decided to resist their fate and counterattack the continent of Symmetria for betraying them…

It was the story of… the Pendragon…

 **-End of Intermission I: Arrogance-**

 **To Be Continued…**

* * *

 **Dragon of Vale: Finally, the first intermission of A Dragon's Tail had come to the end… While the whole intermission isn't very long, it still takes me such a long time to finish it because I was busy with my study… But hey! At least I was able to finish it before the end of the year! Yay!**

 **Anyway, the reason behind the name of this intermission is already clear, right? And for the story… The main characters, all who survived the Dragon Massacre, decided to form a group called Pendragon, and their objective was killing the remaining Hero/ine of Legend from the time of the Fallen Crisis before they spread anymore chaos, and in this intermission, two more Hero/ine of Legend were killed, Archsage Iris and Emperor Garland. This meant that only 3 Hero/ine of Legend from the time of Fallen Crisis was still remained, and the work of the Pendragon had just started…**

 **And… You may wonder why I list this intermission as 'Freya's Tail' when Freya's role isn't as large as some other characters. Well… As you can see, this intermission can be divided into two parts. The first part was the forming of the Pendragon, and the second part was the showdown between Zetarus and Emperor Garland. It's clear that the main character in the first part and the second part are Korben and Zetarus respectively. However, Zetarus also got his tail as the second tail, and Korben's tail isn't here yet. And… If you look at this intermission closely, you can see that Freya appeared as the supporting characters in both parts, while most characters would only play a major role in only one arch. Moreover, Freya is also the character who supported the main characters of both parts, Korben and Zetarus respectively. Without her, Korben wouldn't be able to recover as fast as this, and Zetarus might end up fighting against his siblings. In conclusion, Freya is the character who is behind many events in this intermission, and she deserves to be the 'main character' of this intermission.**

 **For me, while I am not really satisfied with how it turns out, this intermission contains some of the most important parts of the whole story, and so, it's very important.**

 **Okay… For the next chapter, it would be the interlude of the intermission. (Yes, the intermission of my story also contains the interlude too.) And after the interlude, it would finally be the seventh tail of A Dragon's Tail! And do you know what it means? It would finally be the time of the Q &A session! Yay! (If you want to join the Q&A, you can look for the detail in the Author's Note of Intermission I-1 or in my profile.) **


	70. Intermission I-Interlude: Light&Darkness

**A Dragon's Tail**

 **Intermission I: Freya's Tail - Arrogance**

 **Intermission I-Interlude: Light and Darkness**

 _"…"_

 **"…"**

Two Pokemon slowly regained their consciousness as they slowly rose from their slumber. If anyone saw both Pokemon, they would describe both Pokemon as 'same', but also 'completely different' too. Unexpectedly, both words actually fit the description of both Pokemon here…

That's because both of them were the same specie of a Pokemon, and not just an ordinary Pokemon, both of Pokemon were the Legendary Pokemon…

Both of them were Lugia…

But… Not both of them were really 'Lugia'…

While one of them was truly a Lugia, the other wasn't…

Instead, the other was the being known as 'Shadow Lugia'…

In other words, between two Pokemon, both of them were Lugia, but one of them was an ordinary Lugia while the other was a Shadow Lugia…

They were same… But also completely different…

Just like light and darkness…

 _"… Where am I?"_

The ordinary Lugia was the first one who spoke up after both Lugia regained their consciousness. The ordinary Lugia then was about to look around where they were in order to grasp the current situation when he noticed the presence of the Shadow Lugia, who was just beside them.

 **"Well… Well… Well… Look what we have here…"** The Shadow Lugia spoke up with a sarcastic as the ordinary Lugia spotted them. **"The first thing that I saw when I woke up was a creature who bathed in the sacred light… Such a pleasant sight, isn't it?"**

 _"… And you… I remember you…"_ The ordinary Lugia spoke with a soft voice. _"You are… the lord of all Shadow Pokemon."_

 **"I have a name too, you know?"** The Shadow Lugia said. **"My name is Lunoire Belialdusk the Shadow Lugia… And you… If I remember correctly… Your name was…** "

 _"… Solance Aurieldawn the Lugia."_ The ordinary Lugia replied to the Shadow Lugia.

 **"Yes… I remember now…"** Lunoire the Shadow Lugia spoke. **"Hm… Not only we both are the opposite specie of each other, our names are also the opposite of each other too, aren't we? It's just like we are the same creature that exists in the two sides of the same mirror…"**

 _"Wait…"_ Solance the Lugia said they tried to remember what was happening before they ended up here. _"I… I remembered that we met each other before, right?"_

 **"That's right…"** Lunoire said. **"We met each other while I was performing a ritual to shroud the world in the eternal darkness… And you…"**

 _"… I was… praying at the top of the Tower of the God… When a portal appeared… And… I saw you there…"_ Solance said. _"And then… We spoke to each other…"_

 **"True…"** Lunoire said. **"But then, just a bit after we finish introducing our name, I saw something appearing before my eyes…"**

 _"You two?"_ Solance said. _"I am not sure what it was… It was a very dark object… Or was it a living creature?"_

 **"That isn't important, as that thing we saw would never hope to match me, the lord of darkness…"** Lunoire said.

 _"And then… I…"_ Solance tried to remember what was happening, but they couldn't. _"I… I couldn't remember anything else…"_

 **"You can't remember anything? Well… Those who bathed in the sacred light has always been a useless creature, and you are no different…"** Lunoire said. **"I thought that you could at least be a use for me, but just like me, you couldn't remember anything else after that moment."**

 _"Y… You can't remember anything too?"_ Solance asked. _"Then… What was happening? And… Where are we right now?"_

Solance and Lunoire then looked around themselves and discovered that they were now in the middle of… nothing. There was an absolutely nothing around them, not even a single living creature or a single object. All they could see about this room was that this room was very dark… Or was it very bright? Strangely, it seemed like this room was both dark and bright at the same time, as if this room both contained all the light in this world and was devoid of any light at the same time…

 _"… Where in the world we are right now?"_ Solance spoke as if they looked around the room. _"I… I can't even tell how far this place go, as I could see any boundary…"_

 **"… And why does this place both bright and dark at the same time?"** Lunoire spoke up as if they weren't pleased with where they were right now. **"This is so disgusting… Darkness is such a pure beauty, and yet this place ruins it with all the light here…"**

 _"But the light is very warm…"_ Solance spoke up. _"Sadly, all the light here is tarnished by the darkness…"_

 **"Yes, of course… That's what those who bathed in the sacred light always said…"** Lunoire said with a sarcastic voice as he turned his attention to Solance. **"Especially since you are the archangel, so you are the living being of all the light, as well as being devoid of any darkness…"**

 _"… And you…"_ Solance spoke with an emotionless voice. _"You are the demon lord, as well as the living being of pure darkness that no light would never hope to reach…"_

 **"That's right… I am the darkness… And you are the light…"** Lunoire said. **"In other word, we are the enemy of each other, right?"**

 _"…"_ Solance didn't say anything to Lunoire.

 **"Let's see… Since you, the archangel of the world, are here… If I kill you right now, there will be no one else to protect this world from me, and the world would soon fall under the absolute darkness…"** Lunoire said. **"However… I don't feel like killing a pathetic archangel like you, and you may be some use to me, so I will let you live… for now…"**

 _"… And you… You are the demon lord who is threatening the whole world, and so, as the archangel who protects the world, it's my duty to defeat you too…'_ Solance spoke up. _'However, with my strength right now, I can see that I wouldn't be able to defeat you, and so, I won't take any risk, for that the consequence of my action may be worse…'_

 **"Threatening? Such a suitable word…"** Lunoire spoke with a sarcastic voice. **"Sure… Symmetria is the land of those who bathed in the sacred light, and only them… There's no place for a Shadow Pokemon like us…"**

 _"W… What are you talking about?"_ Solance asked.

 **"Oh? You don't know?"** Lunoire said. **"Geographically, the continent of Symmetria is located in the area where the light would never hope to reach for eternity. And so, this continent would be shrouded in the eternal darkness… If it wasn't for those who bathed in the sacred light…"**

 _"… What do you mean by that?"_ Solance asked again.

 **"Unable to live within the beauty of the darkness, those who bathed in the sacred light decided to perform a ritual to bring the light into this world, turning the land of darkness into the land of day and night, so that they would be able to live their life without being under the beauty of the darkness. However, we, the Shadow Pokemon, can't live in the light of the day, forcing us to retreat to the land of darkness to the north, which was the only place on this continent that still retained its beauty of darkness for eternity."** Lunoire continued explaining.

 _"Land of darkness to the north… Do you mean the Shadowlost Territory?"_ Solance asked again.

 **"That's right."** Lunoire said. **"We are lurking in the shadow, waiting for a chance to strike back for what those who bathed in the sacred light had done!"**

 _"What we had done…"_ Solance said before he realized something. _"I… I remember now! The people on the continent of Symmetria hates the Shadow Pokemon, saying that they are the abominable creatures whose existence is against the law of nature, and thus, they would attempt to obliterate any Shadow Pokemon they see…"_

 **"Yes… You are right…"** Lunoire continued speaking. **"We are the unnatural creatures, and we truly deserve to be punished by the order of nature—"**

 _"No…"_ Solance suddenly spoke up. _"No living creature in this world is deserved to be killed or treated in a foul way, even the creature that's against the law of nature… Every life deserve to live, and every life deserve not to hurt each other…"_

 **"… I don't even know which word should I use to describe you…"** Lunoire said as he looked at the ordinary Lugia beside him. **"Maybe innocent… or naïve?"**

 _"… I understand what you are trying to say, and I accept that you are right."_ Solance said. _"As the archangel, I am trying to protect this world from any harm, and that's what I have devoted my entire life too. However, I can't do anything if the one I am supposed to protect ends up killing each other…"_

 **"Protect? Heh… You are more of the mirrored self of mine than I thought…"** Lunoire said. **"I am the bringer of destruction, yet you are the guardian of the world… And thus, our existences are the bane of each other's existence…"**

 _"… Are you suggesting that we shouldn't let each other exist?"_ Solance asked with a worried voice.

 **"Didn't you hear what I just said?"** Lunoire spoke with an irritated voice. **"I won't kill you for now, because you may be a use to me… And now, I know… If you are the guardian of the world, then you are in my way to the path of the destruction, but if I kept my in my captive, then you will no longer be in my way…"**

 _"… Actually…"_ Solance spoke up. _"If you keep me in your captive, I would still be able to protect the world too… Because when you are trying to bring destruction upon the world, I would try to convince you not to. I know that it may not be effective, but this is the only thing that I can do…"_

 **"So… You are basically trying to act like my conscience, hm?"** Lunoire said. **"I am the demon lord. I possess no conscience, so why do you think that I would need one?"**

 _"…"_ Solance didn't answer Lunoire's words.

 **"… Forget it…"** Lunoire said as he turned his face away. **"If you want to do anything, suit yourself, but don't blame me if what you are trying to do doesn't come to the fruition in the end…"**

 _"Lunoire…"_ Solance mumbled.

 **"Now… The next thing that I must do is getting out of here…"** Lunoire said as they tried to look around, trying to find a way to leave this place. **"Hm… It seems like this place won't let me leave nicely… So… We will have to use a little force… Wait, what?!"**

Lunoire was shocked as they picked up their weapon, which was a trident. However, as they examined it, they realized that their weapon wasn't same as before…

Lunoire's trident was now dark and demonic, as if it was one of the most cursed artifacts in the world ever. If anyone else held onto it, their soul would soon be absorbed into the cursed artifact, trapping them inside it forever. Moreover, the trident also now had a power to absorb the soul of anyone who was struck by it too. In conclusion, this weapon could only be wielded by the demon lord of absolute darkness, such as Lunoire themselves…

 **"But… How could this happen?"** Lunoire said as they examined their weapon. **"It's as if all the impurity of light has been removed from this cursed trident."**

 _"!"_ Hearing Lunoire's words made Solance realize something. They then picked up their weapon, which was a scepter, and examined it too. And like Lunoire's trident, Solance's scepter was changed too.

Solance's scepter was now pure and angelic, as if it was blessed by all the sacred light that existed within the universe. If anyone else held onto it, they would feel that their soul, be a blessed one or the cursed one, was forgiven and freed from their misery. Moreover, this scepter had a power to pierce even the darkest veil of shadow, where no light would never hope to reach. However, this weapon could only be wielded by someone with the purest heart, such as Solance themselves.

 _"… My scepter have absorbed more sacred light from somewhere…"_ Solance spoke up. _"And… It's now the Solar Scepter…"_

 **"… And I guess that it was your weapon that purified my trident from the impurity of light, transforming it into the Lunar Trident…"** Lunoire said as they turned their attention back to Solance.

 _"But…"_ Solance said. _"Why would our weapon react to each other's? We are like the opposite self of each other…"_

 **"… Maybe that's why…"** Lunoire said. **"Maybe we are more of the opposite version of each other… That may be the reason why we appeared to each other when I tried to perform the ritual of darkness…"**

 _"… And when I was praying at the top of the tower…"_ Solance said. _"But… What is it? What is the connection between you and me?"_

 **"… Now that you mention it…"** Lunoire spoke up. **"When you and I met each other… There was something happening in the sky, temporarily turning the world into the realm of darkness…"**

 _"You mean the eclipse?"_ Solance said. _"Then… It would mean that…"_

 **"Right…"** Lunoire said. **"That eclipse must be connected to the object we saw before we ended up here, and the reason why we are here is also related to that too… Or maybe… Someone is behind all of this…"**

 _"But why would anyone trap the archangel and the demon lord together in this place? And what is their main objective for doing all of this?"_ Solance said.

 **"… I don't know about that…"** Lunoire answered. **"But if whoever that's behind this is trying to play their trick with the demon lord like me, they will have to pay a price… With their soul…"**

 **To Be Continued…**

* * *

 **Dragon of Vale: In this interlude, Solance and Lunoire ended up in an unknown place and unknown situation, but what's behind all of this? And what's the real connection between both of them?**

 **And so, the next chapter will be the first chapter of the seventh tail, as well as the first chapter with the Q &A session! Yay! (But the next chapter would have to come out in the next year…)**

 **Also… Happy new year to everyone!**


	71. Tail 7-1: Survivor's Guilt

**A Dragon's Tail**

 **Tail 7: Korben's Tail - Inequity**

 **Tail 7-1: Survivor's Guilt**

 ** _"Everything you have done ends up in vain…"_**

 _"I… Is there anyone here?"_

 _A Pokemon was walking alone in the complete darkness. He was walking around and trying to call for his friends, but as far as he went, he couldn't find anyone else…_

 _"Everyone! Where are you?!" The Pokemon did another attempt to call for his friends and family. "Grandpa! Noctus! Lyzia! Unos! Dimitri! Are you here?! Please answer me! Grandp—"_

 _The Pokemon stopped when he spotted something in front of him, and as he approached it, he realized that the object he spotted was… a corpse of a Drampa that was being torn into several pieces!_

 _"G…. GRANDPA!" The Pokemon said as he kneeled down in front of the corpse of the Drampa. "W… What happened?! Please! Answer me! Grandpa!"_

 _"…" There was no answer from the the corpse of the Drampa in front of him. It was obvious that this would happen, as, clearly, the Drampa was already dead._

 _"!"_

 _Suddenly, the Pokemon spotted four more corpses around him. They were a corpse of a Deino and a corpse of an Altaria that were bruised and heavily injured, a corpse of a Noibat that was burnt to the point that it was almost impossible to tell what kind of Pokemon it was, and a corpse of a Fraxure with a mark of claws piercing into his chest._

 _"UNOS?! LYZIA?! NOCTUS?! DIMITRI?!" The Pokemon roared again after he realized that his friends that he were trying to find were now no more than a lifeless corpse around him. "Please! Don't leave me! Please! Don't die! Please—"_

 _"!"_

 _The Pokemon stopped his words when he suddenly spotted several more corpses around him. The amount of the corpses around him were 10… No… 20… No… 50… No… 100… No… 200… No… 300… No… He couldn't grasp how many corpses were here, but he could see that there were more than 300 corpses around him, and all of them were the corpses of the Dragon type Pokemon…_

 _"No…" The Pokemon slowly stood up again. This was the moment he noticed that the atmosphere around him had changed from the total darkness to the dusty dark red atmosphere, as if he was standing in the middle of a battlefield. The ground of this place was also changed from the total darkness to the shattered earth covered with the blood that flew out of the corpses, dyeing the soil crimson. As he looked further, he could see many houses and buildings crumbling to the ground, turning them into nothing more than a pile of rubbers._

 _"No… This can't be…" The Pokemon said as he looked around. The place he was in right now seemed to be a place where a battle took place earlier, but now, everyone else was already dead, and he was the only Pokemon who was still alive here…"_

 _"This can't be… This… This isn't true!" The Pokemon said with a shaking voice as he continued looking around, but no matter how hard he tried, he could see nothing else in this place more than the ruins and the corpses of Dragon type Pokemon. "This… This can't be!"_

"Korben…"

 _"T… This is impossible!_

"Korben…"

 _"H… How could all of this happen?"_

"Korben..."

 _"Why? I don't understand… Why?!"_

"Korben!"

 _"WHY?! WHY?! WHY?!"_

 **"KORBEN!"**

* * *

"Grasp!"

A Pokemon suddenly woke up and rose from the bed. The appearance of this Pokemon suggested that he was a Dragon type Scaly Pokemon, Kommo-o. His body, as well as the scales that covered his body, was covered in sweat, as if he had just finished an exercise, but he wasn't. He didn't just finish exercising. He had just woken up from his sleep, as well as from…

"Korben! Are you alright?!"

"?" The Pokemon turned his attention to the owner of voice that he heard, who was sitting just beside his bed, and saw a female Flygon looking at him with a worried look on her face. This Pokemon was none other than his friends.

"F… Freya?" The Pokemon, Korben the Kommo-o, said as he called the name of the Flygon. "W… What are you doing here?"

"I… I am sorry for entering your room without permission, Korben…" Freya apologized with a shaking voice. "It's just… I heard the sound of your scream from outside… So I thought that you…"

"…" Korben thought back to the sight and vision that he saw just before he woke up. It seemed like all of them were just a dream. However, the Kommo-o couldn't be relieved even thought he found out that everything he saw was just but a vision he had when he was sleeping, because everything that happened in his dream wasn't just a dream…

It was real… And it had already happened to him…

"… It's alright, Freya." Korben replied to the Flygon. "I was just having a dream… A nightmare, to be exact… And… Thank you for waking me from that…"

"But…" Freya continued speaking. "What were you dreaming about? You were screaming something like 'This is impossible' and 'How could all of this happen?'…"

"… It's just…" Korben mumbled as he turned his face away. "… It's nothing."

"Not 'nothing', Korben." Freya said. "It's alright. You can tell me what you have in your mind, and I may be able to help you with it."

"…" In truth, Korben didn't want to burden his friends with his thought, but for some reason, he felt that he actually wanted to speak his mind to the Flygon, despite that he knew not why he wanted to do something like that.

"… I was having a dream… about that…" Korben slowly spoke up. "… About the Dragon Massacre…"

"!" Freya was shocked when she heard the words of the Kommo-o. He was speaking of the terrible event that happened 3 years ago (But for Freya, Korben and their friends, this event happened just about one week ago.). This event led to the massacre of the Dragon type Pokemon who lived in the isolated Hidden Village of Dragon deep in the Valley of No Return, the area that was almost completely inaccessible from anywhere else in the world. Korben Forcenter the Kommo-o, one of the Pokemon who once lived in the Hidden Village of Pokemon, was the only residents of Hidden Village of Dragon who survived the massacre, along with 11 other Pokemon, all who were the Dragon type Pokemon from the outside of the Valley of No Return. This was a tragedy that caused a great pain to everyone, especially for Korben who lost almost everything in his life, including his home, his friends and his family.

"I… I saw everyone in my dream… And they are all… dead… And I am the only one who is still alive…" Korben continued speaking. "I… I feel like… That's… That's not how it should be…"

"…Korben…" Freya spoke softly.

"I… I feel like I shouldn't be here…" Korben continued speaking. "I feel like this isn't what I should do… I… I feel like I am doing everything wrong by being here…"

"W… What do you mean by that?" Freya asked.

"I… I feel like I shouldn't still be alive, Freya." Korben answered. "Everyone… Grandpa… Noctus… Unos… Lyzia… Dimitri… Everyone… They are dead… And I am here… Being alive… I feel like I am doing everything wrong by still being alive… I feel like I should die beside all of them…"

"Korben?!" Freya was shocked by the words that the Kommo-o said. "W… Why did you say such a terrible thing like that?"

"But… That's really what I feel right now…" Korben said. "And the dream I have… Perhaps… It was trying to tell me that what I thought is right…"

"… Korben…" Freya said with a worried voice.

"… I am sorry for dragging you into such a gloomy story of mine…" Korben said. "Freya, please forget everything that I said…"

"Korben… I…" Freya was trying to say something, but she couldn't find any words to comfort the young Kommo-o.

"Beside…" Korben looked at the clock beside his bed. The hands on the clock shown that the current time was 6:37, which was one hour later than the time that he usually woke up. "It's time for me to do my daily morning training."

"O… Oh!" Freya realized something after she heard Korben's words. "I… It's also the time for me to go and help Snow prepar—Yawn…"

"Hm?" Korben turned his attention to Freya when he heard the Flygon suddenly let out a yawn from her mouth. "Freya, are you still sleepy?!"

"Hm? O… Oh! No! I am sorry!" Freya quickly apologized. Her face suddenly turned red from the blush on her face. "T… That's such a terrible manner of mine… I… I am sorry."

"It's okay, Freya. I don't mind" Korben said. "But why did you yawn? Are you having an insomnia last night?"

"N… No…" Freya answered. "It's just that… Something… So many things happened last night… And…"

"… It's alright, Freya." Seeing the action of the Flygon, Korben decided that it's perhaps the best not to ask about it. "Let's go. Freya."

"Hm." Freya nodded to the Kommo-o as he walked toward the door of his room, but just a bit before he placed his paw on the doorknob, he suddenly felt a dreadful feeling creeping onto his body. It was a mixed feeling of anger, hatred and… fear.

"Korben, what's wrong?" Freya asked as she noticed Korben's strange action.

"Hm? What?! Nothing!" Korben shook his head. "It's nothing. Let's go, Freya."

Korben decided to ignore the feeling that he was having in his mind and opened the door before he and Freya left the room together. However, even when leaving the room and walked toward the stairs, the dreadful feeling that the Kommo-o had still lingered in his mind, but it gradually disappeared as he walked away from his room…

'… What's that feeling?' Korben thought to himself as he descended downstairs to Floor B4 of the Pendracomonium along with Freya. "It's the same feeling that I had when…"

* * *

 **-About Two Hours Later…**

Almost two hours had already passed since when the Kommo-o started his daily morning training, which consisted of a meditation and a martial art practicing. As the clock in the Training Ground showed the time as 8:25, the training was finished, and the Kommo-o then proceed to the Dining Hall on Floor B2 to have breakfast at 8:30.

Normally, the Pendragon didn't have a exact time for breakfast, but 8:30 was the usual time that Snow would serve the breakfast, making it an unofficial breakfast time for the Pendragon.

As the Kommo-o entered the Dining Hall, he could see that half of the Pendragon was already here. Snow and Freya were serving the food to everyone, with Rachael often having a chat with Freya. Richard, who was sitting next to his younger sister, was still reading a book. On the other side of the table where Rachael and Richard were sitting were Claura and Baromyteus, who were still glaring at each other even when Snow and Freya served them breakfast.

"Oh!" Rachael turned her attention to the door of the Dining Hall after she noticed the presence of the Kommo-o. "Good morning, Korben!"

"Good morning, Rachael." Korben greeted the Latias before taking a seat beside Richard. "Where is everyone else?" Korben asked after he sat down.

"Xavier, Zetarus and Diego are still sleeping in their room." Claura was the one who answered the Kommo-o's question.

"And for my sister, she said that she will come here a bit later than usual." Baromyteus answered.

"I see…" Korben said before he picked up a spoon beside the dish in front of him and started eating the rice porridge that was served by Freya.

The porridge was warm. The soup tasted just fine, not too bland and not too salty. The rice was soft and mild, and the meat and other vegetable were fresh and tasty. Overall, this rice porridge was very tasty.

"… This is very tasty rice porridge, Snow, Freya." Korben complimented.

"Thank you for a compliment." Snow said as he bowed down to the Kommo-o. "But it was thanks to Freya that this rice porridge turns out to be really good."

"I… I didn't actually do much…" Freya said. "I just remember that you like a food with natural taste, not a food heavily flavored with spices and condiments, so I just served your food without putting much condiment into it."

"Really?" Korben said.

"Right." Snow answered. "Each member of the Pendragon has their preference in their food, so we would cook the food first and then flavor them as we put them into the dish for each of us."

"Okay…" Korben said as he observed everyone else. It was clear that Rachael was enjoying her food as she was having a smile on her face as she put the rice porridge into her mouth. Claura and Baromyteus didn't show much emotion, but the fact that both of them had already stopped glaring at each other meant that the food was good enough to distract them from their bickering. For Richard, he didn't show any sign that he either enjoyed the food or hated it, but again, if he didn't enjoy the food, he would have already bombarded Snow and Freya with his rant.

"I am sorry, everyone!"

A gentle feminine voice turned the attention of everyone except Richard to the door as another Pokemon walked into the Dining Hall. This Pokemon was a female Goodra, as well as Baromyteus' younger sister.

"I am sorry for being late, everyone." Anastasia said as he walked into the room before sitting beside her elder brother, and when she sat down, Snow signaled Freya to serve her breakfast. "I want to make sure that I didn't make a mistake with 'that'."

"That? What are you talking about?" Claura asked as Freya served the rice porridge to the Goodra.

"Oh! You will see soon!" Anastasia answered with a smile on her face. "And everyone, after breakfast, could you please go to the Meeting Room on Floor B2 at one hour from now? I will explain everything there."

"That won't do." Baromyteus spoke up. "If that Garchomp doesn't wake up soon, I will have to go hunting in his place, and I won't be back before dinnertime. Moreover, there's one more thing that we must do too."

"And that is?" Claura asked.

"We need to discuss about our next objective." Baromyteus answered. "It has already been over one week and we still haven't done anything according to our mission yet, so, after Anastasia finished what she wanted to do for all of us, we will have a meeting to decide on our next objective."

"Okay, then…" Anastasia nodded to her brother's words. "Then how about after dinner? At… 20:30? Is everyone free?"

"Yes." Everyone nodded to the Goodra's words, except for only one Pokemon…

"Well… That's already past my bedtime—" Xavier spoke up, but his words were cut off by the sudden interruption of his cousin.

"Leave Xavier to me, Anastasia. I will drag him to our meeting place." Claura said.

"Aww…" Xavier let out a sigh of disappointment after hearing the words of the Kingdra.

"Then, let's meet at the Meeting Room tonight! Please make sure to inform everyone else about this, and thank you so much for your time!" Anastasia said before she started eating the rice porridge. "Hm! This is delicious!"

* * *

Korben spent most of his afternoon training alone in the Training Ground. Today had been a quiet and peaceful day. After finishing breakfast, Baromyteus left the Pendracomonium and went into the Valley of No Return to hunt the wild Pokemon, while everyone else stayed in their base. Rachael spent her time taking care of the trees she grew in the Greenhouse, and Richard spent his time reading the Chronicle. Snow and Freya spent their time in the kitchen to cook lunch and dinner for everyone, with Freya sometimes came to the Training Ground during his break to give him the treat she made. Claura walked around the base to look after it, and she also stopped by at the Training Ground to train with the Kommo-o too. Xavier spent the entire day sleeping in his room, as he said that he needed to make up for the sleeping hours that he would lose tonight. Anastasia spent her time in the Boutique. For Zetarus and Diego, they woke up near lunchtime, and after having lunch, Diego went into the Forge, with Zetarus following him in tow.

After finishing his training, Korben went back to the Dining Hall again at 18:15 to have dinner with everyone, including Baromyteus who had just come back (But not Sirius due to an obvious reason). After dinner, Korben went back to the Training Ground to meditate until 19:30. At this point, he decided to call it a day.

'The meeting would start at 20:30 and it seems to be long and important…' Korben thought to himself as he returned to his private quarter. 'Maybe I should take a bath right now and immediately go to sleep once the meeting is over…'

With that thought in his mind, Korben grabbed his changing clothes before leaving his room and walked toward the Bathroom on Floor B4. Usually, he would take a bath after he finished his first session of meditating after dinner, which was some time between 20:00 to 21:00, and then he would continue meditating until his bedtime. Tonight, because of the meeting, his second meditating session was cancelled and the duration of the first session was cut short.

After entering the resting area of the Bathroom, Korben placed his changing cloth down and took off all his clothes before grabbing the towel and entered the male section of the Bathroom. The hot stream coming out of the bathing area blurred his vision for a bit, but once it disappeared, the vision of the bathing area appeared before his eyes.

"!"

An invisible exclamation point appeared on the head of the Kommo-o as he saw the large bath filled with hot water in the bathing area. This bath was large enough for over 15 Pokemon to take a bath together with still an ample amount of space left. The hot water that filled the bath was from the rivers in the underground that were heated up by the nearby lava pit or frozen and melt by the heat from the nearby lava pit, so it's filled with mineral and was healthy for the skin. Usually, because most male members of the Pendragon had their own night routine, it was not rare for Korben to take a bath alone, and sometimes, he was joined by one or two other dragons too.

However, today…

"Hm? Ah! Welcome, Korben…" Snow spoke up as he noticed the present to the Kommo-o. "I see that you also decide to join us tonight."

Korben could see that almost every male member of the Pendragon were here, taking a relaxing soak in the hot water together, and all of them, like Korben, were naked. In the bath, Snow was sitting at the corner closest to the entrance of the male bathing area, and Xavier was sitting with his eyes closed not too far from the Draconic Lapras. At the other corner of the bath was Diego who was making sure that his mouth and his tail were always above the water. In the middle of the bath was a long dark purple dorsal fin with a single notch of the male Garchomp appearing from the water, and the fin was slowly moving around the bath, indicating that the owner of this dorsal fin was slowly swimming in the bath. Finally, on the furthest corner of the bath was a dark skeleton of an undead Haxorus, who sat at quite a distance away from everyone else. At this point, Korben realized that not all male members of the Pendragon were here, as Richard wasn't here. Still, this was the first time that he had taken a bath with almost all of his new comrades.

"It seems that you also have the same thought as we." Diego spoke as he noticed the presence of Kommo-o who had just entered the bath area.

"You mean the thought of taking a bath before the meeting?" Korben said as he entered the bath at the spot between Xavier and the Mega Charizard X, enjoying the sense of hot water touching his hardened skin.

"Hm." Diego nodded. "As a Fire type, I don't usually take a bath unless I feel really sweaty or if anyone yells at me for being dirty or something like that."

"Me too." Zetarus said as he poked his head out of the water for the first time after Korben entered the bath area. "Except that I won't take a bath unless Diego does too, if you know what I mean." Zetarus ended his sentence with a sultry voice before he dived down into the water again.

"For me? I always take a bath as soon as I finished dinner, so that my sleeping hours wouldn't be interrupted. Yawn…" Xavier said without opening his eyes.

"And I always make sure to be the last one to take a bath because not only do I have to clean the Kitchen, but I also have a duty to clean the bath too." Snow said. "Usually, I would end up taking a bath with Richard, as he also likes to take a bath at the late hour due to him spending his time reading the book."

"And for me, I take a bath at anytime I want, no fixed time." Baromyteus spoke up.

"I see…" Korben said as he closed his eyes, feeling even more relaxing as the hotness that was burning his skin turning earlier turned into a soothing massage to his skin, soothing his worn-out body from today's training. Bathing after a harsh training was one of the most enjoyable things for the Kommo-o.

"Giggle…"

"Haha…"

"Ahh…"

"Hmpt!"

A sound of various Pokemon echoed through the wall that separated the male bath area and the female bath area. It seemed that the voices they heard were from the female members of the Pendragon that were taking a bath, but they couldn't hear it clearly because the wall absorbed most of the voices.

"It seems like the girls are having a good time." Korben opened his eyes and spoke up. "Good for them."

"They are." Xavier spoke up. "When we first arrived here, the bath time of Rachael, Freya, Anastasia and Claura are as random as ours, but now, all of them always take a bath together as they like to have a chat with each other while bathing."

"… And how do you know something like that?" Baromyteus spoke as he gazed at the Dragonite.

"Claura told me." Xavier answered with a nonchalant voice. "She usually enjoys wasting her time in the bath, and now it's even worse… Actually, it's better, as she won't have any time to yell at me like she always does."

"I see…" Baromyteus said. "Hopefully that they won't be late for our meeting."

"Yeah…" Diego spoke up as he closed his eyes and tightened his left paw into a fist. "It's an important meeting, so we shouldn't be wasting our time doing something stupid. PLUUUUCCCCCK!"

Diego ended his sentence by slamming his fist into the water left of him. This was the moment that everyone noticed that the dorsal fin that was once in the middle of the bath was now just left of the Mega Charizard X. That and the sound it made suggested that Diego's fist connected with something underwater...

… Which was soon revealed as…

"COUGH! COUGH!" Zetarus suddenly popped out of the water at the spot where Diego slammed his fist on. He was holding his head with his paw, which was the object that was slammed by the fist of the Mega Charizard X earlier. "Ouch! Diego, are you trying to kill me?!"

"Bxxxxxxt. Considered what you have been through, there's no way that you will die by just my fist." Diego spoke with a nonchalant voice.

"…What are you trying to do there, Zetarus?" Baromyteus asked as the Garchomp was rubbing his head.

"Ouch… I am just doing what my specie normally does…" Zetarus answered. "After all, I am a Garchomp."

"What do you mean by that?" Korben asked.

"Well… We would just swim in the sea like most aquatic Pokemon…" Garchomp spoke up, this time, with a voice that concealed a certain feeling. "We would swim until we find a 'worm' attached to the fishing rod of the fisherman who tries to 'catch' us, and for me? I would only go after the biggest 'worm', if you know what I mean—Ouch!"

"Hmpt!" Diego grumbled as his fist was, again, landed on the head of the Garchomp.

"Hey! Why did you have to do that?!" Zetarus said as he rubbed his head at where Diego hit him again. "I was complimenting you!"

"How is that a fxxxxxg compliment?" Diego asked.

"Oh? You don't understand?" Zetarus spoke with the same voice he used earlier as he looked at the Garchomp with a perverted face and slowly swam closer to the Mega Charizard X. "Then let me—"

"O…Oh… Um… E… Excuse me…"

A bashful and timid voice drew the attention of everyone from the Garchomp and the Mega Charizard X to the entrance of the bath area, and they could see a silhouette of a Pokemon slowly appeared from the veil of stream that covered their vision, revealing a Latios who was usually proud and arrogant, but right now, he was acting as if his personality was replaced with Freya's.

"Hm? Oh! Good evening, Richard." Snow was the first one who greeted the Latios who slowly sneaked into the bath area while trying to avoid being seen much. "I was wondering about you, and I am glad that you decide to join all of us at last."

"Hm." Korben nodded in agreement with the Draconic Lapras, as this would mean that all male members of the Pendragon were here, together in the bath.

However, the Kommo-o suddenly felt impatient and solicitous as he could see the Latios more clearly, and this was the moment that he realized that the Latios was wearing a towel around the lower half of his body, in contrast to everyone else here who wore nothing.

"I can't accept this…" Korben spoke up with a grim voice, turning the attention of everyone in this bath area to him. "Everyone's equal to each other, and Richard, what are you doing is strongly against this."

"Wait, what?" Richard spoke up after hearing the words of the Kommo-o.

"There's no way that I will let you go like this." Korben said as he stood up from the bath. "And I will be the one who fixes it."

"Agree." Diego spoke up as he stood up too. "It's just all of us, the male dragons, here, Richard. There's nothing to hide at all."

"Hey, let me help too!" Zetarus said as he, too, stood up from the bath.

"Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait!" Richard shouted as Korben, Diego and Zetarus approached him. "S… STAY AWAY FROM ME!" Richard pled, but it didn't seem like the Kommo-o, Mega Charizard X and Garchomp would comply with his words.

"Sigh…" Xavier sighed and mumbled to himself. "Can't we have a nice moment of silence to ourselves?"

* * *

 **-Meanwhile, on the other side of the bathroom…**

"WARRRGGRGRRGR!"

"Hm?" Rachael, Freya, Anastasia and Claura stopped their conversation and turned their attention to the wall that separated the female bath area and male bath area from each other as they heard the voice of someone coming from the other side.

"What are they doing?" Rachael asked. "That scream sounds like Onii-chan…"

"I bet that they are playing a prank on him on something like that…" Claura said.

"What?! Then we must go and help—" Rachael said after hearing the words of the Kingdra, but her words were cut off when the Kingdra spoke up again.

"Leave them be." Claura said. "I am sure that they could sort it out by themselves, as not all of them are jerks."

"But…" Rachael said with a worried voice.

"Don't worry, Rachael…" Anastasia spoke up with a kind and warm voice. "I am sure that my brother would take care of them and end whatever they are doing. He's not someone who would let something like that loose."

"Okay… Thanks, Anastasia!" Rachael spoke to the Goodra.

"Speaking of end…" Anastasia spoke up again. "Rachael, I have just finished the story you lent me a few days ago. Thank you so much for letting me borrow it. I will return it to you after we finish the meeting."

"Okay!" Rachael said. "Anyway, do you like it?"

"Of course, I do." Anastasia answered with a smile on her face. "It's such a beautiful story, despite that the whole story is so tragic… Nevertheless, the story has given me an inspiration to write a song about them…"

"Um…" Freya spoke up. "R… Rachael… Anastasia… What are you two talking about?"

"Oh? It's just that I heard that Anastasia, like me, is a fan of a novel, so I lent one of mine to her!" Rachael answered.

"R… Really?" Freya said with an excited voice after hearing the words of the Latias. "W… What is that story about?"

"It's about war, love and tragedy." Anastasia answered. "The story starts with a young man and a young lady who met each other for the first time in a grove of flower, and it was the love of first sight for both of them."

"W… Wait…" Freya spoke up. "C… Could it be that their love ends up becoming the forbidden love because each of them belongs to two clans that are the enemy of each other in the war?"

"… No." Anastasia shook her head. "The young man and the young girl actually belongs to the same side in the war, and there's nothing that separated them from each other. No wall of destiny. No line of social norm. No stratum of social caste. No flame of hatred or envy from their friends and family. No collapse of their love. And the love of both of them would soon be blessed with their engagement."

"Then…" Claura spoke up after listening to the conversation without saying anything for some time. "Could it be that one of them was killed by their enemies?"

"… No." Anastaia shook her head. "The young man, who is actually the general of the army of his side, is an exceptional strong warrior whose skill with his weapon is second to none, and victory in the battle would always belong to him. The young girl, while she isn't as strong as the young man, would always stay by her lover's side and support him to her fullest. The novel even described them as the pair of the god of war and goddess of beauty."

"Then…" Freya continued asking. "How did their stories end up as a tragedy?"

"… It's a sad tale…" Anastasia answered with a sad voice. "I couldn't even able to grasp that the story would end up like this. If I have to describe it in one word, it would be 'madness'."

"M… Madness?" Freya said with a frightened voice. "W… What happened to them?"

"…" Anastasia looked at the young Flygon and was about to answer her question when…

"… Claura?" Rachael spoke up as she saw the Kingdra stood up before getting out of the bath.

"… It's almost the time for the meeting." Claura spoke up. "So I am going to go to the Meeting Room now."

"Oh, is it because we keep talking about the novel? I am sorry for making this a boring bath for you, Claura." Anastasia apologized.

"No, I didn't find it boring at all, because I also read them too, once in a while." Claura said. "Anyway, see you at the Meeting Room, everyone."

After finished speaking, Claura grabbed the towel and wrapped it on her body before leaving the bath area.

"… I think we should go too." Freya spoke up. "We shouldn't be late for an important meeting like this."

"Right." Rachael nodded to the Flygon. "And I am also worried about Onii-chan."

"For me, I will have to go and make a final preparation first." Anastasia said.

"Preparation?" Rachael said. "That reminds me, Anastasia, it was you who asked all of us to go to the Meeting Room, so, why?"

"You will see soon." Anastasia answered with a smile. "Trust me. Everyone will love this."

* * *

 **-Several Minutes Later…**

At 20:30, most members of Pendragon had already been in the Meeting Room on Floor B2. Right now, the only missing members were Diego, Sirius and Anastasia herself.

"Where is that younger sister of yours?" Claura spoke as she sneered at the Shiny Haxorus in the demonic armor suit who was standing beside her. "Telling us to come here while being late herself isn't a nice thing to do, you know?"

"Are you saying that my sister is a bad girl?!" Baromyteus said as he turned his face to face the Kingdra beside him. "And before judging someone else, judge yourself first!"

"Drill those words into your ash-filled brain!" Claura roared as she faced the Shiny Haxorus, creating a small spark between the eyes of both of them.

"… Hey, cut it out…" Xavier spoke up while his eyes were close. "You are trying to interrupt my nap, you kno—"

"SHUT UP!" Baromyteus and Claura roared at the Dragonite at the same time, and when they realized that they had just spoken the same words, the Kingdra and the Shiny Haxorus turned their attention to face each other again and was about to start another round of bickering when they heard the sound of the opening door, indicating that someone was entering the Meeting Room.

"Sorry for keeping all of you waiting here…" Anastasia said as she stepped into the room. Just beside her stood another Pokemon, who was none other than the Mega Charizard X, Diego.

"HEY!" Baronmyteus suddenly roared out and pointed his claw at Diego. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY SISTER?!"

"… What?" Diego spoke with his arms crossed.

"Brother, stop it!" Anastasia spoke up. "Diego was just helping me. He didn't do anything else."

"… Fine." Baronmyteus said, but he still pointed his claw at the Mega Charizard X. "But remember my words! There's no way that I am going to let you take my sister away! And if I find out that you—"

"That would never happen." Diego interrupted Baronmyteus' words before turning his attention to outside the Meeting Room. "… Hey, you two can come in now."

Diego then opened the door of the Meeting Room wide, revealing two more figures standing in front of the Meeting Room. One of them was a Type: Null named Sirius while the other one was a Druddigon Gargoyle named Ryugan, who was also the leader of the gargoyles that guarded Pendracomonium and served the Pendragon.

"…" Sirius and Ryugan walked into the Meeting Room. This was when the other members of the Pendragon saw that Sirius and Ryugan were pushing two large wooded boxes into the room too.

"… DONE." Ryugan spoke up as two boxes were pushed to the other end of the Meeting Room. "THIS MISSION HAS BEEN ACCOMPLISHED, MASTERS."

"Right." Anastasia nodded. "Thank you very much for your assistance, Ryugan."

"You too, Sirius." Diego spoke as he looked at the Type: Null, who was standing beside the boxes that were pushed into the Meeting Room. "Thank you for your help."

"…" Sirius nodded to the Mega Charizard X.

"THEN, I SHALL TAKE MY LEAVE." Ryugan spoke and bowed to everyone. "IF YOU HAVE A NEED OF MY ASSISTANT, PLEASE ALLOW ME TO HELP YOU."

After finished speaking, the Druddigon Gargoyle walked toward the door and exited the Meeting Room, leaving 12 Pokemon, the Pendragon, inside the Meeting Room.

"Then…" Anastasia walked toward two wooden boxes that were brought into the Meeting Room. "Everyone, thank you for your time. The reason why I call all of you here is because I have a special gifts for everyone."

"A special gift?" Zetarus spoke up. "What kind of gift?"

"Teehee…" Anastasia giggled before looking at Diego, and the Mega Charizard X nodded to her before he opened one of the wooden boxes that they brought into the Meeting Room and picked something from inside it.

"Tada!" Anastasia said as Diego presented the object that he had just picked up from the wooden boxes to everyone. "We made a new cloth and armor suits for everyone!"

"A new cloth?" Everyone said as they looked at the object that Diego showed to them. It was a refined cloth that was carefully made by the tailor of the Pendragon, who was none other than Anastasia herself.

"Right." Diego said. "I figured that from now on, we would be in a hard time, so a new protective gear would at least help us live a little longer, and Anastasia is more than happy to help me in the cloth part."

"There, let me give you all of this." Anastasia said as she picked up the cloth and armor suits in the both wooden boxes and gave each of them to all members of the Pendragon except for Sirius.

"Sirius, we are sorry that we didn't make a protective gear for you." Diego spoke to the Type: Null. "It's because Richard told me that the helmet you wore had already limited your speed, and so, we figure that wearing a protective gear would be more of a bane than a boon to you."

"…" Sirius nodded in response to the Mega Charizard X.

"Now, then… Everyone, why don't you change into the new cloth and armor suit that I have just given to you?" Anastasia said. "And then we will see how it turns out."

* * *

 **-Twenty minutes later…**

After going back to their own room in order to try their new cloth, all 12 members of the Pendragon were once again assembled in the Meeting Room. The only different thing about each of them was that all of them were in the new cloth made by Anastasia and Diego.

Rachael was now wearing a Kimono, in contrast of her old cloth, a Yukata. The color of her new Kimono was light pink with a pattern of the beautiful blooming five-petaled light pink flowers, which was none other than Cherry Blossom, the flower native to Theocracy of Venturnome. The obi of her Kimono was fuchsia. Rachael's Kimono was crafted using a special kind of silk that resisted the status ailments, meaning that the attacking move that may cause a status ailment will have a lower chance to cause it, and the move that directly causes the status ailment will be more likely to miss when it was used on the wearer of this Kimono.

Freya, on the other hand, was wearing a beautiful long dress. Her dress was, in contrast to Rachael's light pink Kimono, light emerald green. While Freya's dress didn't have any pattern, it was decorated with the sparkling gold powder, making the dress glitter a beautiful golden gleam when the light touched it. Like Rachael's Kimono, Freya's dress was crafted using the same kind of silk, so the effect of status ailment resistance would also apply to her too.

Richard was now wearing a refined cloth consisted of a white shirt and a crystal blue suit. He also wore a dark blue necktie, and the new trousers that the Latios was wearing right now were also the same color as his suit. While his cloth was without any pattern, it gave him a sophisticated appearance, as if he was some sort of an embodiment of the paragon of knowledge. His cloth was, unlike Rachael's and Freya's, didn't make from the special silk. Nevertheless, his cloth still gave him a resistance to the stat reduction, meaning that the attacking move that may cause a stat decreasing will have a lower chance to cause it, and the move that directly lowered the stat will be more likely to miss when it was used on the wearer of this cloth. His cloth, however, won't give any protection to the stat decreasing caused by the move used by the wearer of this cloth themselves.

Snow's cloth was, like Richard's cloth, a simple and pattern-less one. He wore a sophisticated shirt and trousers that's as white as the blanket of snow, his namesake, in contrast of his darkened body. He also had a white handkerchief hanging on his neck like a necktie, and wore a pair of white gloves on each of his fins too, giving him a proper appearance of a butler. Snow's cloth was made from the same material as Richard's cloth, giving the Draconic Lapras the same protective effect as the Latios' cloth.

Zetarus' cloth was almost identical to his original cloth, with a navy vest, a long khaki jacket, black trousers, a black cowboy hat, and a black eyepatch that covered his blind right eye. While they might not seem different from his original cloth, it was actually a complete change from what he used to wear. First, the Garchomp no longer wore a 'cloth' as his new cloth was made from a leather and a bit of Blancer, Noiria and Ground Gem for an increasing in defense and a full immunity to Ground type attack, so Zetarus' new 'cloth' was considered as a light armor suit, not a cloth. This gave him a much more protection than his original cloth, though not as much as the heavy armor suit wore by Xavier, Baromyteus and Diego, but this was actually a boon for him as the heavy armor suit would limit his speed and mobility, which was not good for Zetarus' fighting style, while the light armor suit would give him a decent protection at the small cost of a little speed lowering, making it a great uniform for Zetarus.

Diego's new armor suit was, like Zetarus' cloth, almost identical to his original armor suit, being a flaming red armor suit that consisted of a cuirass, a greave, a pair of gauntlets and a pair of boots. However, all parts of his armor suit were carved to make them look like the burning scales of the fire dragon, and the helmet was also made to look even more like the head of the fire dragon. The major different between both armor suits that Diego owned was that his new armor suit also possessed one part that wasn't present in his old armor suit, the wingguard, which was a pair of red wing armor that was made to look like the wings of the dragon from the fantasy. Overall, if his skin was red, this armor suit would look very much like his own skin when he wore it (But it was impossible as Diego's skin was dark blue as he was a Mega Charizard X). His new armor suit was crafted using the best ores that could be found on the continent of Symmetria, the Blancer and the Noiria, with a mix of Fire Gems to give it a fiery looking and a full immunity to Fire type attack. His armor suit, however, still didn't give as much protection as possible because a full protection would come at the cost of his speed, so Diego had to balance the protection and the speed decreasing that he would get when he wore this armor suit as he was a speedy mixed fighter.

Claura's new armor suit was made in the similar fashion to Diego's armor suit, as while it still looked like her original azure light armor suit, it was noticeable that her new armor suit had a dark blue breastplate in contrast of her old yellow breastplate. The breastplate, as well as the cuirass and the helmet that shaped like the mystic water dragon from the fantasy, were carved in the same manner as Diego's armor suit to make it look like the smooth and sparkling scales of the water dragon, and wearing this armor suit made it look like a part of her own skin. Other than the Blancer and the Noiria that were used to make this light armor suit, some Water Gems were also used not to give a fill immunity to Water type attack, but also allowed Claura to move and live on the land as if she was living in the sea. (Normally, when Claura lived on land, she would breathe using the water condensed from the vapor in the air, which somewhat limited her action as a place with low moisture would cause a discomfort to her, but with this armor suit, Claura would be able to move and live freely on the land.)

Xavier still wore a set of heavy armor suit that consisted of a helmet, a cuirass, a greave, a pair of gauntlets, a pair of boots and a wingguard, all of which were pure white as they were made from the pure Blancer. However, if looked closely, one would notice that his armor suit was, like other's, was carved to make it look like the scales of the white dragon. The helmet was also carved to make it look even more like the real dragon's head. Xavier's new armor suit was made from the pure Blancer with a mixed of Flying Gem, so not only it gave out a full immunity to the Flying type move, it would also give the best protection among the cloths and armor suits wore by the members of the Pendragon, but it came at the cost of drastically lowering his speed, which was not a huge problem for the Dragonite as his fighting style was a defensive one. The only problem caused by this was that it would enable Xavier to use it as an excuse for not moving too much and falling asleep during the action.

While his old armor suit was very sinister and menacing, Baromyteus' new armor suit was even far more ominous than his old one. The heavy armor suit he received from Diego, be a cuirass, a greave, a pair of gauntlets or a pair of boots, was made from the pure Noiria, making it pitch black that no light could ever pass through it. His armor suit was also carved to make it look like the scales of the demonic dragon, and the helmet was made to make it look like a mix of a demon's head and a dragon's head, with a part of demon's horns and a part of dragon's snout. Moreover, this armor suit now had several sharp spikes on it, making it look even more intimidating. While it was a heavy armor suit, Baromyteus' new armor suit was, in fact, quite light as it was made from Noiria and Skarmory's feathers so that it would not only hardly lower Baromyteus' speed when he wore it, but also increase his evasion rate by lowering his opponent's hit rate with the sinister aura emitting from this armor suit when he wore it. However, at the same time, it gave the lower protection than two heavy armor suits wore by the Pendragon (Diego's and Xavier's), as well as Claura's light armor suit (But the material and the ores used to make this armor suit still put it in the category of the heavy armor suit.). But this was hardly a problem as this armor suit contributed very well to Baromyteus' speedy and offensive battle style.

Korben was perhaps the one whose new cloth was most changed from his old one, not counting Anastasia, as before today, Korben's usual cloth was the cloth wore by the dragon of the Hidden Village of Dragon, which consisted of a simple cloth that he wore as his shorts and a headband, meaning that he didn't wear any shirt before. Now, the Kommo-o was wearing a gray armor suit, with the cuirass and greave made from leather, and some parts of it also had several yellow scales of a certain wild Dragon type Pokemon found in the Valley of No Return and the tufts of spiky white feathers at the shoulder pad to give more protection, while the gauntlets and the boots were made from the plain gray leather. Unlike others, Korben's armor suit didn't have any helmet. Instead, Anastasia crated a new headband for him. The new headband was gray (The same color as his armor suit) with the red and yellow stripes, which matched the color of his body. Like Zetarus' and Claura's, Korben's armor suit was considered as a light armor suit as it was made from leather, not ores or metals, so its protection wouldn't be as good as the heavy armor suit wore by Xavier and Diego (But his armor suit still gave a better protection than Baromyteus' armor suit, as well as Claura's and Zetarus'.), but it was actually perfect for him as Korben had never worn any armor suit before in his life, so, wearing the light armor suit would be a great start for him.

"What do you think, everyone?" Anastasia asked as everyone except for Sirius and her were inspecting their new cloth. "Is there any error in the cloth that Diego and I made? I can fix it for you right now."

"WEEEE!" Rachael said as she spun herself while wearing her new kimono. "This one is so pretty! I love its color! And it has a flower pattern too! It's so cute! And I feel so good wearing it!"

"Agreed." Richard said as he carefully inspected his new cloth. "The fabric that was used to make this cloth is top-notch, and the crafting skill of the tailor is exceptional too."

"Me too…" Freya said in agreement with the Lati sibling.

"... It's beautiful yet refine." Snow answered with a plain voice.

"Thanks, everyone." Anastasia said after hearing a feedback from the four Pokemon who wore the cloth made by her. Meanwhile, Diego was inspecting everyone else who wore the armor suit that he made.

"I guess I did a decent job with y'all." Diego said as he looked at the armor suits wore by Claura, Xavier, Baromyteus, Zetarus and Korben. "What do you think?"

"This is great." Claura said. "Wearing this makes me feel much better, to tell the truth, as it produced enough water for me to breath."

"… This is better than I thought…" Baromyteus said.

"Yawn… I will give you a credit for this, Diego…" Xavier answered.

"But… I feel strangely uncomfortable…" Korben said. "I mean, I never wear anything like this before, and I never wear any cloth on the upper part of my body…"

"You will have to get used to it." Diego said. "From now on, your mission would be a dangerous one, and our enemy is much stronger than any wild beast you have fought in that valley of yours, so we need to do anything in order to survive."

"I guess you are right…" Korben said as he looked at the armor suit that he was wearing again. "But... I also feel uncomfortable… Not in the way I said earlier, but in a way that I can't describe…"

"… Diego." Baromyteus said as he turned his attention to the Mega Charizard X. "What kind of scales and leather did you use to make this Kommo-o's armor suit?"

"… Trust me, none of you want to learn about this." Diego said before he just simply turned his attention to the last Pokemon, who was Zetarus. "Anyway, what about you, Zetarus? Do you feel uncomfortable wearing the armor suit for the first time?"

"Yeah." Zetarus answered. "But I don't have any choice, do I?"

"You don't, unless you want to die sooner." Diego answered with a nonchalant voice.

"And… What about you?" Zetarus' voice changed from his usual voice to the voice that concealed something as he started another sentence. "How do you feel in that new armor suit of yours?"

"… It's the armor suit made by myself, so of course I won't have any problem with it." Diego answered.

"Really?" Zetarus said as he slowly stepped toward the Mega Charizard X.

"… What?" Diego said as he could feel an air of unease as the Garchomp approached him.

"Hm… I think you and your armor suit could use a little 'inspection'…" Zetarus licked his lips as he stared at Diego in his new armor suit. "And I would be more than happy to volunteer—"

"Are you all finish yet?" Baromyteus suddenly spoke up to everyone in this room. "Unless you want to spend the entire night in this room, I highly suggest that we should start our meeting right now." "Urg… What a cxxxxxxxxr…" Zetarus mumbled.

"I think that's all, as none of the clothes and armor suits require any adjustment." Anastasia said.

"Good." Baromyteus said as he walked toward the middle of the room before turning around to face the other 11 members of the Pendragon. "Everyone, it has been over one week since the day we found the Pendragon, and our first task of finding our base of operation, the Pendracomonium, had completed. Now, it's time for us to decide on our next objective. I trust that none of you forget the reason why we found the Pendragon in the first place."

"… We found the Pendragon in order to defeat the remaining Hero/ine of Legend from the time of the Fallen Crisis, as a revenge for the pain they had inflicted on us." Claura spoke up.

"That's right." Baromyteus nodded. "As you know, ten Hero/ine of Legend are already dead—"

"Eleven." Zetarus spoke up.

"What?" Baromyteus said as he shifted his attention to the Garchomp.

"Last night, I have already killed Garland Quakersand the Garchomp, the former Hero of Ground type." Zetarus said.

"… Why didn't you tell any of us about this?" Baromyteus asked.

"Because I have no reason to." Zetarus answered. "Plus, while there are some of the new Hero/ine of Legend there, they still have no idea of what we are doing or who we are."

"… Fine." Baromyteus nodded to Zetarus before he continued speaking. "Eleven Hero/ine of Legend from the time of Fallen Crisis are already dead, and only three remain. This is the topic of tonight's meeting. We need to decide the course that we will take, and the next Hero/ine of Legend that will die."

"How many courses do we have?" Diego asked.

"From what I know, one of them should be in the Theocracy of Venturnome, one should be in the Shadowlost Territory, and the location of the last one is still unknown." Baromyteus answered. "And so, we have only two courses to take, to go to Theocracy of Venturnome or to go to Shadowlost Territory."

"The path of light and the path of darkness? Interesting…" Richard spoke up. "I can say that none will be an easy path."

"… I knew almost nothing about the world outside Valley of No Return, so, can you tell more about both places that you mention?" Korben asked.

"First, Theocracy of Venturnome is the land of vast plain and bountiful meadow located in the southernmost area of the continent of Symmetria." Richard explained. "This nation is homed to Fighting type, Psychic type and Fairy type Pokemon, thought Normal type Pokemon is also a common sight in this land too."

"And Shadowlost Territory is the land of dark wasteland, toxic island and haunted zone located in the northernmost area of the continent of Symmetria." Baromyteus spoke up. "Because of its terrain and the fact that this land is shrouded in the eternal darkness, it is a haven for the Dark type, Poison type and Ghost type Pokemon."

"Sound like that Shadowlost one is a harder path between two." Korben commented.

"Precisely." Richard said. "So, let's hear your opinion about our next course, and the path that you would choose, between the path of light and the path of darkness."

"... I would suggest the path of light first." Baromyteus spoke up. "Taking a hard path first gives us a high chance of failure, which would mostly result in our demise, as we are the 'enemies' of the entire world."

"But I think the path of darkness is the one we should take first." Claura spoke up. "After we finish with one path, the Hero/ine of Legend on the other path would already know about us and prepare for our coming, and so, taking the hard course is better than going on the easy course and making the hard course even harder."

"I agree with Claura." Diego spoke up. "Right now, we are an incognito group, and incognito is a powerful tool that we must use to our advantage."

"…I don't understand what you mean, Diego." Zetarus said. "But I'm with you all the way."

"But I agree with Baromyteus." Snow spoke up. "We don't know what we will have to face, so it's better to take it slow and steady."

"M… Me too…" Freya said before she lowered her voice when she spoke the next sentence so no one could hear her. "Beside… Natasha and Largo will be in the Shadowlost Territory right now… I… I don't want to fight them... Not right now…"

"But I prefer the path of darkness, not only because the land of eternal darkness has piqued my curiosity for some time, but also that we actually has a better chance at success by going to Shadowlost Territory first." Richard spoke up. "Like what Claura said. when we finish one path, the Hero/ine of Legend in the other path will be aware of us and prepared for our coming. And so, between taking the hard path and the easy path becomes harder or taking the easy path and the hard path becomes even harder… I think you all can figure out which one is a better choice."

"But the Shadowlost Territory sounds so scary…" Rachael spoke up. "So, I vote for the path of light."

"Well… I am fine with either way… Because… A path that gives me more time to sleep… And a path that gives me more chance to kill… Both sound really nice to me… Yawn…" Xavier said before releasing a yawn from his large mouth.

"… I can't choose" Anastasia shook her head in the manner that she couldn't decide, but for some reason, she looked at her elder brother with a worried look in her eyes.

"…" Sirius said nothing.

"Then, all that's left is you, Korben." Baromyteus spoke up as everyone turned their attention to the Kommo-o, who was the only one who hadn't voiced their opinion yet. "Right now, we have four votes for the path of light, four votes for the path of darkness, and three missed votes. This meant that, if your vote isn't missed, the path you choose will be ours too."

"…" Korben closed his eyes and started thinking for a few second, before he opened his eyes again and revealed his answer.

"… I vote for us walking on the path of darkness." Korben answered.

"… What's your reason for choosing this path?" Baromyteus asked with a nonchalant voice.

"… To be honest, I don't know…" Korben answered. "But… Something in my head told me to walk on this path, as if… Something was beckoning me toward the path of darkness…"

"…" Everyone else said nothing after hearing the words of the Kommo-o.

"I know this sounds really stupid, but—" Korben spoke up again, but his words were interrupted when the Mega Charizard X spoke up first.

"No." Diego spoke up. "There's never a shame in trusting your instinct."

"My… Instinct?" Korben repeated the words he had just heard.

"I think that's what told you to walk the path of darkness." Diego continued speaking. "Among all of us, I can see that you are the one who's the least rely on your own instinct, as you always practice your skill in the battle. That's must be why you couldn't tell what it was when your instinct kicks in."

"I see…" Korben nodded to Diego's words.

"And so, that concludes it all." Claura declared. "The next course that we will take is the path of darkness, and our next destination is the land of eternal darkness, Shadowlost Territory."

"I accept our conclusion." Snow spoke up. "As I mentioned before, I will always agree with our decision and walk on the path that we will take."

"Aww… Shadowlost Territory sounds like a real scary place…" Rachael mumbled. "But I will be fine as long as Onii-chan's with me!"

"… I have a feeling that it will come to this…" Freya spoke up. "But… It will be like this sooner or later, so… I accept this too…"

"…" Unlike everyone else who voted for the path of light, Baromyteus remained silent. He didn't say anything, not even that either he accepted or against the final decision.

"Brother…" Anastasia spoke up with a soft voice as she looked at him with a worried look in her eyes. "Are you alright?"

"…" Baromyteus didn't answer anything to his younger sister.

"What's wrong, Baromyteus?" Rachael asked as she, along with everyone else, turned their attention to the Shiny Haxorus in the black armor suit, who remained silent for quite a few minutes, and it took him a few minutes before he spoke up again.

"… So, it has finally come to this…" Baromyteus spoke with the voice that no one (Except for Anastasia) had heard before. It wasn't his usual dreadful voice, but it was a stricken voice, as if he was forced to do something that he really didn't want to do.

"What do you mean by that?" Zetarus asked.

"… Fine." Baromyteus said before changing his voice back to his usual one. "… The Heroine of Legend that is our target in the Shadowlost Territory… She… She is my first love."

"WHAT?!" Everyone except for Anastasia and Sirius spoke as they heard Baromyteus' words, and all of even except for Anastasia had a shock expression on their faces.

"And so—" Baromyteus was about to continue speaking, but he was interrupted when Zetarus spoke up.

"Wait a minute…" Zetarus spoke up. "Baromyteus, how did someone like you—"

"I don't know." Baromyteus answered. "All I can think of is that she had done so much for both Anastasia and me when everyone else hadn't."

"… Does she know about this, about the love you have for her?" Richard asked.

"No." Baromyteus answered. "Anyway, I can't say that it would be easy for me to make up my mind about this, despite knowing that thing would eventually come to this, but I will work it out. That's what I want you all to know, because one of you is going to notice me being restless as we ventured into the Shadowlost Territory anyway."

"…" Everyone said nothing as they heard Baromyteus' words.

"… Enough about this." Baromyteus said before he regained his usual dreadful voice. "The next target of us, the Pendragon, shall be the current Heroine of Darkness, who resided in the land of darkness, Shadowlost Territory."

"… It won't be an easy journey, going through this land." Richard spoke up. "This land is much different than the rest of Symmetria, and many call it as the most alien nation on the continent of Symmetria, not in the term of its residents, of course."

"What do you mean by 'not in the term of its residents'?" Korben asked.

"… I will explain about this later, because it's not a pleasant story to be heard…" Richard answered.

"But anyway, we need a lot of preparation for this journey." Claura spoke up before turning her attention to her cousin. "Xavier, how many days do you think we need for this preparation?"

"Four days would be enough." Xavier answered.

"Then, four days from now on, we will depart for the Shadowlost Territory. But starting tomorrow, we have a lot to do…" Baromyteus spoke up before turning his attention to Richard and Xavier. "Richard, Xavier, gather as much information about the Shadowlost Territory as possible. We'll need it."

"Understood." Richard replied, while Xavier just let out a nonchalant yawn.

"Then… Snow, Freya…" Baromyteus turned his attention to the Draconic Lapras and the Flygon. "I want you to prepare enough supplies for twelve voracious dragons that will last for a couple days."

"For what?" Claura spoke up.

"For our mouth and stomach during our journey." Baromyteus answered. "Shadowlost's food isn't something you want to eat unless you grow up there, and I won't be surprised if there's someone who'd rather starve than eat it."

"What?!" Everyone except for Anastasia spoke up after hearing Baromyteus' words.

"T… That's right!" Freya spoke up. "I remember that I once heard Ter—I mean, my brother spoke about this before. He said that Shadowlost food is so unique that Larg—I mean, my other brother refused to eat it until Na—I mean, my sister forced him to eat it."

"Hm" Everyone nodded to Freya's words, as they somewhat knew that Freya was born to the father who also had four other children, with Zetarus as one of them.

"Anyway, Snow, Freya, can you do it?" Baromyteus returned the conversation to the main topic.

"As you wish." Snow answered. "We could cook for us as long as we have enough ingredients."

"That's for the next part." Baromyteus turned his attention to Rachael. "Rachael, your task is gathering the ingredients from the Greenhouse for the food cooked by Snow and Freya."

"Of course!" Rachael said. "You can leave that to me!"

"… It would be a lot of work for Rachael to do it alone, so I will help her." Anastasia spoke up. "Is it alright, brother?"

"That's what I was about to ask you to do." Baromyteus answered.

"Yay!" Rachael flew up in joy. "Thank you for your help, Anastasia!"

"I am glad to be a help to you, Rachael." Anastasia replied with a soft voice.

"Next…" Baromyteus continued speaking. "Other than berries, we also need meat… A lot of meat, as many of us are big meat-eaters. This is why we need to assign more than one or two people here."

"You can count me in." Zetarus spoke up. "And Diego too."

"Then you got it, except that Diego won't join the hunting group, because I have another work for him." Baromyteus replied. "But let's leave that for now. Other than Zetarus, I will join the hunting team too. And… Claura, you can come with us if you don't have anything that's more useful to do."

"Hmpt! Fine." Claura grumbled but accepted Baromyteus' command.

"Also…" Baromyteus turned his attention to the member of the Pendragon who remained silent for the whole meeting. "Sirius, I want you to pause your work for now and join us too."

"…" The Type: Null silently nodded to the Shiny Haxorus.

"Great. Then… In conclusion, the hunting team will consist of Zetarus, Claura, Sirius and I, and our work is to hunt as much meat as possible." Baromyteus said before he turned his attention to the Mega Charizard X. "And last… Diego…"

"What do you want me to do?" Diego asked.

"Don't play dumb. I know that you know what I want you to do." Baromyteus said. "Can you do it?"

"So, you won't me to upgrade our weapons?" Diego said. "Sure, I can do it, but not for everyone."

"What do you mean by that?" Korben asked.

"I still couldn't upgrade my own weapon or Zetarus' weapon, because I still don't have a proper material." Diego said. "But I could do it for everyone else."

"What about Sirius' weapon? Can you upgrade it too?" Richard asked.

"Well…I think—Wait…" Diego was about to answer Richard's question when he had just realized something. "Sirius has a weapon?!"

"Of course he does. Well… It's technically not a weapon because he doesn't directly use it to fight, but his 'weapon' is still considered as a weapon." Richard answered.

"Then…" Diego turned his attention to the Type: Null. "Show me your web—Keep your distance away from me, Zetarus, or I'll beat the hell out of you."

"Aww…" Zetarus mumbled in disappointment as he was stopped by Diego before he could do something as he heard Diego said 'Show me your weapon'.

"Sigh… Allow me, Diego." Richard spoke up as he approached Sirius and then reached his paw to the Type: Null's neck, at the spot that wasn't covered by the masked wore by it, and then pulled something from there.

"Here." Richard said as he approached Diego and showed the object in his paw. It was a small piece of black object that seemed like the electronic chip. "According to the report about Sirius, this is Delta Chip, a chip that was implanted into the body of this Pokemon in order to enhance its abilities."

"So… That's what you mean by 'It's technically not a weapon…'." Diego nodded as he received the Delta Chip from the Latios. "However, I know nothing about this thing, so I don't think—"

"That's not a problem." Richard spoke up. "I will convert the detail regarding this chip and gave it to you like the time in the Civilight Sewer, so you would be able to upgrade this thing as well."

"Fine." Diego said. "One more question. You said that this chip was implanted into that Type: Null's body, so, how did you easily remove it with your paw and without causing any pain to it?"

"It's just that I am not an idiot." Richard answered.

"Sigh… I should know this…" Diego mumbled to himself. "Well… Whatever… I guess there won't be a problem upgrading everyone's weapon."

"Great… And… One more thing…" Baromyteus spoke up and turned his attention to the Kommo-o. "Korben, I knew that you know quite a bit about weapons, so, go and help Diego with upgrading the weapon, okay?"

"Okay." Korben nodded.

"Then, I will repeat it again…" Baromyteus said. "During these three days, Richard and Xavier will gather the information about the Shadowlost Territory, Snow and Freya will prepare food, Rachael and Anastasia will harvest the berries, Zetarus, Sirius, Claura and I will hunt the wild Pokemon, and Diego and Korben will upgrade our weapons. Any question?"

"Yes—" Xavier spoke up, but Baromyteus continued speaking before the Dragonite could say anything else.

"No, you can't leave yet, but it won't be much longer." Baromyteus answered. "Anyone else?

"…" No one said anything after the Shiny Haxorus stopped speaking.

"Then… This meeting is over." Baromyteus announced. "Go and get some sleep. We have a lot to do tomorrow, and the days after."

* * *

As the meeting was finally over, it was already 22:30, and the members of the Pendragon were preparing to leave the Meeting Room in order to go back to their own private quarter.

"Don't forget to drop your weapon at the Forge. I will finish it before we depart. No, not you, Zetarus. I still can't upgrade your weapon or mine." Diego announced as everyone was about to leave the Meeting Hall.

"Come on…" Zetarus spoke with a disappointed voice. "Why can't you upgrade my weapon yet?"

"Didn't you listen to what I said earlier? I don't have a proper material to upgrade your weapon or mine." Diego answered.

"Fine…" Zetarus said before he suddenly changed the tone of his voice. "Then I guess I'll need to 'upgrade' my other weapon, and the material is Charizard's—"

"I'm leaving." Diego ignored the Garchomp and walked toward the exit of the Meeting Hall.

"Hey! Wait for me!" Zetarus said as he quickly followed the Mega Charizard X. Meanwhile, the four girls were talking with each other.

"That reminds me…" Freya spoke up. "Anastasia, you are the only one who still doesn't have a new uniform. Didn't you make one for yourself?"

"Don't worry about me. I am making the final piece for myself right now." Anastasia said. "But since our next destination is the Shadowlost Territory, I think I will make a little adjustment…"

"Adjustment? Like what?" Rachael asked.

"Teehee! Just wait and see!" Anastasia answered.

"Okay!" Rachael said as she looked around the room. "Wait a minute… Where's Xavier and Snow? I thought I saw them here a second ago."

"Xavier has already left." Claura answered. "He may seem slow and sluggish, but with the chance of going to bed right in front of himself, he would then become faster than everyone else here."

"Snow has already left too." He said that he wants to check the kitchen for the last time before going to bed." Freya answered.

"I see." Rachael said. "And my brother has already left too. He said that he would take Sirius back to its room to ensure that Sirius would be fine without the chip that was implanted into its body for a few nights."

"Oh, that reminds me…" Anastasia spoke up. "Rachael, can you stop at my room for a minute? I'll return the book I borrowed from you."

"Sure!" Rachael said.

"Rachael, can… Can I borrow that book next?" Freya asked.

"Of course!" Rachael said.

The dragonesses continued talking as they left the Meeting Room, leaving only Korben and Baromyteus in the Meeting Room. Korben then was about to leave the room when he was called by the Shiny Haxorus.

"Wait, Korben." Baromyteus spoke up, turning the attention of the Kommo-o to him as the door of the Meeting Room closed after the four dragonesses left.

"Hm? Did you need something, Baromyteus?" Korben said and turned his attention to the Shiny Haxorus in the demonic armor suit.

"I have something to speak with you… **Alone**." Baromyteus said, with a strong emphasize at the last word he spoke.

"Something… to speak with me alone?" Korben repeated the words he had just heard. "Is it about something that you don't want to speak with everyone else?"

"… No." Baromyteus spoke as his voice gradually turned grim. "It's about something that you should… No, **must** know… Something that I haven't told you yet, despite that I should have told you sooner…"

"… About what?" Korben asked.

"… The Dragon Masscre." Baromyteus said with a strong voice.

"!" A flashback of the brutal battle that took away everything in his life appeared before Korben's eyes as he heard the words of the Shiny Haxorus. His eyes were widened with fear and his body was trembling with terror.

"W… Why do you want to talk about… that?" Korben tried to control himself and asked another question to the Shiny Haxorus in front of him. "C… Can we talk about this later?"

"No, this is important, and this truth has been waiting to be told for long enough." Baromyteus answered with a gruff voice.

"This truth?! W… What do you mean by that?!" Korben said.

"… I'll keep this short." Baromyteus closed his eyes for a second before he openned them again and continued speaking. "I want to talk about Dimitri."

"D.. Dimitri?!" Korben's voice trembling even more as he heard the name of one of his best friends from the Hidden Village of Dragon, who, like everyone else, perished during the Dragon Massacre. He didn't have a chance to say goodbye to him, as the last time that Korben saw and spoke to him was during the battle preparation. Dimitri was assigned to fight at the front line as he was very strong and old enough, while Korben was assigned to protect his grandfather, Elder Baldr, at the back line, which was also a task that he failed as his grandfather was killed by 'it'.

"That Fraxure was foolish and reckless…" Baromyteus continued speaking with a grim voice. "He followed his father into the enemy's territory without caring for his safety… It was a mistake that he paid with his life as he encountered the… enemy's general, who was killing his father right in front of his eyes."

"W… Wait…" Korben said as he, again, tried to control himself. "But… How could you know this?"

"I was with him. My sister was too." Baromyteus answered. "We rushed into that place together, and when we saw Damos was killed right before our eyes, Dimitri was almost losing his mind, and so do I."

"… And what happened to… that enemy's general that…"

"… He's already dead... by my own paws…" Baromyteus answered.

"I… I see…" Korben said as he lowered his head to remember his friend and his father's friend. "T… Thank you for letting me know this, Baromyteus… At least… The deaths of Damos and Dimitri are avenged…"

"No." Baromyteus spoke up again with a grim voice. "That said enemy's general only killed Damos, but he wasn't the one who killed Dimitri."

"What?" Korben looked at the Shiny Haxorus again after hearing his words. "What do you mean by that?"

"I mean that it was someone else who killed that Fraxure." Baromyteus answered with the same grim voice that he used before. "This is what I really want to tell you right now. I know who killed Dimitri, and that person is still alive, meaning that the death of Dimitri isn't avenged yet."

"T… Then… Please tell me!" Korben said. "Who is the one who kills Dimitri?! Please tell me!"

"… If I tell you, what would you do?" Baromyteus asked.

"I will find them, and if it's in my power, I will avenge his death." Korben answered.

"… That isn't what I expect, coming from you…" Baromyteus mumbled before he continued speaking with the grim voice. "Whatever you say, I will tell you about the one who killed your friend."

After finished speaking, Baromyteus looked right into the eyes of the Kommo-o. Usually, Baromyteus would have a sinister spark in his eyes. However, this time, all that Korben could see in the eyes of the demonic Shiny Haxorus was the spark of madness, bloodlust and insanity, and in the deepest part of his eyes was the image of a Fraxure being impaled right in his chest by the blood-soaked claws of a certain Pokemon.

"W… What's this?!" Korben spoke with his voice being even more trembling, and his body started shaking even more than before. "I… I don't understand what you try to say!"

 **"Then, I will say it, right now, right here, right in front of you."** Baromyteus spoke with a demonic voice. **"I, Baromyteus Drawyvern the Shiny Haxorus, am the one who killed Dimitri Drawyvern the Fraxure with my own claws during the Dragon Massacre."**

* * *

 **Meanwhile… Somewhere in the world…**

 _"…Good day, sssssisssss…."_

 _"… Good day, brother."_

 _"You know… I didn't expect to ssssssee you here, my sssssssisssssster. Why are you here?"_

 _"… I just want to see our big sister, nothing more."_

 _"I sssssseee… You come here with the ssssssame reasssssson asssssss mine… Anyway, how are you doing, asssssss the priesssstesssst of Newmoon Temple…"_

 _"… There are some people who pay a visit to the sacred Newmoon Temple, and everything goes on smoothly… However…"_

 _" However what?"  
"… It's almost 19 years…"_

 _"… And no one issssssss sssssstill able to find 'it'?"_

 _"… Right… And… Our realm is starting to be inflicted by the penalty… And I fear it would turn even worst if we don't recover it soon…"_

 _"But… Having that thing in our land issssss even worssssssse… Don't you remember how much pain and sssssssuffering it brought while we ssssstill have it here?"_

 _"… I could never, my brother. Many decent people have to die just because of the greed within the heart of living creature…"_

 _"And between that and facing the horde of cursssssed creature… Sssssssuch a great choice we do have here for our little realm…"_

 _"…"_

 _"Hm? It ssssssseemsssss that we're finally here, at our ssssssissssster'ssssss room at last…"_

 _"… Let's go…"_

 _"…"_

 _"…"_

 _"Good day, sssssissss…"_

 _"… Why are both of you here?"_

 _"… I heard that you are not feeling well, so I want to pay you a visit."_

 _"Not feeling well? Of course… I would be perfectly fine after hearing a news about the death of my husband…"_

 _"Your husssssssband? You mean the Hero of Jusssssstice?"_

 _"I am not a slutty Pokemon who turns every male Pokemon I meet into my husband, am I?"_

 _"… Sssssisss… What have gotten into you?"_

 _"… Right… I have never seen you act like this before…"_

 _"My sister… I have just said what happened to me, haven't I? The one I truly love, who had disappeared for three whole years after he left for the mission in the inaccessible valley, had just come back as a lifeless corpse… What else do you want me to do? Be a happy-go-lucky Pokemon and dance around the city to celebrate his death?"_

 _"…"_

 _"Also, an extra point for you, my brother… You had once ignored my warning 40 years ago, and it resulted in a terrible fate upon your soul, but 3 years ago, you had done it again, and without ANY reason at all… If only you had just listened to your elder sister… Or if only I just ignored your stubbornness, Rucas might not have to die like this…"_

 _"…"_

 _"… But… sis… Over half of the foreign soldiers that went to the inaccessible valley had returned as the lifeless corpses, with only a few survivors coming back, who were mostly the soldiers of the Republic of Civilight. And we knew almost nothing about what happened in the inaccessible valley 3 years ago because all survivors from the mission at the inaccessible soon died due to the 'wound' they got from their mission. And so… If we sent the soldiers from our nation too, they might face their demise too, and this also included our brother right here too…"_

 _"... While we may don't know anything about what happened in the inaccessible valley 3 years ago, I think I have a VERY good idea about a part of it, including how my husband died…"_

 _"… Tell ussssss what you know, sssssssisssssss…"_

 _"… I have already seen the corpse of my husband, and he got so many wounds on his body… However, I have noticed the marks of his wounds…"_

 _"I have ssssssseen it too… Thossssssse marksssssss are deep, fierce and… unique… in a way that I couldn't desssssscribe. Whoever causssssssed it must have very sssssssharp clawssssss, assssss well asssssss the instinct assssss fierce asssssss a mindless beassssssst…"_

 _"That's not all… Those marks… I have seen it before… And in my entire life, there's only one person who could cause a mark like that… But…"_

 _"… But?"_

 _"That person's already dead since the end of the Fallen Crisis… That's what I thought before I saw the corpse of my husband…"_

 _"What do you mean by that, sssssssissss?"_

 _"It means that he is still alive, and he was the one who's responsible for Rucas' death. And… In the name of the Heroine of Dark type, I swear that I will find him and avenge for Rucas' death. This is the final mercy that I will grant upon his soul, even if he was once one of my closest friends…"_

 **To Be Continued…**

* * *

 **Dragon of Vale: Finally… This chapter is finished at last… I am truly sorry for a VERY long hiatus. I started writing this chapter since January, but I wasn't able to make much progress due to my laziness and my busy semester. I don't even have time to check as much as I did before. The hardest part for me was creating a new uniform for everyone (Except for Sirius, who still wore nothing, and Anastasia, whose cloth will be shown in the next chapter.) and in the end, their new clothes aren't much different from their former one, but at least, their new clothes have the improved protection, so they would be able to survive longer.**

 **Anyway, this chapter revealed that the seventh tail will take place in the Shadowlost Territory, and Korben is the main protagonist this time! But… Why Korben? Why would he be the main protagonist in the tail that focuses on the place that he had no connection to? And the name of this tail, Inequity, is completely opposite of what Korben is… But… We'll see…**

 **One more thing… The book mentioned by Rachael and Anastasia in this chapter… It's based on another story of another media in real life. Can you guess what story is that? The answer will be revealed later in the story!**

* * *

 **Q &A Session:**

 **Dragon of Vale:** As I said before, from this chapter onward, there will be a Q&A session at the end of the chapter, where the main characters from my story will make an appearance. I will answer them one question regarding them, and they will answer it. Also, if I got the question(s) from the readers, I will also ask it here too, with two fan questions per day. In conclusion, there will be one main question from me that everyone needs to answer, and some fan questions, which the character(s) that was/were asked must answer.

 **Richard:** Can we just get this over with?

 **Dragon of Vale:** Fine… So, let's start with this chapter's main question from me. Let's go.

* * *

 **Tail 7-1 - Question:** Do you have a crush on anyone? If yes, who?

 **Answer:**

 **-Korben:** Before that… event, I never thought about it, but now… I think… Freya is… kinda cute… And also kind… *Blush*

 **-Claura:** Well… I guess it would be… WHAT?! Did you just ship me with that jerkass Baromyteus?! He's an axxxxxe, cocky, impudent, arrogant, obnoxious dragon! Don't ever dare mention this to me again!Hmpt!

 **-Xavier:** *Nonchalant voice* No, I don't have one. In fact, I don't think anyone would even love a bloodlust monster like me…ZZZ *Snore*

 **-Anastasia:** … The one I have a crush on… is the Lucario who caused the destruction of the Hidden Village of Dragon… The Hero of Justice… And… I don't know if I would be able to love anyone else… *Turn her face away*

 **-Baromyteus:** As I said before, I have a crush on the current Heroine of Dark type, who is our next target. However, she was already married to that bastard whom I had killed… But right now… I start to have a strange feeling toward her… Hm? You want to know who? Dream it, I won't tell you, at least right now…

 **-Diego:** … I once had a crush on a certain Quilava from the Brawl Arena, but after she died, I feel… Wait a minute, why do I tell you this?! Fxxk off!

 **-Zetarus:** Of course! It's Diego!Just wait and see. Diego will finally be mine, and mine alone!

 **-Rachael:** What is 'have a crush on'? *Tilt head and ponder with the innocent eyes*

 **-Richard:** No one. I don't have a time for a... medium thing like this. I still have much knowledge of the world that I seek to obtain, as well as the promise I made to my younger sister. *Continue reading the Chronicle*

 **-Freya:** W… Wha… M… Me?! *Blush* I… I think it's… I… I didn't mean that I am worthy of him! B… But… *Blush very hard* I… It's… K… K… Ko… *Faint*

 **-Snow:** I can't remember much, but I know that… Earlier in my life, I had met one Pokemon, and I fell in love with her in the first moment I saw her… However, I neither met her nor remember anything about her, including her face… And I don't think that I would ever meet her again… *Look into the distance*

 **-Sirius:** … ( **Dragon of Vale:** Sirius doesn't seem to have a crush on anyone)

* * *

 **Question from Ridin Valon:** To Rachael: Would you still want to make friends with someone who is rather... unfeeling? For example: He doesn't even care about death and even asks others if dying is scary to them.

 **-Rachael:** Why are you asking something like that! Dying is scary, of course! We never know when will it happen, and then someone we love and care will be gone with no return! And… Unfeeling? I have met some people who seem to be like this before, but deep down, I am sure that they aren't truly like this! Also, I think I have a good instinct when it comes to telling whether the person is good or bad, so… I can't say that I want to be his friend or not until I met him, that's when I will be able to tell whether he's good or not, and if he's good, then absolutely yes!

* * *

 **Question from Parousia45:** To Baromyteus and Claura: What will you do if someone made a romance fanfiction about both of you? I'm asking this because a particular Chandelure is currently writing a romance fanfiction about you two.

 **-Baromyteus:** Tsk… Is there anyone with such atrocious mind who would do something like this?

 **-Claura:** WHAT?! YOU DXXXXXS! Don't ship me with that Dragon Jerky! He's an axxxxxe, cocky, impudent, arrogant, obnoxious dragon! Even if he's the last Pokemon left in this world, I would NEVER marry him! NEVER!

 **-Baromyteus:** *Look at Claura* You just repeat what you said about me earlier. Don't you know how to be creative, you Salty Seahourse?

 **-Claura:** *Look at Baromyteus* Oh, really? I think I am really creative at come up with a way to beat up a Dragon Jerky like you, because for someone of your power, there're so many ways to take you down!

 **-Baromyteus:** WHAT?! Are you assuming that I am weak?! I could take out the ten of you at any time! No sweat, even!

 **-Claura:** Me too, without weapon, even, you Dragon Jerky!

 **-Baromyteus:** Salty Seahorse!

 **-Claura:** Dragon Jerky!

 **-Xavier:** *Appear out of nowhere* Sigh… *Look at the screen* Anyway, if you finish that romantic fanfiction about Claura and Baromyteus, get me one copy, okay?

 **-Baromyteus and Claura:** *Quickly turn their faces to Xavier* XAVIER!

* * *

 **-Dragon of Vale:** … Yup. I think that's enough mess for this chapter. The remaining questions of Ridin Valon and Parousia45 will be answered in the next chapters and so on. But for now, I have to stop Baromyteus and Claura from fighting each other, so… See ya in the next Q&A!


	72. Tail 7-2: Shadowlost Territory

**A Dragon's Tail**

 **Tail 7: Korben's Tail - Inequity**

 **Tail 7-2: Shadowlost Territory**

" _ **Everything you are doing will soon be just a futile action…"**_

 **-Four Days Later…**

"Hurry up, Korben, or we will be late!"

"Wha— O… Okay…" Korben snapped from the train of thought that he was having after hearing Rachael's voice. He had just left his room and encountered Rachael and Richard at the main hall of Floor B3, and all three then walked together to Floor B2 in order to get to the Portal Room, which was today's meeting spot.

Four days had already passed since the Pendragon's last meeting, and everyone spent their time doing what they were assigned to. Rachael and Anastasia cultivated and harvested berries that, along with the meat hunted by Baromyteus, Claura, Zetarus and Sirius, would be used by Snow and Freya to prepare for the Pendragon's provision. Meanwhile, Richard and Xavier worked together to gather the information they needed about the Shadowlost Territory, and Korben and Diego were assigned to upgrade everyone's weapon (Except for Zetarus' Sniper's Eye and Diego's Silver Naginata). The upgrading was finished yesterday, and the weapons were already returned to their respective owners.

Rachael's Cathy** was upgraded into Cathy***. This time, instead of focusing on the offensive capacity of Cathy, Cathy was upgraded to increase its defensive ability. It now gained a new ability to create a protective shield to protect Rachael and nearby allies from any attack or move, just like the move Protect. The effect of this protective shield was temporary, but the shield would never break until its effect was over or the force that attacked the shield was too strong for Cathy to fully guard against it.

Richard's Chronicle of Darkside was also upgraded. Unlike Rachael's Cathy***, Richard's weapon was upgraded to greatly increase its offensive power, allowing the frail Pokemon like Richard to deal a devastating damage in the battle. For the content of the Chronicle, Richard didn't say much except that he could neither tell how much content was unlocked by this upgraded nor pinpoint the margin of the edge of the knowledge that was unlocked this time, but he could tell that the knowledge that was unlocked still hadn't reached the point of the Fallen Crisis yet, meaning that the edge of the knowledge that was unlocked this time was somewhere between War of the God III and the Fallen Crisis. Nevertheless, Richard decided to give his newly-upgraded weapon a new yet ominous name, the Chronicle of Nightmare, for a reason only known to him.

Claura's Naidni was upgraded into Citnalta. For this upgrade, the chain of the anchor was extended, giving it a better reach than before. The anchor itself was reinforced not only to make it hit harder, but also to protect it from getting rusted, meaning that Claura had no need to maintain it as much as before. The anchor itself also turned blue due to the Water Gems and other blue gemstones that were being used to reinforce its body part.

Xavier's Stratosphere was upgraded into Mesosphere. This time, it possessed a higher attack power due to the blade being sharpened, as well as increased its wielder's defense and special defense. The handle of the halberd was also made to make it easier to grab, so it would be easier to use, if its wielder was able to withstand its weight (Which was not a problem for Xavier at all).

Anastasia's Tenor Harp was upgraded into Alto Harp. While her weapon didn't get as much boost as other's weapons, it gave some bonuses to her speed, accuracy and evasion, as well as giving a nice chance to inflict Confusion on the target when attacking. In the term of its sound, the pitch of the harp was higher and more graceful than her former harp, which Anastasia said that it encouraged her with the inspiration of the song that she was composing right now.

Baromyteus' Dragon Claw Swords were upgraded into Dragon Fang Sword, being reinforced with the claws and fangs of the wild Dragon type Pokemon in the Valley of No Return that were hunted by the Pendragon. Its offensive power was tremendously boosted, and it also gained a small chance to inflict Paralysis on the target when attacking. Other than its attacking power, it also gave Baromyteus a small boost to his speed stat, reinforcing his strong point even further.

Freya's Crimson Rose was upgraded into Scarlet Rose, with the rose at the tip of the rod turned into the darker red than its former counterpart. While it didn't get any improving in its offensive capacity at all, it made up with the increasing healing ability, now capable of healing the status ailments and the debuff, and its healing power and the range of healing were also increased even more, as well as giving its owner a boost in speed and evasion. Overall, while Freya's weapon didn't have any offensive power at all, unlike other's weapon, it made up with the best supporting ability among the weapons of the Pendragon.

Snow's Snowflake Dagger was upgraded into the Icicle Dagger, with its blade now shaped and looked like the real sharp-tipped icicle. Its offensive power was somewhat boosted in both attack and special attack, it also gained a small chance to inflict Frozen on the target when attacking, making it a useful weapon in both battle and kitchen.

Sirius' Delta Chip was upgraded into the Gamma Chip. Unlike everyone's weapon, Sirius' weapon didn't exactly work like 'weapon' as it was a chip being implanted into Sirius' body, and so, it didn't have any special power by itself. However, it made up by giving Sirius a tremendous boost in all of his stat, being Attack, Defense, Special Attack, Special Defense, Speed, Accuracy, Evasion and HP, turning Sirius into a raw damage dealer in the battle.

Korben's Scion's Fist was upgraded into the Noble's Fist (This name was chosen because, in the Hidden Village of Dragon, Korben was the grandson of the elder of the village.). While this weapon gave only a modest boost in both offensive and defensive abilities, it also gave its wielder a small boost to the supereffective move dealt by its wielder, just like what Expert Belt did. This turned its wielder into a balance fighter, which was what Korben was, personality-wise.

With the newly-upgraded weapon in their possession, the Pendragon was now ready to depart to their next destination, and their first objective was to gather in the Portal Room before they departed to the land of darkness.

"Good morning, everyone!" Rachael said as she openned the door of the Portal Room and entered it, with Richard and Korben following her. The three of them could see that everyone else was already here, ready to depart.

However, among the other nine Pokemon in the Portal Room, the attention of the Latias, Latios and Kommo-o were caught by the Goodra who was standing next to a Shiny Haxorus in a dreadful armor suit, because the cloth she was wearing right now wasn't her usual white cloth, but it was…

"Wow! Anastasia, your new cloth is so beautiful!" Rachael complimented. Right now, Anastasia was wearing a black long dress that was a bit like the appearance of Gothitelle. The black dress was greatly contrasted with Anastasia's white skin, which made her skin look even paler than normal, but also made her look mysterious and… sorrowful.

"Thank you, Anastasia." Anastasia answered with a soft voice. "This is called the Gothic style. I figure that we would go to the land of darkness, so I want to dress in the same theme as the place that we will go today."

"Are you done?" Baromyteus spoke up with a serious voice. "We don't have the whole day for chitchatting. The sooner we go, the sooner we finish our mission."

"Okay…" Rachael mumbled.

"Good." Baromyteus said. "Anyway, has anyone tell that Druddigon Gargoyle that we will not be here for a few days yet?"

"I already did." Snow answered. "Ryugan said that he and other guardians will guard the Pendracomonium until we return, so there's nothing to worry about here."

"Great." Baromyteus said before he turned back. "Now, let's go."

"Wait a minute…" Diego spoke up. "Baromyteus, how will we go to the Shadowlost Territory?"

"By the portal, of course." Baromyteus answered.

"We do have a portal to the land of darkness?" Claura spoke up. "As far as I know, the closest portal to the Shadowlost Territory we have is the portal to the Snowlost City in the Queendom of Riverbrine, and we still need to cross Mt. Snowlost in order to reach Shadowlost!"

"No." Baromyteus said before he reached his paw forward and closed his eyes for a few second, and then a warp portal suddenly appeared right in front of us. "… This portal will lead us to the Shadowlost Territory."

"W… What?!" Zetarus spoke up. "As far as I know, none of us has ever been to the Shadowlost Territory, so how did you—"

"How long are you going to waste our time?!" Baromyteus suddenly interrupted. "Move it! We have a Heroine of Legend to kill!"

After finished speaking, Baromyteus stepped into the warp portal in front of him, disappearing from everyone's eyes.

"Geez…" Zetarus mumbled with his arms crossed. "What's his problem?"

"… Everyone, let's go." Anastasia spoke with a calm voice before she followed her elder brother into the warp portal.

"…" Everyone said nothing and followed Anastasia into the warp portal, starting with Claura, Xavier, Diego, Zetarus, Snow, Rachael and Richard.

And…

"… Korben, what's wrong?"

"Hm?!" Korben snapped and turned his attention to the owner of the voice, who was none other than Freya, who was standing right in front of the warp portal.

"Korben, you seem a bit off since when you entered this room…" Freya said. "Do you have anything in your mind?"

"I… It's nothing." Korben quickly answered. "Let's go, Freya. This will be the first time that I will go to the place outside the Valley of No Return, so I am quite looking forward to this."

"… Okay…" Freya said before she turned back and entered the warp portal, and the Kommo-o then followed her. After the Kommo-o departed, the warp portal then closed, leaving no other living creature in the Pendracomonium…

* * *

 **-Meanwhile…**

"… Where in the world is this place?"

Twelve members of the Pendragon stood on the ground after they departed from the warp portal. The place where they were in right now seemed to be a dense forest. However, they could barely see anything around themselves as the trees were so thick that they blocked off most part of the sky, and from the little part that they could see from here, the sky was very dark, as dark as the sky during the night.

"… We are now in the Shadowlost Territory." Baromyteus answered without looking at anyone.

"But which part of the Shadowlost Territory is this?" Diego asked.

"… It's the Skeleton Wood." Baromyteus answered, again without looking at anyone.

"Skeleton Wood? What a scary name…" Freya commented.

"I think I have heard about this place before…" Claura spoke up. "In the Shadowlost Territory, there was a tale of the bloodthirsty monster lurking in a dark forest named Skeleton Wood."

"M… Monster?!" Rachael cried as she quickly approached her elder brother and grabbed his arm tightly.

"Yawn… I think the tale said that this so-call bloodthirsty monster kills and devours everyone who entered or pass by this forest." Xavier spoke up. "Honestly, I think I did a better job back—"

"EEEEEEEEEAKKKK!" Rachael suddenly let out a loud scream and buried her face into her brother's side.

"Hey… Don't tell me that you get scared by just a story like that?" Zetarus said.

"T… That!" Rachael spoke with a shaking voice and pointed her paw at somewhere behind everyone.

"Hm?" Everyone except for Rachael and Richard turned back to see what was behind them, and it was…

"A pile of bones?" Diego said as he and some other members of the Pendragon walked up toward what he saw behind him. It was a pile of several pieces of bones located not too far from everyone. The bones were black, old and dirty, and parts of them were covered with the fallen leaves on the ground.

"Hm... They are still quite completed. I could see a part of humerus and ribs too…" Claura said as she picked a bone that once seemed to belong to the forearm. "But these bones are so old. I think that they were left here for no less than ten… No, twenty years."

"Also… There are many kinds of bones here, which means that they belong to not just only one or two Pokemon." Xavier spoke up as he examined the bones pile. "Hm… Maybe the tale I heard might not be just a tale, after all…"

"T… Then, that monster might still be around here!" Freya spoke up. "E… Everyone, let's get out of here!"

"… No." Baromyteus, who had been saying nothing since when the bone pile was discovered. "That monster is already gone."

"B… But… How could you know that?" Freya asked.

"And how long are we going to waste our time on a stupid pile of bone?" Baromyteus said as he turned his back to everyone. "For now, let's get out of this forest."

"And how could we do that? I don't see any exit around here…" Snow said.

"Just follow me and I will lead us out of this place." Baromyteus answered without looking at anyone.

"How could—" Zetarus was about to ask how Baromyteus knew the way out of this wood, but his words were cut off when the Shiny Haxorus spoke up again.

"Are you going to spend the entire day in this forest?" Baromyteus spoke with a serious voice. "Now, move your butt!"

"…" Everyone silently nodded to the Shiny Haxorus before they followed him into the other area of the Skeleton Wood.

* * *

Baromyteus was right. About ten minutes after they started walking, the Pendragon was finally out of the Skeleton Wood, and the vast landscape and the sky of Shadowlost Territory finally unfold before their eyes at last.

Among the seven nations on the continent of Symmetria, Shadowlost Territory claimed the title as the smallest nation, the northernmost nation, and the newest nation of Symmetria. It was located on the long cape located north of the Snowlost Peninsula. It only had a small land border to the Queendom of Riverbrine located to the south of it, with Riverbrine's Mt. Snowlost and Shadowlost's Shadowlost Ridge dividing both nations from each other. This nation earned the nickname of 'Land of Darkness' from the fact that the sun would never rise in this nation. Most part of this nation was covered in the vermillion twilight while the northernmost part of this place was covered in the eternal darkness.

Because of the lack of sunlight, the majority of this nation's area was a large wasteland named Shadowlost Wasteland, which spanned over half of the nation's area. The northern area of this nation, on the other hand, was a dark chasm shrouded in the darkness named Darkveil Chasm. Other than these two major landmarks, the other landmark of Shadowlost Territory was the Venom Island, an island located not too far from the western coast of the land of darkness itself. The acidic sea on the western coast of Shadowlost made Venom Island a toxic place that was considered as a treacherous place to everyone but the Poison type Pokemon, which was why it was homed to most Poison type Pokemon. Other than the Poison type Pokemon, Shadowlost Territory was also a home to the Dark type Pokemon and the Ghost type Pokemon. The Dark type Pokemon usually lived in the Shadowlost Wasteland while the Ghost type Pokemon preferred the Darkveil Chasm as their home.

The lack of sunlight made it impossible for Shadowlost Territory to cultivate most plants. The trading with other nation was also not good for the land of darkness because the land trading route required the merchant to pass through the arduous Mt. Snowlost, and the sea trading routes weren't much better as the western sea of Shadowlost was acidic and dangerous while the eastern sea of Shadowlost was frigid and haunted. Luckily, the Shadowlost Territory was still able to make some money from the unique plants and minerals that could only be found in a land without light. Still, Shadowlost Territory was considered as the poorest nation on Symmetria, especially after the suffering that was caused by the Bloodmoon War 20 years ago.

"So… This is the land of darkness…" Claura said as she looked around the place where she was. After getting out of the Skeleton Wood, the Pendragon was now in the Shadowlost Wasteland. The dark wasteland was empty and almost voided of any living creatures. The ground was covered by the dark red dust. The Pendragon could also see some exotic plants that they had never seen before growing around the wasteland. The strange landscape and the red sky above their head made everyone felt like this place wasn't in their world, especially for Korben who had never left the Valley of No Return before.

"This place is still scary…" Rachael commented.

"But I kinda like this place…" Zetarus commented. "The dark red ground, and the sky… It reminds me of… blood."

"For me, it reminds me of a flame… A tragic flame… Don't ask me why. I just feel like it." Diego said as he looked around and spotted a bush with the exotic flower that he had never seen before. "Hm? What do we have here?"

"What did you find?" Zetarus said as he walked up to where Diego was standing and saw that the Mega Charizard X was holding the exotic flower that he picked from the bush. Upon taking a closer look, Zetarus could see that this flower was the rose, except that every petal of this rose was completely black.

"Well… What do we have here?" Zetarus said as he picked the rose from the bush too. "What kind of flower is this?"

"Can I see?" Freya asked.

"Sure! Catch!" Zetarus said as he threw the rose to the Flygon. The Flygon, however, failed to catch it, making the flower fall right beside Korben, causing the Kommo-o a little jiggle.

"I… I am sorry!" Freya quickly apologized.

"Don't worry about it, Freya." Korben said as he picked the rose that fell on the ground up. "Here, Freya—"

"SWOOSH!"

Before Korben could return the flower to the Flygon, a paw was reached toward Korben's paw and grabbed the rose before the Flygon could. The one who grabbed the flower was none other than Baromyteus.

"Hey!" Zetarus said as he saw Baromyteus put the flower into his mouth and started chewing it. "If you want it, get one from yourself, not stealing it from my sister!"

"… As I guess…" Baromyteus spoke up again after he finished chewing the flower he snatched earlier. "This thing we have here is the Black Rose, the flower native to the Shadowlost Territory, as well as the symbol of the land of darkness."

"Yeah. It's not that hard to figure that out." Zetarus said with his arms crossed. "It's a rose and it's black, so, what's the point?"

"You fool." Baromyteus said. "This flower is very poisonous. Just holding or sniffing it will poison you."

"W… What?!" Zetarus said before he suddenly started to feel weak, as if his strength was being drained away! His body then gradually turned purple, indicating that he was poisoned!

"…" Like Zetarus, Diego's body also turned purple, and the Mega Charizard X could feel his strength being drained away. However, because Diego held the flower in his paw a bit longer than Zetarus, he received the poison from the Black Rose more than the Garchomp, causing him to be badly poisoned instead!

"Zetarus! Diego!" Rachael and Freya quickly approached the poisoned Pokemon. Freya then used her Scarlet Rose to heal Zetarus while Rachael grabbed a bottle of antidote and was about to pour it into Diego's mouth when Richard quickly snatched it from his sister. The Latios then put the antidote into a syringe before he injected it into Diego's arm.

"Onii-chan, why do you have to inject the antidote into Diego's body instead of letting him drink it?" Rachael asked.

"Diego is badly poisoned, so he needs an urgent treat, and injecting the antidote into the veins directly instead of letting the antidote being absorbed into his veins is much more effective." Richard answered and turned his attention to the Mega Charizard X. "Look. Diego is already healed."

Richard was right. Within just a minute, Diego was recovered, and he was able to stand up again. Zetarus also recovered after he was healed by his sister.

"Geez… What a pain…" Zetarus said. "Thanks, Freya."

"You too, Rachael, Richard." Diego said. "Again, you prove yourself to be useful."

"Teehee! No problem!" Rachael said.

"For me, I am always useful with a vast amount of knowledge I have." Richard said.

"But we are lucky that we could easily cure you two from getting poisoned." Freya said. "And I think we should be more careful next time."

"Indeed." Claura said before turning her attention to her cousin. "Anyway… Xavier, what should we do next?"

"First, we need to find the location of that Heroine of Legend." Xavier answered before glancing at Baromyteus. "But I think that our dear leader knows something about this, right?"

"… That Heroine of Darkness… She's the chancellor of Shadowlost Territory, so she must be at the capital of this land." Baromyteus answered.

"The capital of Shadowlost Territory is a city with the most creative name ever, the Shadowlost City." Richard spoke up with a sarcastic voice. "And it's located west of where we are right now, if you don't want to come up with a decent plan to approach our enemy."

"I suggest that we come up with a plan first." Snow spoke up. "We are in our enemy's territory, so we are at the disadvantage. This is why we must do something first."

"Well… When I tried to kill the royals of Fireview Kingdom, I just went to the capital and hid in the outskirt of the city, as the mountains of Fireview Kingdom provided a great hiding place for me." Diego spoke up.

"I also did the same thing when I tried to kill Emperor Garland for the first time, except that I was able to walk freely around the Dustorm City as no one had any clue about who I was back then." Zetarus said.

"And I think no one here would know anything about us too, well… Except for Baromyteus and Anastasia…" Xavier spoke up and glanced at both Anastasia and Baromyteus. "That Heroine of Dark type know both of you, right?"

"Yes, but…" Anastasia spoke up. "I think that she thinks that both of us are already dead, so—"

"GRRRAAA!"

Baromyteus suddenly grabbed his swords and dashed forward through the group and then slashed something right behind everyone!

"SCREEEEEEECHH!"

"EEEEAAKKK!" Rachael quickly grabbed her brother's arm (again) after realizing what Baromyteus attacked. It was a wild Meditite that tried to sneak behind everyone and attack them. However, it wasn't just an ordinary Meditite…

"…" The Meditite, now being just a lifeless corpse, laid on the ground. However, even when it was already dead, its body was still cloaked in a veil of dark purple aura, the same aura it had when it was still alive. The very same aura made its body turned dark purple, and its eyes turned completely red, as if it wasn't alive at all.

"W… What in the world is this Pokemon?!" Freya asked. "I… I have never seen a Pokemon like this before!"

"… This is… the Shadow Pokemon." Richard slowly answered after he recovered from a shock caused by Baromyteus' sudden movement earlier.

"Shadow Pokemon?!" Everyone turned their attention to the Latios. "Are you serious?!"

"Yes." Richard nodded. "The Pokemon whose heart is closed and embraced the veil of shadow... That's the Shadow Pokemon. They are stronger than ordinary Pokemon, but their presence is hate and fear by everyone. Also, as their name implied, they usually lurk in the shadowy darkness and appear when the world is without the sunlight. The Chronicle stated the origin of the first Shadow Pokemon as sometime around the time of the Twilight Crisis, and now, while their number is still low because they are usually exterminated, they could still be found here, on the continent of Symmetria."

"So… You mean that Shadowlost Territory is home to the Shadow Pokemon?!" Zetarus asked.

"Actually… The Shadow Pokemon could be found everywhere on the continent of Symmetria… Well… Maybe not the Valley of No Return because it was closed off from the rest of the world since many years before the Twilight Crisis." Richard explained. "According to the Chronicle, their habitat is the same as their ordinary counterpart, such as the Grass type and the Bug type being native to Principality of Leafburg and the Electric type and the Steel type being native to the Republic of Civilight."

"But I have never seen any Shadow Pokemon before during my journey on the continent of Symmetria, and I have gone to quite many places." Claura said.

"Moreover…" Snow pointed his fin at the corpse of the Meditite. "As far as I remember, a Fighting and Psychic type Pokemon like this Meditite should be native to the Theocracy of Venturnome to the south, so why is it here, in the land of darkness?"

"Forget it." Baromyteus suddenly spoke up as he sheathed his swords. "Everyone, it's time to go."

"Go? This soon? And go where?" Rachael asked.

"Shadowlost City, of course." Baromyteus answered. "With a Shadow Pokemon like this, it's not safe anymore to be in a wilderness. The best thing we could do is get out of the wilderness and get into a settlement."

"Wait, shouldn't we come up with a plan first?" Zetarus asked. "Shadowlost City is the place where our target is, and she knows your face, Baromyteus, so we should—"

"I have a plan." Baromyteus answered bluntly before he quitted the conversation and started heading west, toward the Shadowlost City.

"…" Anastasia looked at her brother, and then she turned her attention to everyone and revealed them a bittersweet smile on her face before she turned back and followed her elder brother.

"Hmpt… As unpleasant as ever… That Dragon Jerky." Claura mumbled. "But… I couldn't believe how much the power of love could affect that jerk…"

"And what would you do, Claura?" Xavier asked.

"What else can I do but follow him?!" Claura said.

"Nothing." Xavier answered.

"Hmpt!" Claura grumbled before she turned back and followed Anastasia and Baromyteus. Xavier then followed her, and then everyone else followed him…

Except for…

"Korben?" Freya was about to depart when she noticed that Korben was spacing out, looking into the vast wasteland of Shadowlost.

"Hm? Oh, what?" Korben snapped and turned his attention toward the Flygon. "I am sorry, Freya. Did you need something?"

"Korben, what have gotten into you?" Freya asked with a worried voice. "This is the fourth time you have been spacing out like this. That's not like you at all."

"I… I just feel a bit impatient for being in a place that I have never been to before." Korben answered.

"But you also spaced out right before we entered the warp portal to come to this place." Freya continued speaking. "You didn't even listen to Ba—"

"I… am just a bit tired from yesterday's work of forging steel in the forge with Diego." Korben quickly spoke up. "I am quite sure that I will be fine."

"If you say so…" Freya said. "But… If you don't feel well, remember that you can always speak with me. I will help you if it's in my power."

"Thanks, Freya." Korben said. "Now, let's catch up with everyone. They have already gone that far."

"Okay." Freya nodded to the Kommo-o before they started walking toward the west, following their friends that had gone ahead of them.

However…

 _'… This place…'_ Korben thought to himself as he walked alongside Freya. _'Why do I feel… anxious… about this place? And I feel as if there is something in my body that… resonates when I am here… It feels as if… I have something to do with this land…;_

 _'And…'_ Korben turned his head back to look at the place where he and his friends were standing a few minutes ago. _'I don't know if I'm right or not… But… I also feel a presence of someone… or something since when I first came here… I feel as if… Someone is watching me, even right now…'_

* * *

 **-A Few Hours Later…**

"… This is the capital of Shadowlost Territory?!" Zetarus spoke up.

After several hours of walking through the empty Shadowlost Wasteland and fought some Shadow Pokemon they encountered on their way, the Pendragon was now standing not too far from the entrance of Shadowlost City, the capital of Shadowlost Territory. However, the capital of the land of darkness was not really what they had in their mind. First, Shadowlost City was much smaller than they thought. The size of this city was smaller than all other six capitals on Symmetria, and it was even smaller than some other big city or town, such as Dustorm's Sandust Port or Riverbrine's Riverbrine Island and Seaside Town. Moreover, this city was less civilized than they thought, being less civilized than every settlement in the Republic of Civilight.

"That seems like it." Xavier spoke up. "Honestly, this is what I expect from the poorest nation of Symmetria."

"That isn't nice to say, Xavier." Rachael said before turning her attention to Baromyteus. "Baromyteus, you say that you have a plan, right? Can you tell us now?"

"Simple." Baromyteus spoke up with a serious voice. "I will force into her place and challenge her to a duel to dead."

"What?!" Rachael said. "Baromyteus, you can't do that!"

"Why can't I?" Baromyteus back toward the Latias and asked her with an intimidating voice.

"E...Um…" Rachael quickly got behind her brother. "Y… You will get killed if you do that!"

"You mean that I am too weak to fight that Heroine of Darkness?" Baromyteus asked with the same intimidating voice.

"EEAAAAKK!" Rachael let out a small scream after hearing Baromyteus' intimidating voice.

"… But Rachael's right." Richard spoke up with a plain voice with a hint of fear toward the Shiny Haxorus. "What you are doing is not a plan at all. This is a thoughtless action—"

"I didn't ask your opinion, Richard." Baromyteus interrupted as he glanced at the Latios with a menacing look on his face, immediately shutting the Latios.

"Baromyteus, what has gotten into you?" Diego said. "You have been acting impudent like this since when we arrive here. We know that you are having a hard time making up your mind about that first love of yours, but what you are doing is much more than that! Are you hiding something else from us?"

"Yes, I am, not that you need to know about this. It won't make your life any easier anyway." Baromyteus quickly answered the Mega Charizard X.

"Of course it will!" Claura spoke up. "You are our leader, you jerk! And what you are doing right now is dragging us to our doom! Do you want us to die in our first mission?!"

"I don't have time to argue with you, Claura." Baromyteus said. "We have a Pokemon to kill—"

"SWOOOP!"

"TOOP!"

"!"

As Baromyteus was arguing with his teammates, everyone heard the sound of something falling from above and landed behind Baromyteus, causing the Shiny Haxorus to quickly react by turning back and drew out his swords, facing the thing that had just appeared behind him!

"…" The Pokemon who had just appeared was a bipedal fox with a gray-brown body and dark red mane, or in the other word, a Zoroark. The Zoroark was wearing some sort of a demonic mask to conceal the left part of their face, leaving the right part of their face unconcealed. They were wearing some sort of black armor suit on their body, and they were wielding a strange weapon that seemed two swords with their hilt being jointed together, with the blade of each sword as each tip of the weapon and the jointed hilt in the middle of the weapon.

"…" Baromyteus stared at the Zoroark in front of him with a hostile face, ready to start a battle at any moment. Meanwhile, other members of the Pendragon also equipped their weapon and readied themselves in case that the battle started…

… Which never happened.

 _"… You there… The one with the sssssssswordssssssss."_ A blunt and the masculine was heard by the Pendragon as the Zoroark started speaking, along with pointing his weapon at Baromyteus. His voice, especially the part that he spoke the letter 's', was like the voice of a hissing snake Pokemon. _"… Are you Baromyteussssssss Drawyvern the Sssssssshiny Haxorussssssss."_

"… What if I am?" Baromyteus answered bluntly.

 _"… In that cassssssse…"_ The Zoroark lowered his weapon. _"… Come with me…"_

"To where?" Baromyteus asked. He still didn't lower his weapon.

 _"To meet the chancellor."_ The Zoroark answered. _"The chancellor issssssss expecting your arrival. I will essssssscort you to her."_

"… Fine." Baromyteus said and lowered his weapon. "But I want my friends to come with me too."

 _"If that'ssssssss your wissssssssh, then do assssssss you want…"_ The Zoroark said before turning back and started walking toward the entrance of Shadowlost City.

"… Are you sure that we should follow that guy?" Xavier spoke up as he and other members of the Pendragon put away their weapon. "He seems to have something to do with that Heroine of Dark type."

"I agree with Xavier." Richard spoke up. "And what that Zoroark said about the chancellor is expecting you concerns me. There's a chance that this might be a trap."

"No chance." Baromyteus spoke up. "She isn't someone who would do something devious like that in a situation like this. If you guys don't want to come, then stay here."

After finished speaking, Baromyteus started following the Zoroark to the Shadowlost City. The other members of the Pendragon then looked at each other, but without any other choices, all of them then followed their leader to the Shadowlost City.

And…

 _'… What's this feeling?'_ Korben thought to himself as he followed everyone. _'The strange feeling I have… It's getting stronger just now… What is this? Why do I feel like this? I don't understand…'_

* * *

 **-A Few Minutes Later…**

The Zoroark led twelve Pokemon into the Shadowlost City, the capital of Shadowlost Territory. As they entered the city, they could see that this city was, as expected, populated by the Dark type and Ghost type Pokemon, with some Poison type Pokemon and very few other Pokemon. The houses and buildings in the Shadowlost City were built in a simple manner, with the easy-to-find materials such as woods or stones. However, the houses and buildings were all in the strange shapes. Some were in the shape of the strange-shaped square or rectangle while some were in the shape of the non-square polygon such as hexagon or heptagon.

"I thought that the landscape of this land is strange enough… The capital itself is even more strange..." Claura spoke up as she observed the appearance of the city.

"That's why Shadowlost Territory also gains another nickname of 'The most alien place on the continent of Symmetria'." Richard spoke up. "Trust me, we would find even more strange things while we are in this land."

The Zoroark then led the Pendragon to the city hall of Shadowlost City, which was located on the other side of the city. The city hall was built in a simple and modest manner despite being an important landmark of the capital city. The Zoroark and the Pendragon then entered the city hall, ignoring the reception desk and entered one of the doors behind the reception desk, which let to a long hallway with another door at the end.

 _"The chancellor issssss waiting in her room…"_ The Zoroark spoke up again as he led the Pendragon along the hallway. _"And sssssssshe want to have a private conversssssssation with you."_

"One question." Baromyteus spoke up. "How did she know about my arrival, as well as my existence?"

 _"Perhapsssss you ssssssssshould assssssssk her by yoursssssssself."_ The Zoroark said as he stopped in front of the door at the end of the hallway. He then openned the door into the room without knocking.

 _"Ssssssssisssssss, the one you want to sssssssssee is here."_

 _"… Thanks."_

As the Pendragon entered the room, they noticed that this room was decorated in the manner of the working room of the mayor or the chancellor. Other than the Pendragon and the Zoroark that led the Pendragon into this room, there were two other Pokemon in this room, both which were Zoroark. One of them were standing beside the working desk that seemed to belong to the chancellor. They were wearing a long black priestess robe and the similar demonic mask wore by the Zoroark that led the Pendragon here, except that their mask covered the right part of their face and left the left part of their face unconcealed.

 _"… I welcome you all to the land of darkness, the Shadowlost Territory…"_

An soft and feminine voice came from the last Pokemon in this room, who were another Zoroarok that sat at the seat of the chancellor desk. They were wearing a simple cloth, in contrast of two other Zoroarok that wore an armor suit and the priestess robe. They then stood up and stepped forward to stand in front of the Pendragon, with their attention on the Shiny Haxorus in front of them.

"…" The Pendragon felt that the mood suddenly became heavy, and they started to feel really anxious. It's because they either know or could sense that the Zoroark that was standing right in front of them right now was none other than their current target, as well as the current Heroine of Darkness.

 _"Before we get to anything else, allow me to introduce myself first."_ The Zoroark in front of the Pendragon spoke up again. _"My name is_ _ **Fenrir Illunight Sr. the Zoroark**_ _, the Master of Mercy_ _ **.**_ _I am the chancellor of the Shadowlost Territory, as well as the current Heroine of Dark type."_

After finished introducing herself, Fenrir Sr. the Zoroark turned her attention to the Zoroark in the armor suit, who led the Pendragon here. _"Allow me to introduce my siblings too. This Zoroark is the younger brother of mine."_

 _"… My name is_ _ **Jormungand Illunight the Zoroark**_ _, the Serpent General…"_ The Zoroark in the armor suit spoke up again. _"I am the general of the ssssssssspecial force of the Sssssssssshadowlossssssssst Territory."_

 _"And…"_ Fenrir Sr. turned her attention to the Zoroark in the priestess robe. _"This young lady is the youngest sibling of mine_."

 _"…_ _ **Hel Illunight the Zoroark**_ _, the Somber Priestess…"_ The Zoroark in the priestess robe spoke with a slow and emotionless voice. _"… I am the priestess of the Newmoon Temple…"_

 _"And…"_ Fenrir Sr. turned her attention back to the Pendragon. _"Can I ask you all to introduce yourself to me and my siblings?"_

The Pendragon remained silent for a few second, before one of them spoke up.

"… I will go first." Korben spoke up as he stepped forward. "My name is Korben Forcenter the Kommo-o. I came from the Valley of No Return."

 _"!"_ A mark of shock appeared on the faces of all three Zoroark after hearing the introduction of the Kommo-o, but it then disappeared within a second as the three Zoroark quickly concealed their emotion.

"Then, I will go next…" Claura spoke up as she stepped forward after Korben finished his introduction. "I am…"

* * *

 **-A Few Minutes Later…**

The Pendragon took their turn introducing themselves, with Rachael and Richard introducing Sirius as the Type: Null couldn't speak. The three Zoroark listened to their introduction carefully. They had a bit of reaction when they heard Zetarus and Freya's surname of Quakersand and Snow's surname of Tundrafrost, but they still didn't say anything until almost everyone had already introduced themselves, with only two Pokemon remained…

"… My name is Anastasia Wyrmscale the Goodra." Anastasia introduced herself with a plain voice. "I am… a wandering songstress along with my brother."

"… Which is me." Baromyteus spoke up, with his arms crossed. "My name is Baromyteus Drawyvern the Shiny Haxorus. I guess that I have no need to say anything else about myself."

 _"I already know quite much about you, Baromyteus. Too much, actually, if you ask me."_ Fenrir Sr. spoke up again. _"I know about you to the point that I remembered your claw marks when I saw Rucas' dead body."_

"I see… That explains why do you know that I am still alive." Baromyteus said. "But how did you know that I will come here?"

 _"I don't, but I have an instinct that you will come and find me soon, and my instinct never disappoints me."_ Fenrir Sr. answered. _"And knowing you, I have a hunch that you might want to come and confront me like this…"_

"… You really know too much about me." Baromyteus said. "Then, I guess that you may already know the reason why I come here, so I will get into the point now."

 _"Actually…"_ Fenrir Sr. spoke up again. _"I don't exactly know the reason that brought you and your friends here, but again, I have a hunch about it, and my assumption could be proved with just one question, which I want you to answer."_

"... Shoot it." Baromyteus said.

 _"…Baromyteus."_ Fenrir Sr. remained silent for a few second before she spoke up again with a strong voice as she fixed her eyes at the Shiny Haxorus in the demonic armor suit in front of her. _"… Are you the one who killed Rucas?"_

"Yes, I did." Baromyteus answered with a strong voice. "That Lucario is as pathetic as ever, even in the last moment of his life."

 _"… I see."_ Fenrir Sr. lowered her face for a bit before she spoke up again. _"That's all I need to know. Thank you for answering it."_

"… So… What will you do?" Baromyteus asked.

 _"I will avenge the death of my husband, of course."_ Fenrir Sr. answered. _"And I guess that I am your next target, isn't it?"_

"… Yes." Baromyteus answered again, however, with a weaker voice than the one he used before.

 _"Then... Three days"_ Fenrir Sr. spoke up again. _"As the chancellor of Shadowlost Territory, I have many duties to perform, as well as the duty as my son's regent. So, give me three days to finish my job, to prepare for the worst. After three days had passed, we will meet each other again, and then we will finish all of this, once and for all. Do you agree with this?"_

"… One condition." Baromyteus said. "No trickery and deception."

 _"I promise, in the name of the Heroine of Dark type."_ Fenrir Sr. said. _"The words we have together will remain with me and my siblings. We will not let it slip to everyone else's ears."_

"I find that hard to believe." Claura suddenly spoke up, turning the attention of everyone to her. "I find it hard to believe that you won't break this promise, and I would it much easier to believe if you say that you will do ANYTHING in order to destroy us, as we had already killed one Hero of Legend and we are about to kill another one."

 _"… Being the Hero/ine of Legend doesn't have anything to do with this."_ Fenrir Sr. answered.

"And why is that?" Xavier asked.

 _"For me, our title as the Hero/ine of Legend doesn't hold any importance in this case."_ Fenrir Sr. answered. _"I still don't know the reason of your action, but in this case, I didn't do this as the Heroine of Legend, but I do it as a wife whose husband was killed by you. I don't do it for a greater cause, but I do it for my personal cause. Do I make myself clear enough?"_

"… Fair enough." Claura and Xavier accepted.

 _"Good."_ Fenrir Sr. said. _"And as I said before, I want the conversation we have today to remain in this room. No one else shall hear about our action. Me and my siblings shall keep it concealed. Do I hear this from all of you too?"_

"Yes." The Pendragon answered.

 _"Then… Three days from now on, we will meet each other at the Newmoon Temple, to the west of this town. No one else shall be there but us in that day. Do you agree with this?"_ Fenrir Sr. asked again.

"Yes." Baromyteus answered.

 _"Then, there's nothing else for us to speak with each other, and I have a meeting with the ambassador from Fireview Kingdom in a few minutes too…"_ Fenrir Sr. said. _"Also, as the chancellor of the Shadowlost Territory, I hope you all a pleasant stay in the land of darkness. And… Please be careful. There are Shadow Pokemon being spotted in the Shadowlost Wasteland and the Darkveil Chasm. Don't let them get you first."_

"… That's an unbelievably nice warning, coming from you." Xavier said.

 _"I just don't want any of you to die at the hand of anything else, especially since we have a 'meeting' in three days."_ Fenrir Sr answered.

"Fair enough." Baromyteus said. "Then, we will take our leave now."

 _"… I will escort you."_ Jormungand the Zoroark spoke up after remaining silent for a long time.

 _"… Me too…"_ Hel the Zoroark spoke up too. _"…I must return to the Newmoon Temple… And continue my duty…"_

 _"Thank you, my brother and my sister."_ Fenrir Sr. said before turning her attention toward the Pendragon. _"Also, it's a pleasure to have a meeting with you all, especially you two, Anastasia and Baromyteus."_

"… Me too, Fenrir." Anastasia spoke up. "It's nice to meet you again… After all this time…"

"Yeah…" Baromyteus said. "And… I am sorry that thing has to end like this. I wish that it could end in a better way…"

 _"Speak no more, Baromyteus."_ Fenrir Sr. said. _"We don't have anything else to speak."_

"…" Baromyteus said nothing more and turned back toward the door of the room before he opened it and left the room, with the other eleven members of the Pendragon following him. The two Zoroark, Jormungand and Hel, then followed them, leaving Fenrir Sr. alone in her room.

 _"… Me too, Baromyteus."_ Fenrir Sr. mumbled to herself after the Pendragon and her siblings left the room. _"I, too, wish that thing could end better than this, especially since I failed to save you and Anastasia 33 years ago from the Fallen Dragon's grasp… The story of living creature's existence is truly unfathomable…"_

* * *

 **-Meanwhile… Outside the Room…**

The Pendragon, accompanied by Jormungand and Hel, had just left the room and was now standing in the long hallway again, and the exit of this hall way was, again, located on the other side of it. The Pendragon then prepared to leave when Jormungand spoke up.

 _"I think thisssssss goesssssss without sssssssaying, but I will sssssssssay it, jussssssst in casssssse…"_ Jormungand said with a blunt voice as he turned his attention to the Pendragon. _"I am the chancellor'ssssss younger brother, sssssso… I will alwaysssssss ssssssside with her, and the enemy of her is my enemy too… Do I make mysssssssself clear?"_

 _"… Me too… Being the younger sister of the chancellor…"_ Hel spoke with, again, with an emotionless voice.

"…I get what you mean." Zetarus spoke up. "If I could, I want to side with all of my siblings too…"

"At least you got Freya, Zetarus." Richard said before turning his attention to Baromyteus. "Anyway, Baromyteus, what will we do next?"

"… We will talk about this once we get out of here." Baromyteus answered. He seemed to be less serious than when he was first arrived at the Shadowlost Territory.

"Good." Diego said. "Again, we have three more days to go. Hopefully, there won't be any more trouble while we are here—"

"Kreeen…"

The sound of door opening attracted everyone's attention to the door on the other side of the hallway, which was just opened, and another Pokemon appeared from behind the door and entered the hall way, standing on the opposite side of where the Pendragon was. The Pokemon who had just appeared was… A Charizard. However, he wasn't an ordinary Charizard, but he was a Charizard in a loincloth with several blue tribal tattoos on his body. He was also wielding a spear with the spearhead made from the gemstone that glittered like a burning flame. And if anyone looked closely, they could see that this Charizard had its appearance very similar to Diego, despite him being in the Mega Charizard X form, as this Charizard was none other than…

 _'D… Dinus?!'_

 **To Be Continued…**

* * *

 **Dragon of Vale: Whew… I finish this chapter much sooner than I thought, but I still can't say that this current working speed of mine would be constant…**

 **Anyway, for the story, we are finally in the Shadowlost Territory! Yay! And we also have an introduction of the Zoroark siblings too! And… Look who appear at the end!**

* * *

 **Q &A Session:**

 **Tail 7-2 – Question:** Are you right-handed or left-handed?

 **Answer:**

 **-Korben:** I am right-handed, but I could use my left hand a bit well due to my training.

 **-Claura:** I don't have any hand or paw, and I mostly use my tail as my main appendage, so I guess that I am 'tailed' instead.

 **-Xavier:** Yawn… I am right-handed…

 **-Anastasia:** I am right-handed, but I learned to use both hands when I did the choreography.

 **-Baromyteus:** I don't remember which hand is my preference, because I always use both hands. In other word… I am ambidextrous.

 **-Diego:** I am right-handed, but I can use my left-handed too, because I need a spare hand when I was sent into a battle when my right hand is still injured.

 **-Zetarus:** I am left-handed. I guess it's my second nature to be an outcast, huh?

 **-Rachael:** I am right-handed! It's very useful when I grow and pick berries with my cute little hands!

 **-Richard:** I am right-handed, and I am training to master the use of my left hand in order to show that I am superior to everyone else.

 **-Freya:** I… I am right-handed…

 **-Snow:** I am left-handed. It's quite a struggle when most cooking utensils were designed for the right-handed Pokemon, but as a butler, it's my duty to learn to adapt to it.

 **-Sirius:** … ( **Dragon of Vale:** Sirius was created with the maximum potential to maximize his ability, so Sirius' ambidextrous.)

* * *

 **Question from Ridin Valon:** To Xavier: Would you either sleep for all of eternity or get away from Claura and then, sleep for all of eternity?

 **-Xavier:** Yawn… I could sleep anywhere and anytime I want… But Claura is helpless without me, so I guess I'll have to keep her around here, even if she constantly yells at me… ZZZ… *Sleep*

* * *

 **Question from Parousia45:** To Rachael: Want some cookies? I have a huge pile of them so how many you want, I'll give you.

 **-Rachael:** Yay! Cookie! I want them all! Thank you! *Happily eats the cookie*


	73. Tail 7-3: An Unfortunate Encounter

**A Dragon's Tail**

 **Tail 7: Korben's Tail - Inequity**

 **Tail 7-3: An Unfortunate Encounter**

" _ **You will not gain anything from it, and you will soon lose everything…"**_

"!" Two Pokemon, a Charizard and a Mega Charizard X, both standing on the opposite side of the long hallway, stared at each other. While both didn't let their emotion show much, their heart was bewildered with what they saw across the hallway.

 _"… Are you the ambasssssssssssador from the land of flame and sssssssssstone?"_ Jormungand was the first Pokemon who broke the silent as he approached the Charizard in a tribal cloth and asked him a question.

"… Precisely." Dinus answered as he bowed down in a respective manner to the male Zoroark. "My name is Dinus Novaflare the Charizard. I came here in the name of the king of Fireview Kingdom, King Apollo."

" _I sssssssssee…"_ Jormungand said as he bowed down in the accepting manner to the Charizard. _"The chancellor is waiting for you. Allow me to essssssscort you to her chamber."_

"I'd be honored." Dinus said.

After finished his short conversation with the Charizard, Jormungand turned his attention to the Pendragon and his younger sister, all who were still standing across the hallway, and spoke to her with a loud voice. _"… I leave them in your hand, Hel."_

 _"… Okay."_ Hel nodded to her elder brother as he turned his attention back to the Charizard before turning her attention to the Pendragon. _"… Everyone, let's go…"_

"Okay…" Baromyteus said as he turned his attention to his friends and noticed that two of them weren't acting normally. "What the hell has gotten into you, Diego, Zetarus?"

"… Oh, forgive me." Diego quickly snapped as he responded to the Shiny Haxorus, but it was clearly seen that the Mega Charizard X was staring at the Charizard that was standing across the hallway.

"…" Like Diego, Zetarus' attention was on the Charizard on the other side of the hall too. However, everyone could also see the dark red liquid started dripping from the Garchomp's nose.

"What's wrong with you, Zetarus?" Diego asked.

"… I understand it now…" Zetarus slowly spoke up as his nose continued to bleed, and his attention was still on Dinus. "I understand why I was born with two 'spears'…"

"Sigh… Not again…" Diego grumbled before he slammed his fist on Zetarus' head, causing the Garchomp to rub his head in pain.

"Ouch…" Zetarus mumbled. "I guess I can't have it both ways… Wait, I totally could! Both ways, actually! "

"Enough wasting your time." Baromyteus interrupted. "Everyone, let's get out of here."

The Pendragon, accompanied by Hel, started walking along the hallway toward the exit. Dinus and Jormungand, on the other hand, started walking toward the chancellor's room. Both groups passed each other at the middle point of the hallway, and the Charizard and the Mega Charizard X also passed each other at a close range too…

"…"

"…"

The Charizard and the Mega Charizard X walked pass each other. They neither spoke to nor looked at each other, as if to pretend that each other wasn't there. Dinus and Jormungand then proceeded toward the chancellor's room and entered it, while the Pendragon and Hel exited the hallway.

* * *

 **-Outside Shadowlost City's City Hall…**

 _"… This is it… This is… where we part."_ Hel spoke up with her usual emotionless voice as she and the Pendragon got out of the City Hall. _"I must return to the Newmoon Temple… and continue my duty as the priestess…"_

"… Thank you for escorting us, Lady Hel…" Freya spoke.

 _"Please… You can call me 'Hel'…"_ Hel replied to the Flygon. _"My siblings and I don't like using the honorific title, so… You can drop it when you speak with us… If you want."_

"Fine…" Xavier spoke up and let out a yawn from his mouth.

 _"Also… If you want to pay a visit to the Newmoon Temple… Before that day arrives… You are welcome to do so…"_ Hel continued speaking. _"And… Please be wary of the Shadow Pokemon that appear in the wasteland…"_

"Okay, and thank you!" Rachael said.

 _"Then… May we meet again… In the near future…"_ Hel said as she slowly walked away from the City Hall, leaving the Pendragon in front of the City Hall.

"… Well… I guess that's it… Our first encounter with our target…" Xavier spoke up after Hel had left them. "To be frank, I am disappointed that she didn't get into the action right away. I could use a bit of bloodshed…"

"… If you know her, you will know that back then, she was barely able to restrain herself from getting into the action as I said that I killed her husband." Baromyteus slowly spoke up. "I guess that her role as the chancellor of Shadowlost Territory is what stops her, as it was also the same thing that… tore her away from her husband."

"But that's our least concern right now." Richard spoke up. "Now, we have three days to spare. Xavier, what's your opinion?"

"Yawn… Do whatever each of us wants." Xavier said.

"… Really?" Richard said as he looked at the Dragonite. "That's what you suggest us to do?"

"Actually… That's not a bad idea at all…" Zetarus spoke up. "We don't have anything else to do, so we could spend our time as we want during these three days."

"Agreed." Diego nodded to Zetarus.

"… Now that I think about it… That's… quite a good idea." Richard admitted.

"Then, that's it. Any objection?" Baromyteus said as he looked at his friends, and none of them said anything. "Then, from now on, going back to our base, visiting this nation's landmark or exploring the wasteland. Do whatever you want. We will regroup again three days from now on, at the Newmoon Temple. If any of you don't know where it is, ask around the city. The citizens here is quite friendly, so it won't be hard to get them to help you, assuming that you're smart enough not to speak of our objective of coming here."

"Okay." Everyone nodded to the Shiny Haxorus.

"Also…" Baromyteus continued speaking. "I… I am sorry for acting like a axxxxxe earlier. I was restless when I thought that I have to kill the woman I love, so I want to finish it as soon as possible."

"It's okay." Diego spoke up. "All of us sometimes also act like an axxxxxe too. It's normal to be pxxxxd once in a while, but don't do it too much."

"Yeah." Zetarus said. "But I can act like an axxxxxe in another way too, if you know—OUCH!"

"Hmpt!" Diego grumbled as he landed his fist on Diego's head again.

"Sigh…" Richard let out a sigh as he uncovered Rachael's ears, which he used his paws to cover as Baromyteus started saying a bad words. "Anyway, what will you guys do?"

"For me, you know the answer." Xavier spoke up. "You can find me in a local inn around here, but I won't promise that I will be awake when you come."

"Sigh… Typical Xavier…" Claura mumbled. "For me, I will visit both coasts of this land… The east coast and the west coast, to be exact… And maybe I will go to Venom Island too, if I could withstand its baneful atmosphere."

"For me, I will stay here." Snow spoke up. "I plan to try the local food, drink and tea, and maybe I could learn to make them too."

"Well… Good luck with that." Baromyteus said. "I said this before, but… Shadowlost food isn't what you expect. Remember my words."

"I will." Snow nodded to the Shiny Haxorus.

"… I will be around here too…" Diego spoke up. "I have something to do, and don't ask what it is. I won't tell you even if you ask."

"Can I come too?" Zetarus asked with a voice of a child that asked their parents for a new toy.

"No." Diego answered bluntly.

"Aww… Why not?" Zetarus pretended to be disappointed by Diego's answer. "I promise to be a good boy and be gentle with you and your—OUCH!"

"Don't make me say it again, you fxxxxr." Diego said as he pounded Zetarus' head again.

"Then… I will stay here too… And maybe…" Freya spoke up. However, her concerned voice reminded Zetarus of something…

"Freya." Zetarus said as he looked at his younger sister. "… Don't tell me that you think that we would encounter 'them'?"

"…" Freya answered her brother's question, not with the words, but with a nod.

"Geez… First Diego, and now Freya…" Zetarus mumbled to himself before he spoke up again. "Then, I will stay here too, Freya, and maybe I will help you do what you are trying to do."

"R… Really?" Freya said. "T… Thank you, brother…"

"What about you, Rachael?" Richard spoke up to his younger sister. "Is there any place that you want to visit?"

"Actually…" Rachael spoke up. "This land is so creepy that I don't know where I want to go…"

"If that's so…" Richard continued speaking. "Then, let's visit Cape of No Return together."

"Cape of No Return?" Rachael said. "Is there a place like that in the Valley of No Return?"

"No. Cape of No Return has nothing to do with Valley of No Return." Richard explained. "It's actually a landmark in the Shadowlost Territory, locating north to the Shadowlost City, and we will need to pass through the Darkveil Chasm in order to visit it."

"D… Darkveil Chasm?!" Rachael seemed to be scared when the name of the chasm inhabited by many Ghost type Pokemon was mentioned. "I… Isn't it…"

"We will be fine…" Richard said and showed his sister the Chronicle of Nightmare. "The Chronicle has unlocked several spells that we could use to our safety, such as a spells to repel the wild Pokemon or a spell to expel the Shadow Pokemon from our way."

"Wow! Onii-chan, you are so cool!" Rachael said. "Okay! I will go to that cape with you!"

"Good." Richard nodded to his younger sister. "But for today, let's explore the city first. We will leave tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay!" Rachael said.

"Okay, then… Next…" Baromyteus spoke up and turned his attention to the Type: Null. "Sirius, what will you do?"

"…" Sirius didn't say anything.

"Oh, I forgot that you can speak. Well, then… Do whatever you want…" Baromyteus said before turning his attention to his younger sister. "What about you, Anastasia?"

"… I will stay here too…" Anastasia answered. "I want to reminisce of my old day…"

"You too?" Baromyteus said. "That makes two of us."

"Wait… Reminisce?" Rachael spoke up. "What do you mean by that?"

"… I don't plan to tell any of you this, but since you ask…" Baromyteus slowly answered. "Anastasia and I grew up in this very land, in the land of darkness."

"Grew up here?" Claura said. "But I thought you said that you two have never gone to Shadowlost Territory before— Wait… Now that I think about it… If you haven't visited this place before, how could you open the warp portal to this land in the first place? That portal requires a previous visit to the place we want to go in order to work."

"Simple. By the time that Anastasia and I grew up here, this very land wasn't known as the Shadowlost Territory, but as the Lunar Isle." Baromyteus explained. "You know that Symmetria wasn't like this before the Fallen Crisis messed it up, right? Back then, the entire area of Shadowlost Territory barred Venom Island was the island located to the south of mainland Symmetria named Lunar Isle. That's where we grew up, and the last time we visited this land was before the Fallen Crisis ended, which is before Symmetria was twisted and Lunar Isle became the Shadowlost Territory. That's why I said that I have never been to the Shadowlost Territory, despite that I was able to open the warp portal to it."

"I see…" Diego nodded. "That explains why you know a lot about this place, about the way in that wood, the local food, and that poisonous Black Rose."

"About that Black Rose, it's just that I use to be such a brat and grab everything I found, and I was poisoned by that damn flower a lot." Baromyteus. "But now, after many times of being poisoned by it, my body had already developed an immunity to the Black Rose's poison. I heard that the Pokemon who live here and those who descended from them also have this immunity too."

"That explains why you could hold it and even EAT IT without getting poisoned." Diego said and turned his attention to the female Goodra who stood beside Baromyteus. "And what about you, Anastasia? Are you also immune to the poison of Black Rose?"

"No, I don't think I am…" Anastasia said. "I was always told to stay away from it, so I didn't have any chance to develop an immunity to it."

"… Can I ask something else?" Richard spoke up and looked at Baromyteus. "Baromyteus, how did Anastasia and you end up growing up here? You two don't seem to be native to this place."

"… As some of you may already know, I was exiled from my birthplace since when I was very young because I was born with a bad omen. This place is where I spent most of my early life in, or to be precise, I spent most of my early life in that Skeleton Wood."

"Skele—Wait…" Rachael spoke up. "D… Don't tell me that the rumored monster in that wood."

"… That was me." Baromyteus said. "I was there alone, in that dangerous forest, so I have to do anything in order to survive, even if I have to… degenerate myself. Also, that bone pile you saw was the remnant of my preys whom I had killed."

"…" Rachael didn't say anything, but she involuntarily got away from Baromyteus a bit.

"Anyway… About Anastasia…" Baromyteus continued his story. "Like me, she was forced to leave our birthplace at a young age too, not because of the same reason as mine, but because of a different reason… Anyway, she ended up in my custody. However, back then, I was just a bit more than a Wild Pokemon, and Anastasia was just an infant Goomy, and I don't want her to follow the same path as mine. And that's when… Fenrir appeared."

"!" Everyone was agitated when the name of the Zoroark whom they all had just encountered was brought up. This very same Zoroark was also the one whom Baromyteus called his first love…

"Fenrir... Despite that I was a bloodthirsty Pokemon back then, she still tried to help me and my sister…" Baromyteus closed his eyes and continued his story. "She took Anastasia under her care and raised her as if she was her younger sister, and she also helped me with my bloodthirsty issue too. Back then, she is the only one who didn't fear or hate me… And she continued helping me and Anastasia for more than ten years… With all of these, how can't I not fall in love with her?"

"Brother…" Anastasia said said with a concerned voice as she noticed that the last sentence her brother said was said with a shaking voice, as if he was trying to hold back something…

"… Enough talking about me." Baromyteus said. "Back to our topic. Where did we leave off?"

"We were deciding on what would each of us do next." Richard answered. "And the only one left is…"

Richard ended his words by turning his attention toward Korben. However, the Kommo-o didn't seem to pay his attention to anyone. All he did was gazing into the distant, and he had been doing this since when the Pendragon left the City Hall.

"Korben!" Claura yelled at Korben, causing the Kommo-o to snap and quickly come back to reality.

"Oh! Um… I… I am sorry, everyone…" Korben said as he realized that he didn't pay any attention to what his friends said earlier.

"Sigh… Whatever…" Richard sighed before he continued speaking. "Korben, we have three free days to spare. What will you do?"

"…" Korben didn't answer Richard's question. Instead, his attention was, again, drifted away.

"KORBEN!" Claura shouted into Korben's ears again.

"WHAAA—" Korben'sbody jerked quite a bit as he was suddenly called by the Kingdra again.

"Korben, what's wrong with you?" Diego asked. "You have been spacing out several times today. Focus! You will die if you do this in a battle!"

"… I am sorry, everyone…" Korben replied with a guilty voice. "But… Can you please leave me alone for a while?"

"Korben… Are you okay?" Freya asked with a worried voice. "If you want to tell us something—"

"No… I don't think I have anything to tell you…" Korben replied with a tired voice. "Please… Everyone…"

"… Fine." Richard said. "But remember that most of us will be here, in this Shadowlost City, and we have to go to Newmoon Temple three days from now on…"

"I will remember that…" Korben said before he turned his back and was about to walk away when he spoke up again. "… Thanks, everyone."

After finished speaking, Korben slowly walked away from where the Pendragon was standing and went into the downtown of Shadowlost City, leaving his friends in front of the City Hall.

"… Korben… Your heart… is clouded…" Rachael spoke up. "I wonder… What happened to him? He was… never like this."

"… He has some… struggle to do with himself." Baromyteus answered enigmatically. "And… I guess that this' all. Anything else to say, everyone?"

"Yes." Richard spoke up. "Before I forgot, if anything happens, or if you want to contact everyone else, use your Dragon Relic to contact everyone else, okay?"

"Hm?" Everyone in the Pendragon looked at their Dragon Relics, which was Rachael's Mist Pendant, Richard's Luster Pendant, Zetarus' Ring of Balance, Diego's Ring of Ruins, Claura's Feather Brooch, Xavier's Scale Brooch, Anastasia's Diamond Bracelet and Baromyteus' Pearl Bracelet, after they were mentioned by the Latios. "Oh, now that I remember… You use it to contact us during the Dragon Massacre, right?" Claura spoke up.

"Yes." Richard said. "If any of you need to contact anyone, just ask your Dragon Legend to send the message to the one you want to speak too."

"But Freya, Snow, Sirius and Korben don't have a Dragon Relic, do they?" Rachael spoke up, and she was right, and Freya, Snow, Sirius and Korben, unlike everyone else, hadn't formed a pact with the Legendary Pokemon.

"Don't worry about Freya. She will be with me, so I can help her with that." Zetarus replied.

"For me, I will just be in this city, so I think I will be fine." Snow said.

"…" Sirius didn't say anything. However, everyone had just realized that, even if Sirius had formed a pact with Legendary Pokemon and obtained a Dragon Relic, it won't do anything good as it couldn't speak.

"Then… All that's left is Korben…" Richard said. "But since he already left, and he doesn't want to speak to us right now, I don't think we can do anything."

"Then, that's all…" Baromyteus spoke up. "All right, everyone… See you three days later at the Newmoon Temple. Don't die before then."

After Baromyteus finished his words, eleven Pokemon who stood in front of the City Hall started parting from their friends in order to do what they planned to do, with most of them walking toward the downtown area of Shadowlost Territory. The exception was Claura and Sirius, who both walked toward the exit of Shadowlost City, and Diego, who was still standing in front of the City Hall.

"…" Upon seeing that none of his friends was around here, Diego started approaching the City Hall again. However, instead of going in, Diego moved to the side of the City Hall and continued walking until he reached the area behind the City Hall, which was normally just a small alley formed between the back wall of the City Hall and the wall of Shadowlost City. Normally, no one else would be around here. However, as Diego approached the alley, he soon noticed that there was a Pokemon standing there, with his back leaning toward the city wall, as if he was waiting for someone. This Pokemon was… a Charizard.

"… I know that you would be around here, Dinus." Diego spoke up, turning the Charizard's attention to him.

"And I know that you would come and meet me, Diego." Dinus spoke up as he noticed the presence of the Mega Charizard X.

* * *

 **-Meanwhile…**

 _'What… What happen to me? Am I losing my mind?'_

Korben thought to himself as he was walking alone in the large wasteland of Shadowlost Territory. After leaving his friends, the Kommo-o had been wandering around and left the capital city and entered the Shadowlost Wasteland a while ago. Luckily, there was no one else around him, be the civilized Pokemon, wild Pokemon, or Shadow Pokemon.

 _'Since the moment I came here, to this very land of darkness, I have been feeling very anxious…'_

The Kommo-o thought as he continued wandering aimlessly around the Shadowlost Wasteland. He didn't know where he wanted to go, or when this wandering will end…

 _'At first… I think it's because I am outside Valley of No Return for the first time in my life… But… What I am feeling right now… Is the opposite of that…'_

Korben continued wandering the wasteland, not aware that the distance between him and the Shadowlost City gradually became longer as he continued walking.

 _'Why… Why do I feel like… I don't know… I feel like… This whole land of darkness is… familiar to me… Or maybe… I feel that I am… accustomed to this place?'_

The orange-red sky of Shadowlost Territory, eternal shrouding in twilight, existed above the head of the Kommo-o as he continued his walk, with his mind thinking about his feeling right now…

Until…

"… Hm?"

Korben snapped from his train of thought and looked around himself. This was when he realized that the capital city of Shadowlost wasn't in his sight anymore, and he was now standing in front of a dark wood, the same wood that he had been a few hours ago.

"Is this… the Skeleton Wood?" Korben spoke up as he looked into the haunted forest in front of him. The ominous sight of the dark forest still gave him the goosebumps.

"Oh, no… I have been lost in my thought for this whole time? This isn't good! Korben, focus! Take a deep breath… Yes… Like that…" Korben mumbled to himself as he stopped and took a deep breath. It made him feel much better, and he could focus much better. "Yeah… Now… I need to go back to the Shadowlost City before everyone—"

"WHOOPS!"

"GREEEEEAAAAEAAA!"

"!"

Out of nowhere, several figured appeared from the shadow that veiled over the Skeleton Wood and surrounded the Kommo-o. All of them were the wild Pokemon of all types, but Korben could sense that their hearts were closed, and their bodies were shrouded in the shadowy aura…

In other words, all of them were the Shadow Pokemon, and they were surrounded Korben!

"Gah…. I was careless…" Korben mumbled as he quickly got into a battle stance, as he saw that there was no way for him to escape from this, leaving him with no other choice but to battle!

"GRAAAAA!"

One of the Shadow Pokemon, a Lopunny, started attacking the Kommo-o with the move Jump Kick. Korben quickly reacted by raising his scale-covered paw to block the attack while using his other paw to counterattack!

"Sky Uppercut!" Korben said as he raised his fist upward, punching the Lopunny out of his way with the super effective damage.

"GRAAARR!" Two more Pokemon, a Vanilluxe and a Gogoat, charged at him, trying to hit him while he was dealing with the Lopunny!

"Not a chance! SKY UPPERCUT!" Korben roared as, once again, he used the move Sky Uppercut on both Vanilluxe and Gogoat, knocking them out instantly!

"GRRRAAAA!" This time, three more Pokemon, an Octillery, a Magcargo, and a Magneton, attacked him!

"Grrr… Now I have to…" Korben said as he quickly toughened up his body with the move Iron Defense, drastically raised his defense, and then he folded his arms, preparing for his next attack!

"CLANGING SCALES!" Korben roared as he released several blue shock waves from his body, knocking out the Pokemon that tried to attack him out of his way. However, the effect of using the move Clanging Scales caused his defense to be lowered a bit, but it was not much of a problem for him as he had already used the move Iron Defense to raise his defense earlier.

"Damn…" Korben mumbled as he looked around and tried to grasp the situation. While he was able to knock six Pokemon out already, there were still many more Pokemon left, and he wasn't sure if he would be able to deal with all of them before his strength ran out...

"I… I have too…" Korben mumbled as he braced him in order to prepare for the next attack…

But then…

 _"Dark Pulse!"_

Before Korben could do anything, he heard a voice of someone, and it was followed by the pulse of darkness being released from somewhere behind him, knocking out half of the Pokemon that were surrounding him instantly!

"Wha—"

"WHOOSH!"

"!"

Out of nowhere, like when a group of Shadow Pokemon appeared, a figure of Pokemon suddenly jumped down from nowhere and landed just behind him, with their back facing the back of the Kommo-o! Korben then quickly turned back and saw that the Pokemon who had just appeared was… a Zoroark…

"W… Who are you?!" Korben quickly asked.

 _"Don't ask right now!"_ The Zoroark answered without turning back to face Korben. _"For now, if you still want to live, focus on survival!"_

"G… Got it!" Korben said as he quickly turned his attention to his opinions in front of him, who seemed to be eager to strike him down!

 _"… You'll regret messing up with me…"_ The Zoroark said as he raised his weapon, preparing for another round of battle!

* * *

With the help of the mysterious Zoroark, the battle was much easier to handle for Korben. The Zoroark seemed to focus on offensive, so Korben sometimes had to help defending the Zoroark from the Shadow Pokemon that tried to attack the Zoroark off-guard, but in the end, the battle finally came to the end with the victory of the Kommo-o and the Zoroark and the death of many Shadow Pokemon…

"Whew…" Korben wiped his forehead after the last Shadow Pokemon was eliminated, leaving several corpses of Shadow Pokemon around him.

 _"… And again, the shadows return to the place where they belong, to the depth of the darkness…"_ The Zoroark mumbled before turning his face to face Korben. With this, Korben was finally able to get a good look of the Zoroark that helped him.

Despite being the fourth Zoroark he met today, Korben could still see a difference between this Zoroark and the three Zoroark he met earlier. First, this Zoroark had a masculine face and a masculine voice, and his face looked much younger than all other Zoroark he met. Still, this Zoroark seemed to be a bit older than the Kommo-o, about ten years older than him.

"Thank you so much for helping me." Korben said as he saw the Zoroark looking at him.

 _"… Well… What do we have here?"_ The Zoroark started his sentence with a voice that showed a bit of amazement as he was able to get a good look of the Kommo-o, before he continued his sentence with a sinister voice. _"If I remember correctly… Your kind is very rare, being a Dragon type Pokemon… However… You are a Fighting type Pokemon, and yet you are here, in the land of darkness…"_

"Wait, what?" Korben quickly spoke up after the Zoroark finished his words. He didn't expect this kind of sentence from the Pokemon that had just saved him. "I… I can see about the Dragon type part, but what's with the Fighting type part? What's wrong for me, a Fighting type Pokemon, to be here?"

 _"Oh? Either you are ignorant… Or you also claim this very land that your kind despises as your own too…"_ The Zoroark continued speaking with the ominous voice. _"Either way… Tell me… Why are you here, in the place where most Pokemon wouldn't even dare to speak its name, let alone getting near it… And yet…"_

"W… What about you?!" Korben said with a shaking voice. "And what are you doing here, in a dangerous place like this?"

 _"Oh? That's completely right…"_ The Zoroark spoke with the sarcastic voice. _"I guess that, if there was a dangerous place where no one else would get there in your land, and I just HAPPEN to be in your land, five kilometers away from that dangerous place, you and your kind would suspect me and immediately arrest me for being suspicious… I see what you mean there…"_

"W… Why are you saying something like that?!" Korben was confused after hearing the words of this Zoroark. "Everyone is equal to each other, and what you said earlier is strongly against this! I don't understand why something like happen would! If you committed a crime, then you must be punished, but if you didn't, then there is no reason at all to arrest you! I don't understand what you are trying to say!"

 _"… A Fighting type Pokemon… Talking about equality?"_ The Zoroark looked at me with the expression of unbelief. _"Wait a minute… Where did you come from? Did you come from the Theocracy of Venturnome?"_

"No. I know almost nothing about that land you mentioned." Korben answered half of the questions that he was asked, and he prayed that he didn't have to tell the Zoroark exactly where he came from.

 _"… I see…"_ The Zoroark spoke up again, this time, with a much less ominous voice. _"… Then… I'm sorry for being… unpleasant toward you… I was just being a bit too… secured with myself."_

"What do you mean by that?" Korben asked again. "Is there something about me being a Fighting type Pokemon that you don't like?"

 _"… I see that you are cursed with ignorance… But maybe it's a blessing in disguise…"_ The Zoroark answeredbefore turning his attention to the corpses of Shadow Pokemon around him. _"Well then… I was just happening to be around here, basking in the solitude of Shadowlost's eternal twilight, just like what I always did… When these things tried to attack me… And then I saw you being attacked by them, so I tried to be a decent Pokemon and helped you. Are you satisfied with this answer?"_

"Um… Yes, I guess…" Korben answered. "And for me… I was just having something in my mind, so I left my friends in order to be alone… And the next thing I know is that I am here…"

 _"Ah… Not only the ignorance, I see that you are also blessed with the gift of luck too…"_ The Zoroark said. _"Right now, Shadowlost Wasteland is much more dangerous than before due to the Shadow Pokemon that started spawning this area…"_

"What do you mean?" Korben asked.

 _"Hm… Three years ago and back then, Shadow Pokemon is a rare sign in this land of darkness, but after that day… The day when the twilight sky was tainted by the shadow… Shadow Pokemon started spawning everywhere in this land… And their number had gradually increased…."_ The Zoroark answered.

"T… Three years ago?! The day when the twilight sky was tainted by the shadow?!" Korben repeated the words he had just heard, and his memory started flooding his mind, about the sky that suddenly turned dark, even when it was still daytime, following by the brutal battle that he tried not to think about, as it was the same battle that caused him to lose everything in his life.

 _"… You remember that day, right?"_ The Zoroark continued speaking. _"The sun that usually shined over the continent of Symmetria was tainted by the veil of darkness, as if the demon lord of shadow was devouring the archangel of light, and the twilight of Shadowlost wasn't an exception either… For me, while I adore the darkness, I still found that day… a cursed day…"_

"A… cursed day…" Korben repeated the words he had just heard. For the Kommo-o, he fully agreed with the Zoroark that the day when the sky suddenly turned dark was indeed a cursed day, but why did this Zoroark also think the same as him? "… Did something happen to you on that day?"

"… After that day, I never aged." The Zoroark answered.

"Never age?" Korben seemed not to fully understand what it meant.

 _"… I don't know why, but apparently, my age hasn't increased since that cursed day, three years ago…"_ The Zoroark answered. _"I was 24 three years ago, and my current age is still the same as a 24-year-old Zoroark. I don't know what happens to me, but the age of mine was sealed since that day …"_

"You too…" Korben said. While the Kommo-o and the other members of the Pendragon also didn't age since three years ago, it was because they were trapped in the barrier that covered the entire Valley of No Return, the same barrier that saved their life at the exchange of three whole years. However, this Zoroark wasn't in the same situation as he, and yet he still didn't age? How could that possible?

 _"You… also didn't age since that day?"_ The Zoroark said with an unbelievable voice. _"Strange… I have known some… 'peculiar' Pokemon that also shared the same fate as me too, and I don't think that you are also included in that 'peculiar' case…"_

"What is that peculiar case you mentioned?" Korben asked.

 _"… I spoke about those who hold the Blood of Legend in their veins…"_ The Zoroark answered. _"All that possessed the Blood of Legend in their veins I know also didn't age since the cursed day, three years ago… All of them are the inheritors of Blood of Legend, and all of them, like me, didn't age since that day, three years ago… And… Pardon my rudeness, but I don't think that you are in the same case as us…"_

"…Blood of Legend… Wait…" Korben said as he had just realized something. This Zoroark spoke about him having the Blood of Legend, and earlier today, Korben had just met the chancellor of Shadowlost Territory, who, being the current Heroine of Dark type, also possessed the Blood of Legend…

Which meant…

"… Are you related to the chancellor of Shadowlost Territory?" Korben asked.

 _"If you want to know about someone, isn't it proper to give your name first?"_ The Zoroark asked.

"Okay…" Korben said. "My name is Korben Forcenter the Kommo-o. I am… just an ordinary warrior from… my village."

 _"Korben? Ah… I see that you were named after the avian of darkness…"_ The Zoroark said. _"It's quite an unusual name for a Fighting type Pokemon, but I like how it sounds, though…"_

"And what about you? What's your name?" Korben asked.

 _"… As for me, I was named after the binding wolf of darkness, which is also the name of my mother…"_ The Zoroark said. _"My name is Fenrir Illunight Jr. the Zoroark. As you said earlier, I am the son of the current chancellor of Shadowlost Territory, as well as the heir to the throne of the land of darkness."_

* * *

 **Meanwhile… Somewhere else in the Shadowlost Territory…**

"Great… Just where did that Mega Charizard X go?" Zetarus mumbled to himself as he walked along the street of Shadowlost City. It had been several hours since the Pendragon dismissed themselves. During this time, Zetarus spent his time with his younger sister, Freya, by walking around the capital city of the land of darkness, in hope of finding their siblings. After several hours of doing so, Freya showed an obvious sign of tiredness, so Zetarus dropped her at the local inn in order to let her get some rest. For himself, Zetarus continued walking around the capital city, in hope that he would encounter his friends. Beside Freya, he had encountered Xavier, who was still sleeping at the local inn, Snow, who was visiting the local teahouse in order to try the local tea, Rachael and Richard, who were also walking around the city too, and Anastasia and Baromyteus, who were stopping at the central plaza of the city in order to have their lunch.). He didn't expect to encounter Sirius, Claura and Korben, as all of them had left the city and hadn't returned yet, according to Rachael and Richard. And so, the only one who should be around here, and Zetarus was yet able to meet was Diego.

Though… Zetarus was not unexpected that he wouldn't run into the Mega Charizard X.

"… I guess both of them left the city in order to get some time for themselves…" Zetarus sighed as he finally gave up searching for Diego. Right now, he was in a general store. He stopped here to buy some bullets for his pistol. "Too bad… I wish I could join them, and we could have a threesome…"

Zetarus scrolled through the shelves of the store, finding what he was looking for. Thanked to his time with Rachael and Richard, Zetarus, as well as Diego, was now able to read some words that he couldn't before, but he was still having a hard time understanding some of the more complex words.

"I think this is what I want…" Zetarus said as he picked a box containing bullets for pistol from the shelf. "Now… It's time to leave and—"

 _"I told you that I would be fine, Natasha!"_

"!" Zetarus almost dropped the box of bullets in his paw as he heard a rough, masculine voice coming from the next aisle of the store. The reason why his reaction was like this was because he could recognize the voice and the name that appeared in what this voice said.

 _"Largo, don't be so reckless! Venom Island is a treacherous place for a non-Poison type Pokemon like you!"_

Another voice was heard from the next aisle. This time, it was a soft, feminine voice in contrast of the first one. Like the former, Zetarus also recognized the voice, as well as the name that appeared in what the voice said too.

"…" Zetarus carefully walked from where he was to the next aisle, and, as he expected, he found two Pokemon standing there, both looking at the shelf and trying to decide on what to buy. One of them was a male Alolan Marowak while the other one was a female Dragalge, and both of them didn't seem to realize that they were eyed by another Pokemon…

"I will be fine! I am much tougher than everyone else!" Largo said as he still looking at the shelves in front of him. "I have already seen worse, and going to Venom Island won't be much worse too!"

"This is an entirely different case, Largo." Natasha scolded her younger brother as she picked some objects that she wished to buy. "Fenrir also said that Venom Island is the most dangerous spot in Shadowlost Territory, other than the c—"

"Achhhh!" Zetarus suddenly felt a need to sneeze, so he had to suppress it in order not to sneeze and let Natasha and Largo know that he was here, which cause him to miss the last past of Natasha's sentence thought.

"Speaking of Prince Fenrir Jr., won't he come with us to Venom Island and Darkveil Chasm?" Largo asked. Neither he nor Natasha seemed to notice the presence of the Garchomp here.

"He said that he has to watch out for the sudden increase of Shadow Pokemon in the Shadowlost Wasteland, so he won't come with us." Natasha answered. "It's a shame that neither he nor Terrus is able to come with us. Both of them only had a chance to meet each other during the ceremonial occasions. I am sure that they will get along very well with each other if they are met in the casual occasion."

"Yeah. Their ages are just one year apart from each other, after all." Largo said.

"… Hehehe…" Hearing the name of his elder brother gave Zetarus a crafty idea of something. He then slowly sneaked behind Natasha and Largo, carefully not to let them notice his presence.

"And speaking of Terrus…" Largo continued speaking. "Do you think there's anything between Terrus and that retainer of him… What was his name again? Soryl?"

"Largo… Again with your idea of shipping everyone you met…" Natasha said.

"Trust me, Natasha. I am quite sure about it this time." Largo said. "Terrus and Soryl seem too close to be just a prince and a retainer or two friends. Not that I am jealous or anything, but Terrus seems to be closer to Soryl than either you or me, Natasha. Maybe that Aerodactyl is Terrus' type…"

 _"Actually, I prefer someone of the same specie as mine, such as Zetarus."_

"Ha! I never thought that you actually prefer that rascal Zetarus, Terrus." Largo replied to the voice he had just heard as he continued picking the things he wanted to buy from the shelf.

"Wait a minute…" Natasha spoke up, turning the attention of the Alolan Marowak to her. "Terrus isn't here, Largo. He stayed behind at the Dustorm Empire."

"Oh, that's right… Wait…" Largo said as he, as well as Natasha, had just realized something.

A second ago, both Natasha and Largo heard a voice that resembled their eldest brother's, so Largo answered without thinking out of familiarity. But now, both he and Natasha had just realized that his eldest brother wasn't here. So…

Who was talking earlier?!

"…" Natasha and Largo looked at each other with a blank look on their face before they slowly turned their attention to where the voice they heard came from. This was when both of them noticed the presence of another Pokemon, who stood behind both of them. This Pokemon was, like their eldest brother, a Garchomp. However, the body type of this Garchomp was different from their eldest brother and was more resembled to their father. This Garchomp also had an eye patch on one of their eyes, just like their father… Except that… Their father was already dead…

… Which meant that this Garchomp could be none other than…

"Z… ZETARUS?!"

* * *

 **-Meanwhile… Somewhere in the Shadowlost Wasteland…**

"It has been three years since you fell into that lava pit, Diego." Dinus spoke to the Mega Charizard X that was sitting beside him. "And now… Which pit of blue tar have you fallen into this time?"

"It's a long story, Dinus." Diego answered.

Under the vermillion twilight of Shadowlost Territory, the twin brothers were sitting next to each other under a dead tree in the Shadowlost Wasteland. After being separated for 3 whole years, Diego and Dinus were finally reunited with each other, and both of them had so many things to share with each other. So, they left Shadowlost City and found a quiet and private place to speak with each other without any prying eyes.

"You have got to tell me about that." Dinus said. "I am free during these couple days, so I have a plenty of time to listen to your story."

"Sure. I am free during the next two days too." Diego said. "Anyway, what are you doing here? I never expect to encounter you in a place like this."

"I was sent here as the ambassador of Fireview Kingdom by King Apollo." Dinus answered. "After getting rid of that bastard Orion, Apllo, Artemis and I think that it's time to rebuild a diplomatic relationship with other nations. It went smoothly with Riverbrine and a bit roughly with Civilight, Leafburg and Venturnome due to the commotion within their nation. However, we never hear anything from Shadowlost, and it's understandable because of what Fireview did to Shadowlost during the Bloodmoon War, and so, Apollo decided to send an ambassador to Shadowlost, and me, being the son of Shadowlost's chancellor's old friend, was appointed to do this job."

"I see…" Diego nodded to his twin brother's words.

"What about you, Diego?" Dinus asked. "What the hell are you doing here? And what happens after you fell into that lava pit? How did you survive that fall?"

"One question at a time, Dinus." Diego said. "For the reason why I am here, I am here to… kill the chancellor."

"What?!" Dinus looked at his twin brother with an unbelievable on his face. "Did you hit your head when you fell into that lava pit?! Why the hell would you do that?"

"Again, it's a long story." Diego said. "But let me tell you one thing, no matter what you say, I won't change my mind, and I won't let you stop me from doing this, even if you are standing in my way."

"… I must hear what you have to say first about this before I decide." Dinus said.

"Thanks for being reasonable." Diego said. "Also—"

"I know. Whatever you have to say, I won't tell anybody else about it." Dinus spoke up before Diego could finish his words, as if he was able to read what Diego had in his mind.

"... You are my twin brother, after all…" Diego said before he remembered something. He then reached his paw into his pocket and picked something up. "And before I forget, this is for you, Dinus. It's a gift from me, your twin brother."

Diego threw something from his paw to Dinus, who was able to catch it. The Charizard then took a look at it. It was a small round object that resembled a glass marble, with the orange and yellow curved marks inside it. Just holding it in his paw gave the Charizard and strange but vigorous feeling. By all of this, Dinus immediately realized what this object was…

"… Seriously?" Dinus said as he looked at his twin brother. "You are giving me this? Are you dumb or stupid?"

"Neither of them." Diego answered. "I found it in the stones of ore that was dug from an underground mine, and when I ask my friend about it, and he told me that it's a very rare and valuable trinket. However, it won't be useful to anyone who isn't a Charizard. With me being like this, I can't use it too, and there's only one Charizard I know in my life who isn't dead yet."

"That's the reason for giving it to me?!" Dinus said as he looked at the Charizardite Y in his paw that was given to him by Diego earlier. "Don't you afraid that your act of giving this to me will one day—"

"I know." Diego interrupted Dinus' words. "However, if that day arrives, I will be the one who will take a full responsible about it, if you know what I mean."

"… Fine, and thanks for this gift." Dinus said as he put away the Charizardite Y. "I hope that the day when it happens will never come, despite knowing that it's impossible…"

"True…" Diego said as he looked into the vermilion sky above his head. "But still… It's nice to see you again, my brother."

"Likewise, my brother." Dinus said as he turned his head up and, along with Diego, looked at the twilight in the sky.

 **To Be Continued…**

* * *

 **Dragon of Vale: I think this chapter goes on quite slowly, and it's full of many detail and explanation, especially about the sudden appearance of the Shadow Pokemon that was foreshadowing earlier…**

 **Korben acted a bit strange in this chapter… And he got himself into a trouble too! Either way, he was able to survive with a help of a mysterious Zoroark, who turned out to be the son of the chancellor, Fenrir Jr. Also, Diego and Dinus finally reunited after being separated for three years, and at the end of the chapter, Zetarus encountered his siblings, Natasha and Largo…**

* * *

 **Q &A Session:**

 **Tail 7-3 – Question:** What's your blood type? (Assuming that Pokemon share their blood type with human.)

 **Answer:**

 **-Korben:** My blood type is O. I think that's the most common one out there, right? I don't know much about the outside world to be sure about that…

 **-Claura:** Mine's B. One of my grandparents has the blood type of AB and the other one has O, and it's my line that inherits the B side while Xavier's line inherits the A side instead.

 **-Xavier:** ZZZ… Look at Claura's answer… ZZZ… *Sleep*

 **-Anastasia:** I have the blood type of A-. Yes… My brother and I both have the Rh negative blood, as both parents of us also have the Rh negative blood too. If I remember correctly, our mother has O- while our father has AB-.

 **-Baromyteus:** As Anastasia said, mine's B-. This is one reason why Anastasia and I don't try to lose too much blood when we enter a battle, as it's very hard to find another Rh negative blood for us, and Anastasia's blood and my blood aren't compatible with each other, so we can't transfer our blood to each other.

 **-Diego:** My blood type is O. I got blood transfer a lot back when I was in the arena after I injured myself in a battle, so I must make sure not to make a mistake about my blood type, as I can't get blood transfer from anyone else who doesn't have the blood type of O.

 **-Zetarus:** I think mine's AB. It's a shame that I can't give my blood to almost anyone else, especially Diego, as I want him to have a part of mine in his body… Whatever, I will just get his blood in my body instead. *Get punched by Diego*

 **-Rachael:** I have the blood type of O, so I can give my blood to anyone! Yay!

 **-Richard:** *Look at Rachael* Rachael… While both you and me have the blood type of O, we still can't give our blood to Anastasia and Baromyteus, because we have the Rh positive blood while they have the Rh negative blood, which means that we have the antigen of— *Get his mouth covered by everyone else*

 **-Freya:** Like Rachael, Richard and Korben, I also have the blood type of O too. Also, I think it's amazing that almost none of my siblings share their blood type with each other…

 **-Snow:** I have the blood type of O. I can see that, other than being the most common blood type in the world, it's also the most common blood type in our group too.

 **-Sirius:** … ( **Dragon of Vale:** Sirius has the blood type of AB.)

* * *

 **Question from Ridin Valon:** To Zetarus: "Heads or Tails?"

 **-Zetarus:** Tails, of course! *Chomp on Diego's tail*

 **-Diego:** GYAAAAAAHHHHHH!

* * *

 **Question from Parousia45:** To Diego: Did you know that someone made a romance fanfiction about you and Zetarus? The writer also put the "Spear" innuendos in it.

 **-Diego:** *While trying to get Zetarus away from his tail* W… WHAT THE HELL?! This isn't funny! You are taking this too far! Stop shipping me with that axxxxxe bastard!

 **-Zetarus:** *Let Diego's tail from his mouth* Someone did that?! Get me one copy! Also, the next time, we could invite your twin brother and we could have a threesome—

 **-Diego:** Enough of your bxxxxxxt! *Hit Zetarus' head*


	74. Tail 7-4: The Crow's Anxiety

**A Dragon's Tail**

 **Tail 7: Korben's Tail - Inequity**

 **Tail 7-4: The Crow's Anxiety**

" _ **Even the victory you seek will be too far beyond your grasp…"**_

 _"… Oh, we're back here…"_

Fenrir Jr.'s voice drew the attention of the Kommo-o from his train of thought to his surroundings, and he soon found that he was now standing at the gate of Shadowlost City. It happened a few hours after the encounter in the Skeleton Wood, and the Kommo-o and the Zoroark decided to go back to the Shadowlost City together, because if they encountered the Shadow Pokemon, they would have a much higher chance to win, as their fighting style greatly covered each other's weak point.

"I see…" Korben mumbled as he noticed the gate of the Shadowlost City right in front of him.

 _"… You seem to be lost in your own thought…"_ Fenrir Jr. spoke up as he observed the Kommo-o beside him.

"I am just thinking about… something…" Korben said.

 _"That answer of yours only piqued my curiosity even further…"_ Fenrir Jr. said. _"But I won't incline to learn anything more about this, because, as much as it is a virtue, curiosity is also a sin too... It could enlighten a living creature… Or lead them to their demise…"_

"What do you mean—" Korben was about to ask the Zoroark to clarify his words when something else drew the attention of both of them from the conversation.

"RIIIIINNGGGG! RANNNNNGGGG!"

 _"Hm?"_ Fenrir Jr. turned his attention toward the source of the voice he had just heard, which was none other than a big clock tower that was located at the center of Shadowlost City. The clock tower was built from some kind of black marble, giving it a mysterious but charming looking, and the sound of bell coming from the clock tower was as ominous as the environment of the land of darkness.

"What was that?" Korben asked as the sound of the bell stopped.

 _"It was the sound played by the bell inside the clock tower. The bell rung twice a day in order to indicate the current time."_ Fenrir Jr. said. _"It seems like it was now 18 o'clock… And the next time that the bell will ring is twelve hours from now on…"_

"I can see that…" Korben understood the purpose of the bell and the clock tower. Because Shadowlost Territory is always constantly shrouded in twilight and darkness, there was no way to tell the time by looking at the sky, so the clock tower played an important role in telling the time to the townsfolk, as well as to the travelers.

 _"Anyway, I think it's time for me to return to my home…"_ Fenrir Jr. said as he turned his attention to Korben. _"And… I think it's time for us to part way…"_

"It seems so… And… Fenrir Jr." Korben said. He decided not to call Fenrir Jr. using his title as the 'prince' of Shadowlost Territory as he somewhat remembered that the Zoroark of the Illunight family didn't like to be called by their title. "… Thank you for everything today, including saving my hide."

 _"The pleasure is mine too, especially after finding that you are… a decent companion…"_ Fenrir Jr. said. _"Also… Be careful out there… The land of darkness is a dangerous place, but don't let it stop you from basking in its dark beauty…"_

"Okay… I will remember that…" Korben said.

 _"Then… Farewell for today, Korben. If you stay alive, then we may encounter each other again…"_ Fenrir Jr. said before he suddenly disappeared from Korben's sight. While it may seem like he had vanished into the air, Korben knew that the Zoroark had just jumped away to somewhere else, just like when he suddenly appeared to help the Kommo-o in the Skeleton Wood earlier.

"… I guess I will find something to eat before I call it a day…" Korben said as he started to feel hungry, as he hadn't eaten anything since the morning because he forgot to have lunch due to many things that happened today. The Kommo-o then walked into the capital city of darkness.

As he walked along the street of the capital of darkness, Korben could sense many sights of the Pokemon in the city gazing at him, most which were the eyes full with skeptical. While it made the Kommo-o uncomfortable, it was understandable why he received such a sight like that, considering the reaction he got from his meeting with Fenrir Jr. earlier.

"…" Korben tried to ignore the feeling of being gazed all the time, which was actually not hard for him to do as he had been getting this feeling since he first arrived at the land of darkness…

"Welcome!"

Koren's attention was shifted as he realized that he had just opened the door to a local bistro, and he was greeted by a waitress, who was a Mandibuzz.

"Um… Hi…" Korben had just realized that, while it was his intention to find a place to eat, this was the first time for him to visit a place like this, as there was no restaurant or shop like this in his village. The Kommo-o then looked around the bistro, and he wasn't sure what to do next until…

"Hm? Korben! Over here!"

"?" Korben turned his attention to the familiar voice and saw Snow, Freya, Rachael and Richard sitting at one of the tables, and Rachael was calling the Kommo-o to sit with them.

"Hello, everyone." Korben said as he approached the table and sat down between Snow and Freya. "How was your day in this city?"

"It's great!" Rachael said. "Onii-chan and I took a little tour around the city. At first, everyone in the town seems skeptical about us, but they turn out to be very friendly!"

"It's understandable. After all, we both are Psychic type, a type that's native to the Theocracy of Venturnome, and most Pokemon of Theocracy of Venturnome considered the Pokemon of Shadowlost Territory as a 'sin' or 'demon spawn'. That makes the townsfolk skeptical about us because they aren't sure about our opinion about them." Richard explained before turning his attention to Korben. "Remember when we were having a meeting a few days ago, and I told you that I will tell you something about this land? This is it, Korben."

"I see." Korben nodded as this made him understand the action of Fenrir Jr. a bit more. The Kommo-o then turned his attention to Snow and Freya. "What about both of you? How was your day in this city?"

"I... just wandered around the city until I was tired and decided to stop." Freya answered. "That's when I met Snow, who suggested that we should stop by the local bistro, and then Rachael and Richard came a few minutes before you came, Korben."

"As a butler, I am experiencing the local cuisine of this land." Snow explained. "And I found that the cuisines that were crafted in this land are exotic, yet wonderful."

"Anyway…" Rachael spoke up. "Onii-chan is about to tell us the history of the Shadowlost Territory. Korben, will you join us?"

"Of course." Korben nodded in agreement. After all, he should try to learn a bit more about the land he was currently in.

"… I am quite certain that you won't understand some parts of this story due to your lack of knowledge regarding the continent of Symmetria, Korben." Richard mumbled. "Anyway, let's start with the Fallen Crisis… After that, seven nations were found on the continent of Symmetria. Five of them, Theocracy of Venturnome, Principality of Leafburg, Fireview Kingdom, Republic of Civilight and Dustorm Empire, still exist until today. Two of them, however, ceased to exist during the first decades of its founding. They are the Confederacy of Riverbrine and the Queendom of Snowlost, with the Misveil Mountain Range as a natural border between two. Both nations were engaged in the War of the Snowlost Peninsula 25 years ago, with the Queendom of Snowlost as the victor, and both nations were merged together to become today's Queendom of Riverbrine."

"What does the story of War of the Snowlost Peninsula have to do with the Shadowlost Territory?" Rachael asked.

"Much." Richard answered. "Before War over the Snowlost Peninsula, the area of Shadowlost Territory was part of the old Queendom of Snowlost. However, due to the different between its geography, culture and climate, Shadowlost Territory at that time was more like the Special Administrative Region of Queendom of Snowlost. There was little to no presence of influence of Queendom of Snowlost in the Shadowlost Territory, but the land of darkness was still technically part of the Queendom of Snowlost."

"Now that you mention it…" Freya spoke up. "I have always wondered why Shadowlost Territory, being located to the north to the Queendom of Riverbrine, is warmer than the snowy nation. Shouldn't it be colder considered that it's located to the north, as well as being the land where the sun never rise?"

"That's because its terrain." Richard said. "There is a subterranean lava stream under the area of Shadowlost Territory, just like the one in our team base. This lava stream stretches from the Fireview Kingdom across the sea to the Shadowlost Territory. Also, there are several undersea volcanos under the sea between Fireview Kingdom and Shadowlost Territory, and they release ash and toxic gas to the sea, making this sea very acidic, which affects the nearby land and drastically changes a major island located on it into what we known as Venom Island today. For the Shadowlost Territory, because of the lack of the volcanos, the land is spared from the noxious nightmare, and the heat generated from the lava stream underground is enough to prevent the land of darkness to be turned into the Queendom of Riverbrine 2.0. However, due to the factors mentioned earlier by Freya, the land of darkness still doesn't have a scorching climate like the Fireview Kingdom, but its climate and atmosphere, coupled with the fact that this land is shrouded in the eternal twilight and darkness, still make the land of darkness an ideal haven for the Dark type and Ghost type Pokemon."

"O… Okay…" Everyone responded as they were trying to grasp the words spoken by the Latios.

"Either way, let's continue." Richard continued speaking. "After the forming of Queendom of Riverbrine, the residents of the land of darkness desire their land to be independent from the land of snow and water as Shadowlost Territory was never truly the part of the Queendom of Snowlost in the reality. However, they feared that declaring their independence would cause another war and bloodshed with the Queendom of Riverbrine, especially since the Queendom of Riverbrine had just won the War of the Snowlost Peninsula. All of this made this situation a dilemma for the people of the land of darkness."

"If that's so, then how did the people of Shadowlost Territory gain their liberation?" Rachael asked.

"… All of this was thanks to the current chancellor of Shadowlost Territory, Chancellor Fenrir Illunight Sr. the Zoroark." Richard answered. "She received the news of this dilemma from the Pokemon of Shadowlost Territory. This whole thing summoned her to the land of darkness, and—"

"Summon?" Korben spoke up. "Didn't the chancellor live in the land of darkness in the first place?"

"Don't ask me that question. Where the chancellor lived beforehand is her private affair, and I won't use the chronicle to dig into other people's privacy." Richard said. "Either way, the chancellor coming to the land of darkness was like a blessing upon the land of darkness, and she was able to declare their independence without any war or bloodshed, and with the approval of the Queendom of Riverbrine too."

"How?" Rachael asked.

"… You remember that the chancellor is the Heroine of Darkness, one of fourteen Hero/ine of Legend that saved Symmetria from the Fallen Crisis 33 years ago, right?" Richard said. "And… The ruler of the Queendom of Riverbrine by that time was the war heroine of the War of the Snowlost Penisula, as well as… one of fourteen Hero/ine of Legend that saved Symmetria from the Fallen Crisis, just like the chancellor."

"You mean Queen Nyxier?" Rachael asked.

While Rachael's question was an easy question without much context, it gave a different reaction to everyone. Korben was confused as he didn't know much about Symmetria, Richard had a poker face as he silently nodded. Freya seemed a bit uncomfortable with the mention of the name of the late queen of Riverbrine. Snow, on the other hand…

"Queen… Nyxier... ?" Snow mumbled slowly, as if this name awoke something in his blank memory. "… What kind of Pokemon… is she?"

"… She's an Aurorus." Richard answered with an unusually plain voice.

"… And where is she… right now?" Snow asked. "Is she… still the queen of Riverbrine…?"

"… Let's continue the story." Richard decided to change the subject, as he somewhat learned about Snow's heritage from Baromyteus and Anastasia earlier. "Being an old friend with the queen of Riverbrine, the chancellor was able to have a meeting with the queen, and she requested the queen to give the independence to the land of darkness with various reasons, such as the drastically difference of cultures and terrain, the land of darkness was never part of Queendom of Snowlost in the first place, and the Queendom of Snowlost had just annexed the land of old Confederacy of Riverbrine into itself, so the newly-formed Queendom of Riverbrine might not have enough power for its whole land, and thus giving the land of darkness an independence would be a better choice. Surprisingly, the queen of Riverbrine didn't protest the chancellor's request, and more importantly, the queen of Riverbrine also revealed that she had always planned to give the land of darkness their independence. The only thing that prevented her from doing so was because she was worried if the land of darkness would be strong enough to prosper on their own without the support of the Queendom."

"Wow… That's just like what… Empress Sharon used to say… When she was still alive…" Freya commented.

"… Either way, the queen of Riverbrine decided to allow the land of darkness to gain their independence, and thus, Shadowlost Territory was born one year after the War of the Snowlost Peninsula, or 24 years ago." Richard said. "With her effort, the chancellor was voted to be the ruler of the newly-formed Shadowlost Territory. However, the chancellor refused and asked the old leader of the land of darkness to be Shadowlost's lord instead. She, however, still accepted her people's request and became the chancellor of Shadowlost Territory."

"So, that's all about the founding of Shadowlost Territory, huh?" Korben said despite that he still didn't understand some parts of it. "I am surprised that you know a lot about this, especially the part when the chancellor met the queen or whatsoever."

"Don't underestimate the wisdom of the holder of the chronicle, Korben." Richard said. "At first, the native Pokemon of Shadowlost Territory only consisted of the Dark type and Ghost type Pokemon. However, two years after its founding, the Shadowlost Territory had welcomed the refugees of War of Jasmine, all which were the Poison type Pokemon from the Principality of Leafburg. The chancellor then gave the Venom Island as the new home to the refugees as that island has the perfect condition for the Poison type Pokemon to live, and that's why Poison type Pokemon are now a common sight in this land, along with Dark type and Ghost type Pokemon."

"Wait a minute…" Rachael said. "First is War of the Snowlost Peninsula, and next is War of Jasmine… So, the next one is—"

"… Right. The Bloodmoon War." Richard spoke again, this time, with a grim voice. "Being a newly-found nation, Shadowlost Territory was the first target of Fireview Kingdom, which was under the influenced of the Republic of Civilight by that time, and… Being located near the west coast of the land of darkness, Venom Island was the first target of Fireview Kingdom, as well as the first battlesite."

"…" Everyone carefully listened to the Latios. However, for some reason, Korben started to feel anxious as the story reached this part.

"… But in the end, Bloodmoon War was finally able to come to the end." Noticing Korben's action, Richard decided to skip the story of Bloodmoon War as it involved the story of the Venom Island Massacre, which would impact the Kommo-o's currently unstable mind. "… And Shadowlost Territory still exists until today. The land of darkness right now has a strong diplomatic relationship with Queendom of Riverbrine and Principality of Leafburg due to them being allies in the Bloodmoon War, as well as the Shadowlost Territory used to be the part of Queendom of Riverbrine and is the new home to many Pokemon from Principality of Leafburg. I also heard that Shadowlost Territory also has a surprisingly good relationship with Dustorm Empire, and the land of darkness has a strained relationship with Fireview Kingdom and Republic of Civilight. For Theocracy of Venturnome… You know the answer. And this concludes today's lesson about the history of the land of darkness."

"Thank you for telling us, Onii-chan!" Rachael said. "You makes this whole history stuff much entertaining to listen than school did."

After Rachael finished speaking, a waiter appeared and served a cup of drink to Korben.

"Wait, I haven't—" Korben was about to say that he haven't ordered anything yet, but his words were interrupted by the Draconic Lapras.

"It's okay, Korben." Snow spoke up. "It's mandatory for the restaurant in this nation to serve their local beverage to any customer that entered the shop, just like when the cake shop or coffee shop that served water to any customer that entered the shop."

"I didn't know that…" Korben said. This was when he noticed that Rachael, Richard, Freya and Snow also had the similar cup in front of them too. "But isn't it a bit too late to serve this? I have already entered this bistro for quite a while…"

"It's because it's impolite for the waiter to interrupt the customers talking, especially if it's a story. But either way, you should try drinking this." Snow explained as he looked at the cup of drink that was served to the Kommo-o. Korben then took a look and found that the drink in his cup… was completely black.

"W… What is this drink?" Korben asked.

"It's called 'Black Rose Tea'." Snow explained. "It was made from its namesake, the Black Rose, which is, as you know, the native flower of this land."

"But isn't that Black Rose thing poisonous?" Korben asked as he looked at the tea in his cup skeptically.

"They have already extracted the poison from the ingredients during the process of making it, so it's safe to drink it."

"I… see…" Korben said as he turned his attention to the drink again before he slowly reached his paw to the cup and sipped the black liquid in the cup.

"… How was it, Korben?" Freya asked.

"… This is really good!" Korben said before he took another sip of the black liquid in the cup. "I can't really describe the taste of this tea… Overall, it's very bitter, but… It also has some… unique sweetness too. I like this!"

"Really?" Rachael said as she looked at the cup of Black Rose Tea in front of her. "It's too bitter for me…"

"Me too…" Freya nodded in agreement with the Latias.

"…" Richard didn't comment anything. All he did was looking at a cup of Black Rose Tea in front of him.

"Ah, I see that this tea also gains your favor too…" Snow commented. "The bitterness in this tea came from the mineral that was absorbed from the ground by the flower, which was the cause of the flower's color and its poison. The hidden sweetness came from the flower's specie of being a rose."

"Can you brew this tea, Snow?" Korben asked.

"Of course." Snow answered. "I have already mastered the art of brewing the Black Rose Tea, including the method of removing the poison from the Black Rose, so I will be able to brew it back at the Pendracomonium as long as we have the ingredients."

"Leave it to me!" Rachael spoke up. "I have already gotten the seeds of the plants native to this land, and I think that I will be able to simulate the condition of Shadowlost Territory in our base's greenhouse in order to grow them!"

"That's great!" Korben said. "Alright, I think it's time for us to order the food."

After finished speaking, Korben called the same waiter that served him the Black Rose Tea, and then he opened the menu and ordered the recommend dish. Freya and Snow then ordered their meal too. And then…

"… Onii-chan!"

"Wha…" Richard snapped from his thought as he heard his younger sister's voice calling him.

"Onii-chan, what will you order?" Rachael asked after she finished ordering her meal.

"Okay…" Richard quickly opened the menu and then ordered his food. The waiter then took the order from the five Pokemon and walked away.

"… Onii-chan, what do you have in your mind?" Rachael asked after the waiter walked away.

"… I just notice something strange earlier… About the Black Rose." Richard answered as he turned his attention to the Kommo-o.

"What's wrong, Richard?" Korben asked.

"… Do you remember when Zetarus and Diego picked the Black Rose from the bush and was poisoned by it?" Richard asked.

"Yes." Freya answered. "It was Baromyteus that told us about the poison in the Black Rose, and he later told us that he used to live here, so he knew a lot about this flower—"

"—And that's also the reason why he was immune to the poison of the Black Rose when he picked it earlier." Richard said. "Do you see what I am trying to say?"

"!" Korben suddenly realized something after hearing Richard's words, causing him to look at his paws.

"… Earlier, some of us did touch the Black Rose, two of them, Diego and Zetarus, were poisoned." Richard said. "One of them, Baromyteus, was immune to the poison because he grew up here. However, there was one more Pokemon that touched the Black Rose, yet he wasn't poisoned…" Richard said as he fixed his attention on Korben.

"W… What?" Rachael said as she looked at her brother, and then she looked at Korben.

"… Yeah, I did touch the Black Rose after Zetarus threw it at Freya." Korben said. "But… Why didn't I…"

"The only reason I could think of is, like Baromyteus, you have the immunity to the Black Rose's poison too." Richard said.

"But I have never been here. In fact, I haven't even left Valley of No Return before I came here." Korben said.

"… Baromyteus did say that the Pokemon that live in this land will develop the immunity to the Black Rose's poison, as well as their descendant." Richard said. "Korben, could it be that your father or mother..."

"… I knew almost nothing about my parents." Korben said. "The only thing I know about my parents is that my mother left Valley of No Return 20 years before I was born, and her dying self came back with the egg that contained me... And a piece of paper with the word 'Korben' written on it."

"… I could think of three possibilities after hearing this." Richard said. "One, your mother stayed for quite some time in the Shadowlost Territory after she left Valley of No Return, and thus she developed the immunity of the Black Rose's poison, which was passed on to you. Two, your father is a Pokemon that came from the Shadowlost Territory. Or… Three, both one and two."

"My father…" Korben mumbled to himself.

"Also…" Richard continued speaking. "You did say that your mother had a paper with your name written on it. Let me ask you, does the handwriting on that paper belong to your mother?"

"No." Korben said. "My… grandpa said that the handwriting on that paper isn't my mother's. I have looked at that my mother's handwriting and the paper with my name so many times that I could remember both handwritings even now, and both handwritings are completely different, so there's no mistake about it."

"Which means that there's a high possibility that the handwriting on that paper belongs to your father." Richard said. "And if that's true, your father could also be the one who gave you the name 'Korben'."

"What are you trying to say, Onii-chan?" Rachael asked.

"… The name 'Korben' is a form of the name 'Corben', which refers to a type of avian Pokemon with black feathers covering their body, like Murkrow and Honchkrow, both which are native to the Shadowlost Territory as they are the Dark type Pokemon." Richard explained. "If you ask me, naming a Pokemon in the Kommo-o family after the name of is… unusual."

"…" Korben carefully listened to the Latios, though his words reminded him of what Fenrir Jr. mentioned after the Kommo-o introduced himself.

Which meant that…

"… My father… is the Pokemon from this land of darkness?" Korben said.

"I didn't say that." Richard said. "Still, the probability of that being true is very likely… However, what we discussed is something from over a decade ago, so I doubt it would be easy to prove its validity."

"But you have the know-it-all Chronicle in your possession, haven't you, Onii-chan?" Rachael asked.

"And are you suggesting me using it to dig into the personal affair of other Pokemon? I don't think so." Richard replied.

"…" While Richard and Rachael were talking with each other, Korben lowered his head. He had a troubled expression on his face, indicating that he had something in his mind, and that thing greatly disturbed him…

 _"… Sorry for waiting, everyone…"_

Everyone's attention was drawn upon the waiter that approached their table, carrying a tray with several plates of food in his paw.

"… Let's put aside the… serious discussing for now." Snow spoke up after saying nothing for some time. "For now, let's enjoy the delicacy of the Shadowlost Territory to our hearts' content!"

* * *

 **-An Hour Later…**

Five Pokemon exited the bistro after they finished their meal, with a disturbing expression on the face on most of them. This could be explained by their action during their meal. After the meal was served to everyone, the only one who could remain their usual expression was Snow, who proceeded to consume his food with the blank expression on his face. The other four, however, couldn't hide their expression of disgust and trouble after seeing their food. Two of them, Rachael and Richard, even refused to touch their food. Freya and Korben, on the other hand, reluctantly ate their food (But their expression became much better after tasting their food, and they even managed to finish their dish without vomiting out.).

After finishing their dinner, Rachael and Richard, who didn't eat their dinner, decided to go to the center square of the city in order to find a place for them to have their dinner (Which was the food prepared by Snow and Freya before this journey). Snow also decided to visit the teahouse in order to get a relaxing tea to help him fall asleep better. And so, Korben and Freya decided to go back to the inn that they would call it a day. (Xavier had already checked in for everyone when he arrived at the inn earlier today.)

"… Korben." Freya spoke up as both of them entered the inn, turning the attention of the Kommo-o to him.

"… I know what you want to say, Freya." Korben spoke up with a soft voice. "… But… I will be fine. You don't have to worry about me."

"… You are not fine." Freya spoke to the Kommo-o with a gentle yet determined voice. "You have been acting stressful since when we came here, and what Richard said—"

"Please don't blame Richard, Freya. He was just trying to help." Korben said.

"I don't blame him, Korben." Freya said. "What I want to say is that, at least, I want you to tell me what is troubling you right now."

"… Fine." Korben said. "… Since when we came here, I felt… strange…"

"Strange? In what way?" Freya asked.

"… This whole land of darkness gave me the… familiar vibe. It felt like I have been here before, despite that I have never been here." Korben tried to explain. "And when Richard mentioned the whole thing about my connection to the Shadowlost Territory…"

"…" Freya carefully listened to the Kommo-o.

"… And you know that I knew almost nothing about my father, right?" Korben continued speaking. "… Back when I was… still in my village, I planned that I will leave my village to find my father, at least some information about him, when I was old enough. But then… it happened, and here I am, leaving my village prematurely, and I found a clue that might lead to my father… I am just not sure how to feel about this… I mean… Back at my village, all I think was just 'I want to meet my father! I am going to find him when I am older!'… But now, even if I find him, he would be like another stranger to me. Also, when I think about it, he wasn't with my mother as she was dying and giving birth to me…"

"… Korben…" Freya mumbled as she placed her paw on the Kommo-o's shoulder. "Do you… still want to meet your father?"

"… I don't know." Korben answered.

"If you don't know, then it's fine." Freya said. "Take your time and think about it carefully so you won't regret your choice in the future, and if you still don't know, then don't think about it. You will be fine eventually."

"… Thank you, Freya." Korben said with a faint smile on his face. "Thank you for being with me when I am down."

"I am glad to be a help to you, Korben." Freya said. "Now then, shall we call it a day?"

"Sure." Korben said as he walked to the reception counter to check for his room. Apparently, he would share his room with Xavier, which he didn't mind doing so, and Freya will share her room with Snow. The Kommo-o then received the keys to his room and Freya's room from the receptionist, and…

"Oh, there you are, my brother!"

Freya's voice turned the attention of the Kommo-o to the Flygon, who was having her attention on the Pokemon that was about to leave the inn, who was none other than the Flygon's elder brother.

"…" Zetarus didn't say anything as he turned his attention to the Flygon as she approached him.

"Where have you been today, my brother?" Freya asked. "I haven't seen you since a few hours ago."

"… Around here." The Garchomp gave the Flygon a short answer.

"And where are you going?" Freya continued asking. "It's already nighttime."

" I will be out there…" Zetarus answered. "And I will be back later…"

"Okay…" Freya nodded to her brother. "Please take care, my brother."

"Hm." Zetarus mumbled as he exited the inn after his younger sister finished speaking.

"… Here, Freya." Korben said as he handed over the key to the Flygon.

"Thanks." Freya said as she received the key from the Kommo-o. "Then, see you tomorrow!"

"See you tomorrow too." Korben said as the Flygon flew upstairs to her room, leaving the Kommo-o in the lobby of the inn.

"… I should be going too." Korben said as he approached the stairs and walked upstairs. According to the receptionist, his room (Also Xavier's room) should be on floor 2 (Along with the room of Diego and Zetarus and the room of Anastasia and Baromyteus) while Freya and Snow's room should be on floor 3, along with Rachael and Richard's room.

"… That must be it." As he looked at the map of floor 2 of the inn, he found that his room was located at the other end of the corridor (While Zetarus and Diego's room and Baromyteus and Anastasia's room were located between his room and the stairs.) The Kommo-o then walked along the corridor to approach his room…

But just as when he reached the corridor in front of his room…

 **"… I see that you are back at last."**

"!" Korben's body froze as he heard the voice of someone from behind him. It didn't take him to look back to recognize whose voice it was…

It was the voice of the demonic Shiny Haxorus…

"…" Korben neither said anything nor turned back to face the Shiny Haxorus.

"And it seems like you are still in one piece. Good." Baromyteus continued speaking as he saw that Korben won't look at him. "But I know that you are strong enough to survive the wilderness of Shadowlost Territory, despite that your mind are still not stable."

"…" Korben remained silent to the Shiny Haxorus.

"… Anyway…" Baromyteus spoke up again, this time, with a serious voice. "I saw you coming back to this city with… a Zoroark earlier. If I have to guess, that Zoroark is the son of the chancellor, right?"

"…" Korben didn't reply the Shiny Haxorus.

"… As I guess…" Baromyteus said. "Korben, you'd better stay away from that Zoroark as much as possible. That guy is more dangerous than you thought. While he may be the son of the chancellor, his father is none other than the filthy Lucario who was responsible for the whole Dragon Mass—"

"At least Fenrir Jr. had nothing to do with the Dragon Massacre, or that's what I believe." Korben suddenly spoke up without turning back to face the Shiny Haxorus. "And even if he was, he still wasn't the Pokemon who killed Dimitri, unlike you, Baromyteus."

"… Fair enough." Baromyteus replied. "Then, I won't say anything else… Except that you should be careful. If anything happens to you, I will be the one who reunites you with that damn Dimitri, and you should know enough about me not to take my words for granted."

Shortly after Baromyteus' words ended, the Kommo-o could heard the sound of the door open and close, indicating that the Shiny Haxorus had already returned to his room.

"…" Korben said nothing as he approached the door of his room and inserted the key into the keyhole below the doorknob of the room, unlocking the door. Korben then entered his room and found that his roommate was, as he expected, already here.

"Hm?" Xavier rose his head from the lunchbox that he was holding and turned his attention to the Kommo-o who had just entered the room. Right now, the Dragonite was sitting on his bed, with the half-eaten lunchbox in his paw.

"Good evening, Xavier." Korben greeted as he closed the door of the room.

"You too, Korben." Xavier said as he returned his attention to the lunchbox and continued eating his food. As the Kommo-o approached the Dragonite, he could see that this lunchbox was among the supplies prepared by Snow and Freya for this journey. Judged by the side of the lunchbox, Korben could see that the amount of food consumed by the Dragonite was twice the amount of food that the Kommo-o usually eat per one meal, which wasn't surprising as he knew that, as much as being lazy, Xavier also had a voracious appetite too, despite that the Dragonite had never shown it outside his meals.

"… This should do it." Xavier mumbled as he put away the lunchbox, which was now empty, down on the nightstand beside his bed. The Dragonite also had a relieve look on his face, which meant that…

"… You were starving, right, Xavier?" Korben asked as the Dragonite grabbed a bottle of water and drank the liquid inside the container.

"Absolutely." Xavier answered. "I woke up a few hours ago with my stomach rumbling, only to remember that I left my food with Claura, and I would be really starved if Zetarus didn't bring my portion to me earlier."

"Zetarus?" Korben said. "I ran into him earlier as he was about to leave the inn… So, he also came here too?"

"Right." Xavier said as he put away the bottle of water. "That Garchomp visited me a moment earlier, and he also brought me my food too. He said that he ran into Claura outside the city and she asked him to deliver my food to me. I guess I should be thankful to that Garchomp for willing to be Claura's errand boy, as well as to Claura for not being a total amnesiac nanny."

"Speaking of Claura, where is she right now?" Korben asked.

"According to Zetarus, Claura had already departed for the Venom Island, so she won't be here tonight." Xavier answered. "That's the reason why I get to share this room with you, Korben, though I don't mind this as long as you don't disturb my sleep… Yawn…"

"You seem sleepy, Xavier." Korben said.

"Yeah… I am always sleepy, except when I smelled bloodshed." Xavier answered with a plain and emotionless voice. "… Anyway, if you don't have anything else, can we go to sleep soon?"

"Sure." Korben said. "Just give me a sec. I need to grab my change of cloth and—Oops!"

As the Kommo-o grabbed a towel provided by the inn from his bed, he noticed something falling from the folded towel and fell onto the floor. Korben then realized that it was a small piece of black paper.

"What is this?" Korben said as he picked up a piece of black paper from the floor and flipped it, revealing that there was the letters being written on it. As soon as he saw the words that were written on it, the expression on the face of the Kommo-o suddenly changed into the expression of fear, dread, anxious and troubled…

"… What's wrong, Korben?" Xavier asked as he noticed the sudden change of the expression on the face of the Kommo-o.

"…Xavier." Korben turned his attention from the paper to the Dragonite. "… When did you come to this room?"

"It was as soon as our group split after the meeting with the chancellor." Xavier answered. "I came here and booked the rooms for our groups, as well as assigning which room would each of us will stay, and then I came to this room and fell asleep until I woke up with starved belly."

"… And before I came, did anyone come here?" Korben continued asking.

"As I said before, Zetarus came here a bit before you came, and he was the only one who came while I was awake." Xavier answered. "But I can't say if there was anyone who came here while I was sleeping… Well… I think I remembered that I heard Baromyteus' voice while I was still sleeping, but maybe I was dreaming..."

"… I see… Thank you, Xavier." Korben said as he turned his attention toward the bathroom as he approached and entered it, with a change of cloth, a towel, and a piece of paper he picked earlier in his paw.

"…" Despite that he came here to change his cloth, the Kommo-o still remained motionless after he entered the bathroom. All he did was standing with his back on the door of the bathroom, and his eyes fixed on the object that he was holding in his right paw, which was none other than the black paper he picked up from the floor earlier…

With the lantern hanging on the bathroom's ceiling, the light shining from the lantern reflected on the words on the black paper that were written by the blood red ink with a complicated handwriting. The blood red words on the black paper could be read as…

"i **F** **Y** _o_ U s **T** i _L_ l V **aL** _Ue_ **yO** Ur _L_ _ **i**_ **f** E, **T** _ **Ur**_ _N_ b _A_ C **K** _**aN**_ d L **ea** _V_ e **T** h _E_ **sHAdoWLosT** _TErRiTorY_ , _**oR**_ **e** _ **L**_ _S_ e Y **oU** _w_ I _L_ l _b_ **E** p **Lu** n _G_ E _d_ i _Nt_ O t **H** e _e_ N **D** l _ **eS**_ s _o_ _ **Bl**_ I _V_ **iO** n."

* * *

 **-The Next Day…**

"Finally! I can see it!"

On the ship that sailed upon the sea, a male Alolan Marowak pointed at something in the distance ahead the ship. It was an island surrounded by sea with the dark purple water caused by not only the endless twilight over the sky, but also the atmosphere of the island itself.

"Largo, stop acting like a child." Natasha mentioned as she was standing beside her younger sister on the ship. "You are already 19, and soon you will inherit a greater burden to your life."

"Yeah… I would be 21 by now if it wasn't for those confusing things Fenrir Jr. told us." Largo said. "But Natasha, this journey is your turn, not mine. Mine is tomorrow, and yours is today."

"I know…" Natasha said as she gazed at the Venom Island, which gradually moved closer as the ship approached its destination. "… I am always prepared for this day… Since when I was born from my mother, Empress Sharon…"

"Natasha…" Largo looked at his sister. He could see a bit of sadness in the eyes of the Dragalge, which reminded him a bit of his departed foster mother…

"Yawn… Already awake? I never thought that you two would be morning Pokemon, especially you, Largo…"

"Ugh…" Natasha and Largo groaned in unison as they turned back to face another Pokemon approaching them, who was a male Garchomp, as well as their 'brother'.

"… Good morning, Zetarus." Natasha greeted as the Garchomp approached them.

"Yeah, yeah…" Zetarus mumbled as he looked at the horizon beyond the ship, and he quickly spotted the island not too far from the ship. "So, that must be the infamous Venom Island, eh?"

"Not as infamous as you, Zetarus." Largo mumbled.

"Hm? Did you say something?" Zetarus said as he turned his attention from the Venom Island to his younger brother.

"Nope, nothing at all." Largo pretended to act innocently as he turned his attention to the distant Venom Island instead.

"Hey… Don't act like such a bad boy…" Zetarus spoke with the crafty voice. "Your 'beloved' elder brother decided to spend his precious time with you, so you'd better learn to 'cherish' this moment."

"Yeah, yeah… _'Beloved'_ …" Largo mumbled and rolled his eyes.

Before either Zetarus or Largo could say anything else, Natasha stepped in and spoke up. "So, since we are about to reach our destination, and both of you aren't Poison type, you two need to wear this."

Natasha then picked up two gasmasks from her bag and handed over one to Largo and another one to Zetarus. They were the standard gasmasks that would protect the Pokemon from inhaling the toxic air of Venom Island and got poisoned, making it essential for anyone who visited this toxic island.

"Fine… I guess I have to wear it…" Largo said as he took the gasmask from his elder sister and wore it around his skull head. "After all, I HAVE to listen to my elder sibling."

After finished speaking, Largo glanced at Zetarus a bit, hoping to receive a snarky remark from his half brother. However…

"…" The Garchomp didn't say anything or pay his attention to anyone. All he did was stare at the gasmask he received from his elder sister in his paw, with a hard-to-read expression on his face. However, both Natasha and Largo had seen this expression before, as Zetarus had shown it… recently…

"Zetarus?" Natasha said as she noticed that there was something wrong with her brother.

"… You can have it back." Zetarus spoke with a plain voice as he handed over the gasmask back to the Dragalge.

"What's wrong, Zetarus?" Largo spoke up as he also noticed something wrong with his half-brother. "You aren't Poison type, so you should wear it."

"… I'll be fine, I think…" Zetarus answered, but he didn't look at any of his siblings. Instead, he looked at the horizon in the distance, as if he was losing in his thought.

"You won't, Zetarus." Natasha said. "If you don't wear it, you will be poisoned all the time you are on the Venom Island."

"… I can live with that." Zetarus answered, much to the surprise of his siblings.

"… You have something with a gasmask?" Natasha asked as she started to realize what's wrong with her brother.

"…" Zetarus didn't answer his sister's question. However, not denying her guess was enough for the Dragalge to know the answer of her question.

"And if I have to guess…" Natasha continued speaking. "It has something to do with your time in the Desert Prison—"

"It seems like we have finally reached the destination." Zetarus interrupted Natasha's words as he noticed the ship started docking at the port of Venom Island. "You have an important thing to do here, Natasha. You should get moving soon."

After finished speaking, Zetarus started walking toward the exit of the ship, leaving the Dragalge and the Alolan Marowak on the deck of the ship.

"Zetarus…" Natasha and Largo mumbled.

* * *

 **-Meanwhile…**

Back in the Shadowlost City, Korben walked along the street of the capital of darkness, passing many native Pokemon who had a skeptical look on their face as the Kommo-o walked pass them, but he didn't mind it. He had just woke up and had his breakfast, and he was now taking a stroll around the city as he hadn't have a good look at it yesterday due to him spending most of his day outside the city, and he had nothing else to do. For his friends, Rachael and Richard had already departed for the Cape of No Return, Xavier decided to spend this day as usual (Sleeping in the inn), Claura had gone to Venom Island yesterday and hadn't returned yet, Diego said that he had something to do and had already left early this morning, Snow decided to visit another restaurant to try more food offered by the land of darkness, and Freya would spend her time in the city as well as she said that she hadn't seen her brother, Zetarus, since yesterday evening and was wondering where he was. For Anastasia and Baromyteus, the Goodra mentioned that she would spend her time visiting the boutique in the city while her brother had already left to wreck havoc on the wild Pokemon (Or Shadow Pokemon), which doubled as his daily training.

"…" The Kommo-o opened the map of Shadowlost Territory he got from Richard this morning and tried to decide what he would do next. Being in a new place that he hadn't visited before, the Kommo-o was anxious to visit this place, which was the reason while he decided not to join Rachael and Richard to Darkveil Chasm and Cape of No Return or follow Claura to Venom Island, which left him not many places to go. He had (sort of) already spent his time in the Shadowlost Wasteland, and being in this wasteland would risk him to run into two Pokemon that he didn't want to meet right now. The next option was the Shadowlost Ridge at the border of Shadowlost-Riverbrine, however, there wouldn't be much for him to see there, and being located near the land of snow and water made the climate there much colder than the rest of the land of darkness. And so, that left him with not many options…

 _"… How about the Newmoon Temple?"_

"Gah!" Korben was startled and jumped quite a bit as he heard a sudden voice coming from right behind him. The Kommo-o quickly turned back and saw a male Zoroark standing right behind him, which was none other than the Zoroark that saved his life yesterday.

"F… Fenrir Jr.?" Korben said the name of the Zoroark with a shaking voice.

 _"… Don't you think that you… overact a bit?"_ Fenrir Jr. asked as he noticed an extreme response of the Kommo-o to being sneaked behind him.

"T… That's not important right now!" The Kommo-o yelled at the Zoroark. "And what do you think you are doing, sneaking behind people like that?"

 _"… I was just happening to be around here… When I noticed you…"_ Fenrir Jr. answered with a calm voice. _"And you know, curiosity is one of the greatest driving forces within the body of the living being."_

"Whatever…" Korben said before he remembered something. "Wait a minute… Did you say 'Newmoon Temple'?"

 _"Ah… Yes…"_ Fenrir Jr. answered. _"I saw you looking at the map and mumbled something like 'Not Cape of No Return' or 'Not Shadowlost Ridge'. And… Considering that you are new to this land of darkness, I just guess that you want to find a place to go sightseeing, and as the son of the chancellor, I am just trying to be a nice host…"_

"… Then, please tell me more about this place you mention." Korben asked. He remembered that the chancellor mentioned the name of this place yesterday, as a place where the showdown between the chancellor and the Pendragon would take place two days from now.

 _"… It's an important landmark in the Shadowlost Territory, locating west to the capital at the western edge of Shadowlost Wasteland, near the entrance of the Darkveil Chasm."_ Fenrir Jr. explained. _"Despite its name, it's… not really homed to any typical religion… It's more like… the ancient architect. Still, some Pokemon are working there as the 'priest' or 'priestess' of the temple."_

"I see…" Korben said. For some reason, he started to become more interested in this place.

 _"Then… Will you go to the Newmoon Temple?"_ Fenrir Jr. asked. _"If yes, then you can accompany me to this temple."_

"Wait a minute…" Korben said. "You are going to the Newmoon Temple?"

 _"Yes."_ Fenrir Jr. answered. _"My mother, the chancellor, asked me to do some errand for her, and that requires me to depart for the Newmoon Temple. I was on my way to my destination when I noticed you... Usually, I would have a company with me on such a trifle matter like this, but they are… doing their business right now, so…"_

"So, you want my company?" Korben said. "It seems a bit strange for you to ask an acquaintance like me to accompany you, especially since you don't look like a very trusting Pokemon."

 _"Oh, you are a sharp one…"_ Fenrir Jr. said. _"After what happened yesterday, I just found that you… aren't a bad companion… And you have already proved yourself in a combat against those Shadow Pokemon too…"_

"Whatever…" Korben mumbled. "Fine, I don't have anything else to do anyway, and it would be nice to visit an important landmark of this land."

 _"Glad to see that I am able to convince you…"_ Fenrir Jr. said. _"Now then, shall we go?"_

* * *

 **-A Few Minutes Later…**

Korben and Fenrir Jr. left Shadowlost City and entered the Shadowlost Wasteland. They were heading to the west toward Darkveil Chasm, but their destination wasn't the haunted chasm, it's the sacred Newmoon Temple.

During their journey, the Kommo-o and the Zoroark had to fight many Shadow Pokemon that appeared on their way. However, both Pokemon were strong enough to defeat any opponents that stood in their way, so their journey went along smoothly.

"… That's the last of them." Fenrir Jr. said as he put away his weapon after he finished defeating another wave of Shadow Pokemon without breaking sweat. The same thing can be said for the Kommo-o.

"You are pretty strong." Korben said.

 _"You too…"_ Fenrir Jr. replied.

A moment of silence occurred as the Kommo-o and the Zoroark resumed their journey, and Korben felt like he wanted to know more about his companion, so he decided to start a conversation.

"So… Fenrir Jr…" Korben spoke up, turning the attention of Fenrir Jr. to him. "You said earlier that you found me a not bad company to you?"

 _"Hm… I think I remember saying something like that…"_ Fenrir Jr. answered.

"Then… Can I ask you something?" Korben said.

 _"You already did."_ Fenrir Jr. _"But go on…"_

"… Why aren't you a trusting Pokemon?" Korben asked, causing the Zoroark to stop walking. "I can understand that it would be hard for you to trust a Pokemon like me, but for you, I can see that it's not easy for anyone to gain your trust."

 _"… Hm… I wonder why…"_ Fenrir Jr. slowly replied. _"Maybe it's because trusting people too much is only for a foolish and naïve person…"_

"Why would that be?" Korben asked. "Aren't you a bit too pessimistic? Living a life without being able to trust anyone… That sounds like a really sad life to me…"

 _"Oh, what do we have here…?"_ Fenrir Jr. spoke as he turned his attention to the Kommo-o. _"… Tell me, did you grow up in a village far from any civilization? And did you form your own patrolling squad to keep your village safe?"_

"WHA—?!" Korben was dumbfound after hearing the Zoroark's words, and he didn't know what to reply, as what the Zoroark said perfectly matched his life!

 _"Hm?"_ Noticing Korben's reaction, Fenrir Jr. looked at him with a bit of surprise looking on his face. _"Don't tell me that…"_

"… Yeah." Korben slowly replied. He wasn't sure what else he should say if the Zoroark asked more about his home, as it didn't exist anymore…

 _"… What a coincidence…"_ Fenrir Jr. commented. _"… My younger brother is like that too."_

"Younger brother?" Korben said. "You have a sibling?"

"Yeah… But we don't live together." Fenrir Jr. replied. "While I live with my mother in the Shadowlost Territory, my brother lives with my father in Solar Village in the Theocracy of Venturnome."

"Why don't you and your brother live together?" Korben asked.

"… It's because of the duties that bind our parents…" Fenrir Jr. answered. "Three decades ago, my whole family lived together in Theocracy of Venturnome, with my father working as the dojo master of our village… Bnd then… Shadowlost Territory was found, and my mother was requested to be its chancellor. That caused my father and my mother to live separately. My brother, being a Fighting type Pokemon, lives with my father, while I, being a Dark type Pokemon, lives with my mother."

"I see…" Korben nodded in understanding. "So… Your younger brother… What kind Pokemon is he?"

 _"… If it's his specie, he's a Lucario."_ Fenrir Jr. answered. _"But for his character, I would say that… He is a lot like you, Korben."_

"Like me?" Korben said. "So… That's why you was able to guess my origin?"

 _"That was initially a joke from me, and I didn't think that you and my brother would have a lot in common than I think…"_ Fenrir Jr. said. _"My younger brother… Ridley is the opposite of me… Unlike me, he is a very trusting and friendly Pokemon… And he's very naïve… Which serves as his weakness… as well as weakness…"_

"How could a naïvete be a strength?" Korben asked.

 _"… You will know the answer someday…"_ Fenrir Jr. said before he changed the topic of the conversation. _"My turn, Korben. There are a few questions that I want to ask you."_

"Sure. After all, everyone is equal to each other, so after I asked you questions, it's your turn to ask me." Korben said. "Alright, what do you want to ask me about?"

 _"… Why are you so obsess with equality?"_ Fenrir Jr. asked. _"Since when we met each other, I heard you sprouting about equality many times, including a few seconds ago… And I am in the dark about why you have a… fixation with something like this… Can you enlighten me?"_

"Isn't that obvious?" Korben answered. "Equality is like… the basic nature of everything. We were born into the world with nothing with us, and when we die, we will not be able to take anything with us. That's the law of equality, and if we could maintain it throughout the entire existence of the life, it would mean that we wouldn't break this law, and thus no chaos would ever occur in the world…"

 _"Oh… Then… Tell me…"_ Fenrir Jr. continued speaking. _"… Everyone in this world is born to the different specie… Some are born as a Caterpie, while some are born as a Pidgey, which preyed on the Caterpie… Can you really say that nature really promotes equality?"_

"As I said before, that's why we need to maintain equality within our life." Korben replied. "A strong Pokemon or a Pokemon with higher power would need to use their power to help the world more than the weak Pokemon or a Pokemon with less power, and the stronger one needs to help the weaker one too. For the example, I was born as the son of my village's mayor. With my higher status, I would need to put more effort to the work more than everyone. That's what I believe."

 _"… I think I have many problems with that…"_ Fenrir Jr. commented. _"First… You use the wrong word. What you said is 'Justice', not 'Equality'. Second, you are more naïve than I thought, and third, what you said… is just a theory. It couldn't be used in this real world we're living in."_

"And why's that?" Korben asked.

 _"… Are you really sure that the living creatures would be able to follow that 'law of equality' you mentioned?"_ Fenrir Jr. asked. _"We Pokemon are living creatures with free will. We can do whatever we want, including not follow your law of equality, and I can see that the majority of us wouldn't choose to follow it. With this, how can you really say that everyone in this world is equal to each other?"_

"That's…" The Kommo-o was dumbfound after hearing the Zoroark's words. "Everyone in this world still wants peace, right? That's why many people aimed to make the world a peaceful and better place. Isn't this the truth of this world?"

 _"… You are naïve… Very, very naïve…"_ Fenrir Jr. commented. _"… There is more than one truth in many things. Even some of the most obvious truths still have its hidden side. I have seen many cases of people who don't understand this, and that causes them a massive grief… Or even death…"_

"More than… One truth?" Korben repeated the words he had just heard. "If there's more than one truth, then which truth is the 'real' truth?!"

 _"It depends on your judgement to decide which truth you would see as the 'real' one."_ Fenrir Jr. explained. _"For example… If you ask me about the truth of equality… I would say that… Equality doesn't truly exist in this world… It only exists as a sweet and delicious illusion… Which many people wish to bring it to reality… Only to find that they would never achieve what they want… It's against the nature of us, living creatures… Because the story of living creature's existence is unfathomable…"_

 **To Be Continued…**

* * *

 **Dragon of Vale: The Pendragon's first day in Shadowlost Territory has already ended, and their second day begins… There are two more days… Before their showdown…**

 **Korben has encountered a lot of trouble and anxiety in this chapter, and for someone with an unstable mind like him, this is too much for him… And now, he has to deal with a question regarding what he has always believed throughout his entire life too…**

* * *

 **Q &A Session:**

 **Tail 7-4 – Question:** Since we talked about Korben's name origin in this chapter, then how about you all telling the origin of your name?

 **Answer:**

 **-Korben:** As mentioned in this chapter, the name 'Korben' is a variant of the name 'Corben', with the letter K replaced the letter C, maybe because it would suit me more as a Kommo-o. And the name 'Corben' means 'crow', which I think is a Pokemon like Murkrow and Honchkrow… As for where I got this name from…

 **-Claura:** My name is a junction of the names 'Clair' and 'Laura'. 'Laura' is just a random feminine name that the one who named me picked. For the name 'Clair'… I don't know why it has to be 'Clair'. Does someone name 'Clair' have something to do with me or with a Kingdra?

 **-Xavier:** Yawn… Xavier means 'New House', and don't expect me to elaborate anymore about my name. It's such a pain… Zzz…

 **-Anastasia:** It was… My mother who gave me this name, and I really like it too because it's a beautiful name. The name 'Anastaia' means 'resurrection'… At first, I don't think about the meaning of my name much… But after the Fallen Crisis… I start to understand my name and myself a bit better… But… Resurrection… What if I just… Oh, never mind! Please forget what I just said!

 **-Baromyteus:** Similar to Anastasia, I was named by my father, and all he did was taking his name and put several random letters just to make it longer and turn it into a new name, not that I would complain it either. Anyway, I doubt my name has any real meaning on its own, but it acts as a connection between me and my father… As well as my lineage…

 **-Diego:** My name is a variant of the name 'James', which means 'supplanter' or 'one who follows'… I guess that kinda fits the bill… After all, the reason why I got myself into this mess is because I followed Diego, Richard and Rachael. And for the supplanter part… It's kinda fits my part of the sudden revelation back when I was in Fireview Kingdom that I was going to be the king of Fireview Kingdom and Hero of Fire type, supplanting Apollo's and Dinus' place… Glad that I decided against it, or else I would be the Pendragon's enemy by now…

 **-Zetarus:** … Well… If you ask me, I don't have any slightest idea about where my name come from. It just popped in my head, ya know? But… I heard that my name came from the desert deity of violence and disorder, as well as the word 'Terra', which, according to Richard, means earth, I guess…

 **-Rachael:** My name means 'ewe', which is a cute li'l female sheep! I love my name very much because it suits me for not only my cuteness but also my zodiac too!

 **-Richard:** First, my name and Rachael's name were created to be the counterpart of each other, and that's why our names are very similar to each other (Thought we both are sibling…). That's also the reason why Rachael's name has the extra letter of 'a' instead of not having one like its more common form, Rachel. Anyway, my name has the meaning of 'brave and powerful leader'… I mean, if knowledge is power, then I won't argue that I would be among the most powerful creature, but I am not really brave, let alone being a leader, and I don't have any heritage of being a noble, king or any sort of political leader. So, why was I given a name like this?

 **-Freya:** M… My name? I… It came from the name of a goddess of l… love and beauty from the d… distant land… And I feel very honored to be named after such a great being…

 **-Snow:** As you can see, my name of 'Snow' reflects my status as an Ice type Pokemon. Quite simple, isn't it?

 **-Sirius:** … ( **Dragon of Vale:** Sirius said that it was Rachael and Richard who named him after the brightest star in the constellation of Canis Major, which is in the shape of a big dog, and Sirius kinda looks like a dog, according to Rachael.)

* * *

 **Question from Ridin Valon:** From: Heart Burkwood

To: Anatasia Wyrmscale **:**...Is your brother coping with everything that has happened...? One of my friends, too... she experienced a tragedy... She is right now struggling to let go of her hurt... Is there any other way I can help my friend?

 **-Anastasia:** You are such a kind soul, Heart. My brother is doing much better than he appears to be. His body is strong, but his mind has become much stronger during these years. However, he still copes with the fact that he's a _demon reincarnation_ , as well as his unrequited love… And… I'm afraid that I wouldn't be much of a help to you, but at least, I could give you two advices. First, you should look into the sources of your friend's trouble, and then solves the trouble according to its source. At first glance, it may seem that the trouble and its source are too big to be solved easily. But when you look at it closely, you will see that the trouble and problem may come from more than one source, and not all of them are unsalvagable. Try helping your friends by solving it through the trouble's source that you could manage, and soon the situation will turn better. And for the second advice… Let the time help you… From my point of view, time is one of the most powerful forces, it could cause a massive destruction… As well as a miracle… Time is also what I used to help my brother, and it works. This is all I can offer to you, and I hope that your friend would get better soon, Heart.

* * *

 **Question from Parousia45:** To Zetarus: Do you like Diego? What about him attracts you the most?

 **-Zetarus:** Of course, I like Diego. And for why? Hm… For starter, Diego is one of the most handsome Pokemon I have ever met, and he is as handsome as he is sexy. I mean, just look at him and his body! I am not the most artistic art, but if you ask me for the definition of beauty and handsomeness, I would point them to look at Diego, especially when he—Wait… NO! Don't do it! Diego is mine, and mine alone! If you dare to steal him from me, I will come after you and hunt you to the end of the hell! Ahem… Let's continue… About his personality… I would say that his personality is… charming… He may be blunt and hothead, but he is also determined and prudent in a certain situation too, and the moment when he blushes… That makes me want to… Well, that's none of your concern… And for his combat skill… Just imagine him standing in the middle of the battlefield, with a spear in his paw and enemies surrounding him, and then he proceeds to impale everyone that stands in his way, with the blood of his enemies splashing all over his surroundings… Ah… Thinking of this makes me wish that Diego would 'impale' me with his 'spear' one day… Or maybe he would prefer to be impaled by my 'twin spears'? I am fine with both anyway. Oh, and did I mention the best thing about him? That's his tail! It's so crunchy and juicy! Ah… Whenever I see his tail, I can help but want to bury my fangs into that orange flesh!

 **-Diego:** … *Slow creep away while trying not to be seen*

 **-Zetarus:** Where do you think you are going, Diego? *Chomp Diego's tail*

 **-Diego:** ARGGGRGRGRR!


	75. Tail 7-5: The Lost Artifact

**A Dragon's Tail**

 **Tail 7: Korben's Tail - Inequity**

 **Tail 7-5: The Lost Artifact**

" _ **If you want to achieve the victory, then you must obtain the power…"**_

 **-On Venom Island…**

"Zetarus, are you doing okay?"

Natasha turned her attention to the Garchomp who was slowly walking beside her and asked him with a concerned voice. It had been a few hours since when three royal siblings had arrived at the toxic island of Shadowlost Territory, the Venom Island.

Venom Island was the biggest island in the continent of Symmetria (With Riverbrine Island in Queendom of Riverbrine in the second place.). Back in the past before the Fallen Crisis happened, Venom Island was an island located to west of mainland Symmetria named Fairy Isle, which was regarded as the most heavenly place on the continent of Symmetria, making it a habitat of Fairy type Pokemon. However, because of the unnatural event that occurred during the Fallen Crisis, the continent of Symmetria was twisted, sending Fairy Isle to be located to the north of the continent. The acidic sea surrounding the island then quickly turned the once-beautiful Fairy Isle into a living hell, forcing all Fairy type Pokemon on the island to evacuate to the southernmost land on the continent of Symmetria, which was the land known as Theocracy of Venturnome today, and settled there. Venom Island was void of any inhabitants until the Poison type refugees came to the Shadowlost Territory from the Principality of Leafburg near the end of War of Jasmine, and Venom Island was given to them as their new home until today…

Because its inhabitants were the Pokemon originally from Principality of Leafburg, the architectures on this island was built in a mixed style of Leafburg and Shadowlost, with most houses being built in the dried trunks of the dead trees and was decorated in the similar style as the houses in Shadowlost City.

As Zetarus, Natasha and Largo arrived at the island and the port and entered the town area, the Garchomp could notice that the inhabitants of this island were very wary of the foreigners from the other land, which Zetarus didn't mind because he learned from Natasha earlier about the misfortunes from the foreign land that the Pokemon of Venom Island had faced, notably the War of Jasmine and Bloodmoon War. Zetarus, however, noticed that the Poison type Pokemon of Venom Island, on the other hand, were very friendly with Natasha and Largo, especially Natasha. The Garchomp could even see that some Poison type Pokemon regarded his elder sister as their 'heroine'.

"It's because Natasha and I played a role to end the Bloodmoon War, and Natasha was very close to the Pokemon of Venom Island because she once studied here.." Largo explained as the Alolan Marowak noticed the Garchomp's attention on their elder sister being praised as the heroine.

"Really?" Zetarus said as he turned his attention to his younger brother. "By the time the Bloodmoon War occurred, you and Natasha, mostly you, were just the whelps. How did both of you end that infamous war?"

"Actually, it was your mother, Empress Sharon, who was the one that 'end' the Bloodmoon War with her wisdom and determination." Largo answered, ignoring his elder brother's sarcastic tone in his voice. "She sent Natasha to study in the Shadowlost Territory and me to Fireview Kingdom. With two children of the emperor of Dustorm Empire in Shadowlost and Fireview, both sides of the war would be hesitate to continue the war and risk killing the prince/princess, which would incur the wrath of the ruler of the nation with the most powerful military on the continent of Symmetria... Not that father cared about me much, but you know, Natasha was his favorite child… Anyway, that was why Bloodmoon War suddenly ended without much explanation."

After they finished walking around the town, the trio left the town and headed to the northern area of the island, which was the more remote area of the Venom Island as the town and the port were located in the southern area of the island. The northern area of the island, on the other hand, was a desolate land filled with toxic swamp that released the noxious miasma every second, making it a hazardous place for the non-Poison type Pokemon without a gas mask. (The toxic air in the southern area of the island was still somewhat tolerable, but not its northern counterpart.) The miasma also caused this area to become incredibly misty and hard to navigate. However, even when the air started to grow thicker, Zetarus still refused to wear the gas mask, and he was quick to evade when his siblings tried to force him to wear one. And so, it was clearly seen that the Garchomp was having more trouble than his siblings as they continued their journey, but it didn't seem like the Garchomp was poisoned by the toxic air…

"I told you, Natasha, that I have seen worse." Zetarus answered as he stopped to catch his breath.

"Geez… You are so stubborn, Zet." Largo commented through the gas mask that he was wearing, which muffled his voice a bit. "I knew that you are stubborn, but I never knew that you would be THIS stubborn!"

"Heh… Some people even mention that I am tenacious before…" Zetarus mumbled and turned his attention to his elder sister. "Anyway, how far until we reach that place? Er… What was its name again?"

"The Misty Shrine." Natasha answered. "It's not too far now, as far as I remember. That place was located at the northernmost point of the island, and the northern part of the island was being like this, most Pokemon wouldn't come here unless they are some sort of hardcore traveler or anything else."

"And I guess that we would be one if that place doesn't have anything to do with you, Natasha." Zetarus said as he stood up again. "Let's continue. The sooner we get this done, the better— EAAERRRRGR!"

Without any warning, Zetarus let out a scream as he stumbled backward and landed on his butt, startling his siblings.

"W… What happens, Zetarus?!" Largo said before he and Natasha noticed what caused their brother to scream and stumbled.

Right in front of where everyone, which was concealed a bit by the misty veil around them, a lone gas mask stood in the middle of the mist, staring at the trio!

However, before either the Dragalge or the Alolan Marowak could scream…

 _"… Really, Zetarus. Do you think this is funny?"_

A strong, serious and feminine voice, which was muffled a bit through the gas mask, was heard by the trio from where the gas mask was, following by the gas mask moving a bit closer to the trio, revealing that the gas mask was actually wore by another Pokemon, who was none other than…

"C… Claura?" Zetarus said as he was finally able to grasp the appearance of the female Kingdra in front of him, who was wearing a gas mask around her face to protect herself from the toxic air around here. "W… What are you doing here?"

"I should be the one who asks you that question, Zetarus." Claura replied through the gas mask she was wearing. "I told everyone that I would travel to Venom Island, didn't I? And I heard about a desolate shrine here that serves as a tourist destination for a hardcore traveler, so I decided to pay it a visit. It turns out to be just an ordinary shrine with nothing extraordinary thought… Anyway, what the hell are you doing here, without any protection from the toxic air too?! Are you dumb, lazy or idiotic?!"

"Hey, spare me from that 'Richard' talk, wouldn't ya?" Zetarus interrupted the Kingdra's words. "Besides, I didn't come here unprepared. I got the Poison-proof potion made by Rachael before I came here, so I would be immune to being poisoned for a time being."

"Oh, that's why you didn't get poisoned since when we arrived here." Largo spoke up.

"Hm?" Claura looked at Largo and Natasha as she had just noticed them. "Zetarus, who are these two Pokemon?"

"My elder sister and my younger brother." Zetarus answered.

"Okay." Claura replied. However, she still didn't look or speak to Natasha and Largo. "Anyway, thank you so much for your help, yesterday, Zetarus."

"My help?" Zetarus said.

"Yes." Claura nodded. "Thank you for your offer to deliver food to Xavier. That lazy Dragonite would be starved if it wasn't for your help, Zetarus."

"Food? Xavier?" Zetarus repeated the words he had just heard in the manner that he didn't understand what he just heard. "What are you talking about?"

"I was talking about yesterday!" Claura seemed a bit irritated after hearing Zetarus' words. "Yesterday, just before I departed for Venom Island, I suddenly remembered that I got Xavier's food with me, and then you showed up and offered to deliver it to Xavier. Don't you remember all of this?"

"… Did I really do that?" Zetarus spoke with his arms crossed. He seemed to be even more confused as he heard Kingdra speaking. "The last time I met you was after our meeting at the town hall, and I didn't meet you or Xavier afterward, let alone agreeing to be your errant boy."

"Don't play dumb with me, Zetarus. It happened just yesterday, so there's no way that you won't remember this, unless…" Claura continued speaking with a clear hint of irritation in her voice. "… You already ate all of Xavier's food."

"Wait, what?" Zetarus was caught off-guarded by the Kingdra's words that he didn't know what to say.

"You are hopeless, Zetarus…" Claura said as she shook her head. "It's not that I am angry that you ate Xavier's food… But… Let me tell you one thing, when Xavier gets angry, he is VERY angry, and someone stealing his food is one of the things that can cause him to become angry."

"Wait, that's not it, Claura! I didn't do anything like that!" Zetarus tried to explain, but the Kingdra still continued speaking.

"You may not know this, but Xavier actually likes his food to be fatty and creamy, making his food a high-fat one…" Claura continued speaking. "Also, you may know that Xavier eats a large amount of food per meal… A large amount of high-fat food, I would say. And… I think you can think of what would happen if you eat Xavier's food…"

"Come to think about it…" Largo spoke up as he looked at the Garchomp. "Zetarus, I think you look quite a bit… fatter than before I met you yesterday…"

"H… HEY!" Zetarus turned his attention to the Alolan Marowak to scold him.

"… I knew it." Claura mumbled. "Anyway, I will go back to the town now… Hopefully, Xavier won't kill any of us when we met him next him."

After finished speaking, Claura moved through the trio and headed south toward the direction of the town, disappearing into the thick mist once again.

"… Geez!" Zetarus grumbled after seeing that Claura had already left. He then turned his attention to his younger brother. "Thank you for choosing the exactly RIGHT moment to say that, Largo."

"You're welcome, Zetarus." Largo replied with a crafty voice and a crafty look on his face.

"Cut it out, Largo." Natasha scolded her younger brother. "Besides, think about it. How could Zetarus get fat just from a single meal he just ate yesterday? Even if it's possible, it would still take some times before the change to the body becomes noticeable."

"Aww… You're no fun, Natasha." Largo mumbled.

"Still…" The Dragalge turned her attention to the Garchomp. "Largo was right. Zetarus, you are fatter than the last time we've seen you."

"Not you too, Natasha…" Zetarus groaned as he held his paw on his forehead.

"No, I didn't mean it that way…" Natasha quickly explained. "I mean… The first time we met you… In the Terra Room at the Desert Palace… Zetarus, you looked very undernourished, and you were so skinny that I could see some of your bones in your body. For the second time, at Fireview Palace, you looked a bit better, despite that you are still very skinny. For the third time, at the top balcony of Desert Palace, you looked much better than the first two times, and that was the first time that you looked like you are really 'alive'. And now…"

"It was thanked to my friends that I am like this." Zetarus said. "And that includes Freya too."

"Hey, Terrus asked you to take care of our little sister, not her taking care of you!" Largo spoke up. "Moreover, comparing you to Terrus, you are still thinner and less muscular than him."

"Terrus and I have different battle styles, Largo." Zetarus commented. "While both of us focus on offensive, Terrus also focuses on his defense too, while I focus on my speed instead. That's why our builds are different."

"Still…" Natasha stepped in between her brothers. "Shouldn't we keep going? We still have a lot to do."

"Agreed." Largo said before turning his attention to his elder brother. "Then, let's move, my 'beloved' brother."

"Of course, my brother." Zetarus replied.

As the trio finished their conversation, they resumed their journey to their destination, the Misty Shrine, which was not very far from where they were right now.

However…

 _"… What was Claura talking about? Me? Delivering food to Xavier? I don't know anything about that!"_ Zetarus thought as he walked alongside his siblings.

* * *

 **-Meanwhile…**

 _"… Here we are…"_

A Fighting and Dragon type Pokemon and a Dark type Pokemon stood in front of a large blood-red building located at the western edge of Shadowlost Wasteland. The building itself was partly built into the mountain behind it, which was the same mountain that formed the Darkveil Chasm. The front of the building itself was built in an ominous style, with the carvings of many menacing pictures such as the picture of the black moon, which was painted blood-red like the whole building, making it look like a blood moon…

However, for some reason, the same discomfort, anxiety and the feeling of someone looking at him that the Kommo-o felt since yesterday as he arrived at the Shadowlost Territory had become even more noticeable. While they never left him, Korben tried his hardest to ignore it. However, as he and his Zoroark companion reached the temple, the feelings he had was doubled for an unknown reason, and the Kommo-o started to feel his body shaking and his heart beating faster. And so, he decided to speak up in order not to let the feelings he had overcome him.

"S… So… This is the Newmoon Temple…" Korben decided to comment on the building in front of him. "This place really looks ominous…"

"For me, it's quite a contrary…" Fenrir Jr. commented. _"As you can see, this place was blood-red, and blood is the fundamental liquid within every living creature's body… In other words, this place reminds me of our very existence… Our very life…"_

As both Pokemon approached the temple entrance, they could see two Ghost type Pokemon named Golett in the black armor suit standing at the sides of the entrance, with a spear in each of their paw.

 _"… Good day, both of you."_ Fenrir Jr. greeted the Goletts as he and Korben approached the entrance of the temple. His appearance caused both Goletts to kneel down and put their paw on their chest in the manner that they were greeting their master.

"WELCOME, LORD FENRIR…" Both Goletts spoke in unison. "HOW CAN WE HELP YOU TODAY?"

 _"… I want to meet the Somber Priestess…"_ Fenrir Jr. answered with a cold voice and his arms crossed.

"ABSOLUTELY." The Goletts replied. "THE SOMBER PRIESTESS IS… DEALING WITH HER BUSSINESS IN THE SANCTUM OF THE TEMPLE. PLEASE PROCEED…"

 _"… Thank you…"_ Fenrir Jr. said.

"AND… YOU! THE FIGHTING TYPE!" The Goletts turned their attention to Korben and spoke up again with a much harsher voice. "WHAT IS YOUR BUSSINESS OF COMING TO THIS SACRED PLACE?"

"Wha—" Korben was startled a bit by the Goletts' sudden aggressive toward him.

 _"… He's my associate."_ Fenrir Jr. spoke up again. _"He accompanied me here, and he's here to sightseeing this place too."_

"OH, I SEE…" The Goletts spoke up in realization after hearing Fenrir Jr.'s words. Both of them then turned their attention to Korben again and spoke up. "WE'RE SORRY FOR OUR RUDE WELCOME. YOU MAY PASS, KOMMO-O."

"T… Thanks…" Korben wasn't sure what else to say after witnessing the Goletts' sudden change in their demeanor.

 _"… Let's go, Korben…"_ Fenrir Jr. mumbled as he walked pass both Goletts into the Newmoon Temple, and the Kommo-o quickly followed him.

* * *

 **-Inside Newmoon Temple…**

As they entered the entrance of the temple, Korben and Fenrir Jr. found themselves in a long hallway that served as the foyer of the Newmoon Temple. Each side of the hallway stood several torches with the ominous blue flame being lit on each of them.

While it was true that the interior of the temple gave out an ominous feeling, Korben felt like the ominous feeling was tripled for him, as well as the terrible feeling he sensed since when he was outside, especially the feeling of someone looking at him despite that no one was around here except for Fenrir Jr. and some priests and priestesses of the temple, who didn't look at him. One more thing, there was one feeling that was amplified much more than anything else as he entered the temple. It was the feeling of nostalgia, a feeling of being here before in the past…

But how could that be? This was the first time that Korben had come to the Newmoon Temple, so how could he feel the nostalgia from a place that he hadn't visited before in his life?

"Wow…" Korben commented as he looked around the hallway that he was currently in right now, as a way to ignore his feelings again. "This place is… simpler than I thought…"

 _"Simple sometimes makes a better impression than complicated, though the same thing could be said to the complicated too…"_ Fenrir Jr. commented. _"… Anyway, I'm sorry that those gatekeepers are a bit rude to you, Korben. They were just a bit too… duty-bound."_

"Duty-bound?" Korben repeated the words he had just heard.

 _"… They were assigned the duty of the gatekeepers, and they took their job seriously… Too serious, if you ask me…"_ Fenrir Jr. explained. _"They insist on calling me with that nonsense title, despite that I am not the lord of Shadowlost yet. I tried to stop them from doing so, but they never did, so I gave up…"_

"I see. Don't worry about it. I don't mind at all." Korben said before he realized something. "Wait a minute… You told me that this place is just a temple, and this temple doesn't have anything extraordinary… So, why do they have to go all the way to assign two duty-bound Goletts as the gatekeepers?"

 _"… It's…"_ Fenrir Jr. slowly answered. _"… I guess you could say that it was a way that we tried not to redo our mistake in the past…"_

"Mistake in the past!?" For some reason, Korben was much more terrified than he should be after he heard Fenrir Jr.'s words.

 _"Yes…"_ Fenrir Jr. answered without looking at Korben. _"Something terrible befell on us nineteen years ago from our mistake… While it may not cause much damage back then, it's just an action of setting a timed bomb that would explode later in the future, bringing even a greater calamity upon us…"_

"Wha—" The Kommo-o was about to ask the Zoroark to elaborate his words when both of them found themselves out of the foyer and in the main hall of the Newmoon Temple.

The main hall of the Newmoon Temple made Korben realize that this place was much larger than he thought it would be. The main hall along was as large as a main square of a middle-sized town, large enough to have a town meeting in this place. There were many Pokemon in this temple, some were in the priest robe while the other seemed to be either the locals or the travelers coming here for sightseeing. On the left and the right of the main hall were several corridors that led to the other area of the Newmoon Temple such as the priests' private chambers, and on the other side of the main hall, the opposite side of the foyer, was a single altar located at the end of the main hall. On the ceiling of the temple were several exotic chandeliers with blue flame similar to the flame of the torches around the foyer and the main hall burning on it, giving the whole temple a dull but mysterious atmosphere.

However, the majesty of the Newmoon Temple wasn't the thing that attracted the attention of the Kommo-o and the Zoroark. It was a group of six Pokemon standing in the middle of the main hall. Three of them were the Pokemon wearing the somber priest robes of the Newmoon Temple. The other three of them, however, were different. One of them were wearing the white priest robe while the other two wore the white uniform similar to the one wore by the priest in the white robe, except that they were the heavy armor suits instead. The three Pokemon in the somber priest robes seemed to have a conversation with the other three Pokemon in the white uniform, but anyone could see that their conversation didn't seem to be very… friendly…

 _"…"_ Without saying anything, Fenrir Jr. quickly walked toward the group of six Pokemon, and Korben quickly followed them. As they approached the group, both Pokemon could hear the conversation between both groups clearly.

"…As I said before…" The Pokemon in the white priest robe, who was Beheeyem, spoke. He was accomplished by a Hitmonchan and a Hitmonlee in the white heavy heavy armor suit. "The goddess Yggdrasil is the creator, protector, and the arbiter of Symmetria. Her blessing salvages many from their demise, and—"

"… It doesn't matter what you say…" One of three Pokemon in the somber priest robe, a Mismagius, spoke up with a plain voice. "Newmoon Temple isn't a place for you and your goddess."

"And why are you still insisting on refusing our almighty goddess' blessing?" The Beheeyem continued speaking. "Her kindness extents to even the most sinful creatures. She has saved many souls from their drought everywhere else on this continent, and yet you people of the Newmoon Temple still refuse to bask in her glorious power."

"As you said before, Newmoon Temple isn't originally a ceremonial site." Another priest in the somber priest robe, an Arbok, spoke up. "Back before the Fallen Crisis, this place only served as an important landmark of our land. We only started to put this place into a good use when Shadowlost Territory was found, and its initial purpose wasn't for any ceremony either…"

"But that doesn't mean that this place couldn't become another sacred site for our lord and savior Goddess Yggdrasil." The Beheeyem spoke up again. "With your support and cooperation, everyone in this land of darkness will be saved by the power of our almighty goddess, or do you wish the people of this very land to not be saved?"

 _"… Our answer remained unchanged."_ The last Pokemon in a somber priest robe, who was a Zoroark wearing a demonic mask on the right part of her face. _"… You all are allowed to promote your religion to the people of Shadowlost Territory, but we of the Newmoon Temple still have to refuse you and your goddess…"_

"That's your answer, hm? How close-minded you are!" The Beheeyem spoke in a fake surprised voice. "Then, I guess we have nothing else to say today, and so, we shall take our leave right now. May the Goddess Yggdrasil be merciful on your souls…"

"…" The three priests of Newmoon Temple said nothing as the Beheeyem, the Hitmonlee and the Hitmonchan turned back and walked toward the exit of the temple, leaving them. They then remained silent for a few minutes when they realized that two new Pokemon were approaching them.

 _"… Fenrir Jr.?"_ The Zoroark priestess spoke up as she noticed a Zoroark and a Kommo-o approaching them.

 _"Good day, Aunt Hel."_ Fenrir Jr. greeted the Zoroark priestess politely. _"I hope that you are doing well, though I can see that there was a… little inconvenient a minute ago…"_

 _"…"_ Hel didn't say anything to her nephew.

 _"…Who are they? And what did they want from this place?"_ Fenrir Jr. asked.

 _"… They are… the missionary group from Theocracy of Venturnome, and… They want to… promote their religion and teaching about… their goddess, and they want to… turn the Newmoon Temple into their religion's site of Shadowlost Territory."_ Hel slowly answered.

 _"…Strange…"_ Fenrir Jr. commented. _"The Pokemon of Theocracy of Venturnome always have a strong dislike toward us the Pokemon of Shadowlost Territory, and they would never want to involve themselves with us, and here they are… I can clearly sense that they are still disgusted by us, and yet they—"_

 _"Either way…"_ Hel suddenly interrupted her nephew. _"What are you doing here, Fenrir Jr.?"_

 _"Your elder sister sent me here as her message boy."_ Fenrir Jr. answered as he picked a small letter from his bag and handed over it to his aunt. _"This is for you, Aunt Hel."_

 _"… Thanks."_ Hel took the letter from her nephew, and paused a few moment as she looked at the letter she received, and then she put it away _. "… Anyway… Since you are already here, why don't you show your friends around here?"_

 _"… Okay."_ Fenrir Jr. slowly nodded.

 _"Then, we shall take our leave right now."_ Hel said. _"If you need anything, you know where to find me…"_

After finished speaking, Hel and the other two priests walked away from where they were standing, leaving Fenrir Jr. and Korben in the middle of the main hall.

 _"… I thought that's going to be the end of my work for today, and yet Aunt Hel created another one for me…"_ Fenrir Jr. mumbled to himself.

"Don't worry about it." Korben spoke up. "I will be fine on my own. I will just taking a little tour in this place by myself. You don't have to—"

 _"Or maybe I could spice things up a little?"_ Fenrir Jr. spoke up with a crafty voice as he turned his attention to the Kommo-o _. "I could tell you a little story that you won't hear anything else about this temple. Do you want to hear it?"_

"What kind of story?" Korben asked.

 _"A story about hope and dream… And chaos…"_ Fenrir Jr. replied in an ominous voice. _"About a wish… and a pain. About the beginning of the Newmoon Temple… As well as the tragedy that was set in motion…"_

"What kind of story is that?!" Korben said before he remembered something. "Wait a minute, back when we were in the foyer, you said something like this before… About what happened in the past in this temple or something like that…"

 _"Ah… Good memory…"_ Fenrir Jr. said. _"Yes, you're right. It's the same story… The story about the beginning of today's Newmoon Temple… As well as the terrible thing that happened nineteen years ago. Interest?"_

"Hm… I'm not sure about it…" Korben replied. "I mean… It's a terrible incident, isn't it? And you did say that I won't hear this story from anywhere else, which means that no one else is going to talk about it, right? That sounds like this story is going to be some kind of secret that should be kept in the dark, and I am a foreigner to this land, so… Is it really okay for me to learn about this?"

 _"Haha… Nice thinking…"_ Fenrir Jr. complimented. _"But you have nothing to worry about it… This story isn't really a secret… But it brought so many… unpleasant memory to everyone here, so they don't want to speak about it. I, however, wasn't affected by it very much, and I somewhat feel like I want to tell this story to you."_

"If you say so…" Korben said. For some reason, he started to become interested in the story mentioned by the Zoroark.

 _"Great… But first, let me ask you a question…"_ Fenrir Jr. said. _"… If someone offers you the ultimate power that will allow you to defeat even the strongest foe, but in return, you will have to sacrifice someone dear to you. Will you accept their offer?"_

"What kind of terrible offer is that?" Korben answered with his arms crossed. "That's just a mindless option. Why would I sacrifice someone just for power? It isn't worth a life of innocent Pokemon at all! I would never do that, no matter what benefit I would gain from doing it."

 _"Hm… I don't know if that's an honorable answer… Or a naïve one…"_ Fenrir Jr. mumbled to himself before he started speaking again with an enigmatic voice. _"Very well, then… Let me tell you a story..._ _Fifty years ago… In the land where the light never reaches… There was a small village shrouded in the eternal twilight… The village was small and far from the modern civilization, yet everyone in the village was able to live together in harmony without any dispute or misery… Until one day… A berserk Pokemon suddenly appeared outside the village, and it destroyed everything in its path, including a life of one female Pokemon who lived in that village. The dead of that female Pokemon caused her husband to face a miserable death, and their two sons mysteriously disappeared afterward, along with that berserk Pokemon, and no one had ever heard of them again…"_

"…" Korben carefully listened to Fenrir Jr.'s story.

 _"After that day, the land around the village had gradually become more and more dangerous, with wild Pokemon roaming everywhere around the village, turning the once-peaceful land into the perilous wasteland…"_ Fenrir Jr. continued the story. _"One of the most terrifying thing was the mindless monster that found Skeleton Woods as their home 7 years after the first tragedy, or 43 years ago, turning the dark woods into the graveyard of many unlucky Pokemon… Some says that this monster suddenly appeared in the Skeleton Woods 43 years ago, while some claims that the monster had been living in the woods since long before it matured into a creature capable of killing other Pokemon in the heartless way…"_

"…" Korben turned his face away a bit, as he actually knew the true identity of the 'monster' mentioned in the story of Fenrir Jr. This monster, however, was one of the Pokemon that the Kommo-o didn't want to think of right now.

 _"But as sudden as it appeared, the monster of the Skeleton Woods disappeared 33 years ago, and the village of darkness was freed from one incident… And was swallowed into another one… The Fallen Crisis…"_ Fenrir Jr. continued the story. _"The Fallen Crisis caused the village of darkness to experience the first snowfall, which was impossible in the normal condition because the village was located far to the south by that time. While it might sound delightful, it wasn't… The sudden change of climate caused many plants around the village to die, and many Pokemon fell ill as they weren't able to adapt themselves to this sudden change… Luckily, the Fallen Crisis was over before any of the village's residents died… However, the Fallen Crisis caused the entire area around the village to move to the north, permanently lowering the overall climate of the area, forcing the Pokemon of the village to migrate to the south, to the area with a bit warmer climate, and they also had to spend several years trying to adapt themselves to the new climate, which, fortunately, wasn't as drastic as the one during the Fallen Crisis."_

"Hold on a minute…" Korben spoke up. "The stories of yours are quite good, but I don't see any connection between each of them. The only connection between each story that I can pinpoint is that—"

 _"All stories told the terrible incidents that the village of darkness had faced."_ Fenrir Jr. finished Korben's words. _"You may already figure out that the area of village of darkness in my stories is the area of today's Shadowlost Territory, and the village of darkness in the stories was the Lunar Village."_

"Lunar Village? Not Shadowlost City?" Korben asked. "And… I have never heard of Lunar Village before. Is it another settlement in Shadowlost Territory?"

 _"More like the abandoned ruins."_ Fenrir Jr. replied. _"After the Fallen Crisis, Lunar Village was sent to the northernmost area of today's Symmetria, and as I told you, the temperature of that area is too cold for the village's residents, and they decided to migrate to the wasteland to the south, which was a bit warmer than the area of Lunar Village. They decided not to go further south because doing so would result in them ending up in the frigid area of Queendom of Riverbrine, and the area other than today's Shadowlost Territory wouldn't be covered in the eternal twilight, which was what they were used to. That's how Shadowlost City was found."_

"And what about the Lunar Village?" Korben asked.

 _"It was abandoned."_ Fenrir Jr. answered. _"Its current location would be somewhere beyond Darkveil Chasm, somewhere near Cape of No Return. I heard that the abandoned Lunar Village had become the lair of Shadow Pokemon, but I don't have any official confirmation about this because I have never gone there, as the area of Cape of No Return is the most dangerous area in the entire Shadowlost Territory due to a large population of Shadow Pokemon being found there."_

"I see…" Korben nodded. He felt like Fenrir Jr.'s words disturbed his mind somehow, but he couldn't tell why. "Even so, other than all of them being the stories of horrible incidents, I still don't see any connection between them and the Newmoon Temple."

 _"… Here we are…"_ Fenrir Jr. spoke up as he turned his attention from the Kommo-o to something in front of him. This was the moment when Korben realized that he was no longer standing in the middle of the main hall, but he was standing at the end of the main hall, on the opposite side of where the foyer was, which meant that he and Fenrir Jr. must have been slowly walking as the Zoroark told the stories.

And here…

At this spot, right in front of where Fenrir Jr. stood was a single altar that Korben had noticed since when he entered the main hall. For some reason, since when he stepped into the main hall, Korben had always felt like this altar was the most notable spot in the entire hall, and he had been feeling like he was being drawn to this spot, and now, his feeling was much stronger than before…

As he looked at it closely, Korben could see that the altar was… ominous. The entire altar was made of some kind of dark stone, which was being carved with many demonic figures such as the unholy marking or the face of demons. On the top of the altar was a dark stone that was being carved in the shape of a head of some demonic creature that didn't resemble any kind of Pokemon. The eyes of the demon statue on the top of the altar were staring at the distant, and Korben felt like this gaze was piercing his soul right now…

 _"If I have to pinpoint the most important spot in the entire temple, it would be this one…"_ Fenrir Jr. spoke up while Korben was inspecting the altar. _"This is… the Altar of Desire…"_

"That sounds… enigmatic…" Korben commented after he finished inspecting the altar.  
 _"I don't think so…"_ Fenrir Jr. said. _"If we replace the word 'Desire' with the word 'Wish', the name would sound positive, yet the meaning of it doesn't change at all…"_

"Wait a minute…" Korben started to realize the hidden meaning within the words of the Zoroark. "Don't tell me that…"

 _"… Since the beginning of the historical report of the land of darkness, Newmoon Temple had always been the integral part of this land…"_ Fenrir Jr. continued the story. _"However, while being an important landmark, Newmoon Temple never played any important role in the history of the land of darkness. It had always been just the ruins located near the settlement… But then, after the Pokemon of Lunar Village migrated and found Shadowlost City, which was located not too far from the temple itself, they decided to put the temple into a good use. They sent a team of Pokemon to renovate the forsaken ruins into a usable temple… And that's when they discovered this altar hidden deep in the buried part of the temple…"_

"Let me guess…" Korben spoke up. "That's when an even more terrible incident befell on this land, right?"

 _"Wrong."_ Fenrir Jr. revealed. _"After the renovation of the temple was finished, the main hall of Newmoon Temple was extended to the area where the altar was located because this altar is an important discovery of the temple. However, after that day, the number of wild Pokemon in the Shadowlost Wasteland had gradually decreased, and the temperature around the wasteland had gradually increased to our pleasure. Most important of all, just a few years after the discovery of the altar, the land of darkness was granted independence, and Shadowlost Territory was found. After all misfortune we had faced throughout these past decades, why were we blessed with these fortunes in such a short amount of time? The answer that came to the mind of everyone was the discovery of this altar, which led them to believe that this altar was the 'Lucky Altar' and was adored as the sacred place of the land of darkness."_

"That sounds… Unbelievable." Korben commented. "I didn't mean to say that I don't believe the whole story about it… But it's just… unbelievable…"

"Indeed." Fenrir Jr. nodded. "I wouldn't believe in all of these too if the whole story didn't come from my mother and her siblings as they had experienced the whole thing first-handed."

"... Anyway…" Korben spoke up again. "What happen next?"

 _"… And so, the altar was worshipped as the sacred place of Shadowlost Territory, and it attracted many Pokemon to visit the newly-renovated Newmoon Temple..."_ Fenrir Jr. continued the story. _"Of course, when many Pokemon shared the same beliefs in an object, there was some Pokemon that… didn't quite believe in the power of this altar. And so, one day, in the hour that the temple was closed and no visitor was allowed inside the temple, one non-believer, who was actually a priest of Newmoon Temple, decided to approach the altar out of their determination to prove that this altar had nothing to do with the fortune of Shadowlost Territory. They, of course, ignored the voice of their fellow priests that no one, not even the high-priest of the temple, was allowed to touch the altar due to it being a sacred spot. However… Just as they placed their paw on the altar, their body suddenly froze, as if they were cursed with petrifaction."_

"Petrifaction?" Korben said as he looked at the altar. "So, this altar is actually a cursed altar?"

 _"… But just a few minutes after they touched the altar, their body returned to normal…"_ Fenrir Jr. continued the story. _"However, instead of doing anything else to the altar, that priest retreated from the main hall and returned to their private chamber… And what awaited them inside their chamber was something unbelievable… It was… a huge pile of gold coin… Much more than the amount of Poke earned by an average resident of Symmetria per year…"_

"That's impossible!" Korben said. "How could a thing like that happen?!"

 _"That's what all other priests in the Newmoon Temple thought too, but what unfolded before their eyes told otherwise…"_ Fenrir Jr. said. _"And the only explanation of this was… the altar, and they were right. The other priests had tried to touch the altar like what the non-believer did, and they had faced with a similar result."_

"… What happened to them?" Korben asked.

 _"… All of them reported the same thing… That after they touched the altar, they heard a sinister voice asking for their greatest desire, and when they replied, the voice said that it would grant them their wish…"_ Fenrir Jr. answered. _"And when they returned to normal, they found that… What they desired the most, be money, objects, or even love, had appeared right before their eyes…"_

"Unbelievable…" Korben mumbled as he glanced at the altar. "Such a thing like that really exists… But… If that's true, then why…"

 _"… It's because there's always a price to be paid for each desire that's fulfilled…"_ Fenrir Jr. replied in an ominous voice. _"The next day after the day when the wishes were granted, the news had arrived to the Newmoon Temple, to each priest that got their desire fulfilled, and all of them were very far from being the good news. The non-believer who received a large amount of fortune received the news of their daughter's sudden illness… The priest who was granted a large estate received the news that their wife had lost her arms… The priest who was granted the love they sought for so long… received the news of their parents' demise…"_

"So…" Korben said. "You want to tell me that the altar has granted wishes at the exchange of a price?"

 _"Precisely."_ Fenrir Jr. replied. _"The story of the wish-granting altar soon reached the ears of the chancellor and the Serpent General, and both of them, along with the High priest of Newmoon Temple, decided that the power of the altar was too dangerous for the whole world. And so, the three of them concealed the story of the wish-granting altar within the Newmoon Temple and its priests, so that the rest of the world would never learn of this forbidden power and use it to bring an even greater loss."_

"… But things didn't turn out like what they want, right?" Korben asked.

 _"We Pokemon are feeble and imbecile creatures, after all…"_ Fenrir Jr. nodded. _"Despite the chancellor's order, many priests of Newmoon Temple still secretly used the altar to get their wishes granted, even if they have to lose something in their life. And soon, the news of the altar and its power leaked to the outside world, to some residents of Shadowlost Territory, which caused many Pokemon to pay a visit to the Newmoon Temple in order to get their wishes granted, despite knowing that they would lose something in the process. And so, many innocent lives were lost just because of the avarice within the heart of us, Pokemon, and the land of darkness was enveloped in another chaos, just like the time before the altar was discovered... Or maybe even worse…"_

 _"Terrible…"_ Korben commented. _"Those who abuses the power to their own greed… Unacceptable…"_

 _"… Isn't that the basic rule of the world?"_ Fenrir Jr. spoke as he looked at the Kommo-o. _"Those who were born to the royal family are able to live a luxurious life while those who were born to the family of pleasant have to live a miserable life… Isn't this the truth of the world? After all… Equality is just nothing but an illusion created by those who couldn't accept how the world works…"_

"…" Korben said nothing after hearing the Zoroark's words.

 _"… Forgive me for being unpleasant, Korben…"_ Fenrir Jr. said as he noticed the Kommo-o's silence.

"… Anyway…" Korben decided not to say anything else about Fenrir Jr.'s words about equality. "What happened afterward to the altar? Since when we entered this place, I don't see anyone coming here to get their wishes granted."

 _"It's because the altar had already lost its power 19 years ago…"_ Fenrir Jr. answered.

"Lost it power?" Korben repeated the words he had just heard. "What exactly happened to the altar?"

Fenrir Jr. was about to answer the Kommo-o's question, but before he was able to do so…

 _"… The artifact on the altar wassssssss sssssssstolen…"_

A blunt voice was suddenly heard by the Zoroark and the Kommo-o. Both Pokemon then turned back and saw another Zoroark standing right behind them. This Zoroark was wearing a black armor suit, as well as a demonic mask similar to the one wore by Hel. However, the demonic mask wore by this Zoroark was wore on the left side of his face instead.

 _"… Uncle Jormungand…"_ Fenrir Jr. mumbled the name of the Zoroark who had just appeared.

 _"… In the fateful night nineteen yearssssss ago, the artifact on the altar had myssssssterioussssly disssssssappeared…"_ Jormungand spoke as he slowly approached the altar, walking pass Fenrir Jr. and Korben. _"No one know what exactly happened that night, except that in the evening of the previoussssss day, the artifact wasssss ssssssstil on the altar, and in the next morning, the artifact wasssssssssssss gone. The only explanation we have isssssss that ssssssomeone had ssssssstolen the artifact from this temple."_

"The… artifact?" Korben said. "What does that artifact have to do with the altar and its wish-granting power?"

 _"… While many Pokemon believe that the altar hassssssssss the power to grant wishessssssss, most of them don't know that the altar actually ssssssssserved as a link between them and the real wisssssssh-granter, the artifact."_ Jormungand answered. _"The artifact on the altar isssssssss actually the thing with a power to grant wishessssssss, assssssss well assssssss the power to take the price from the one who got their wishesssssss granted."_

"The artifact… With the power to grant the wish at the cost of losing something…" Korben mumbled to himself. For some reason, he felt like the whole lore about the artifact was strangely familiar, as if he had heard about it before...

 _"… After the artifact wassssssss ssssssstolen, the altar lossssssst itsssssss wissssssh-granting power…"_ Jormungand continued the story. _"…. And Ssssssshadowlost Territory was finally sssssssspared from the chaosssssss that almost sssssswallowed the whole land…"_

 _"… I wouldn't say so…"_ Fenrir Jr. spoke up. _"Remember the story of the terrible incidents that befell on the land of darkness before the altar and the artifact were discovered, and the fortune faced by the very same land after the artifact and the altar were discovered? And… Do you remember what happened right after the artifact was stolen from Newmoon Temple?"_

 _"… The Bloodmoon War."_ Jormungand replied with an ominous voice.

 _"And what about other terrible incidents that happened here after the artifact was stolen, such as the sudden increasing number of Shadow Pokemon in the area beyond Darkveil Chasm, as well as the sudden appearance of Shadow Pokemon in the other area of Shadowlost Territory?"_ Fenrir Jr. spoke with his arms crossed. _"And this doesn't count the fact that the artifact could be in the hand of someone who may use it for their own greed, at the cost of another innocent life. I wouldn't say that Shadowlost Territory was finally spared from the chaos. It seems like we are on a timed bomb that could explode and bring another suffering upon our land at any moment."_

 _"... Between having an artifact with a power to give and take everywhere and facing ssssssssseveral terrible incidentssssssss… What a good choice we have here…"_ Jormungand spoke with a sarcastic voice. _"But at least… We don't have to worry that anyone would ussssssse the artifact for their own benefit."_

 _"…How so?"_ Fenrir Jr. asked.

 _"… You haven't heard thissssssss part from ussssssss yet, so it's completely understandable for you to be confusssssssed…"_ Jormungand said. _"In order for sssssssssomeone to get their wishesssssssss granted by the artifact, they need to either have the artifact on the altar or have the artifact in their possssssssssssessssssssssssssion and be at where the altar isssssssss at the sssssssssssame time, which meanssssssssss that, unlessssssssssss the one with the artifact isssssssssss right here, in front of the altar, their wishessssssssssss would never be granted."_

"I see it now." Korben spoke up. "That's why they have two gatekeepers at the entrance of the temple, because if the one with the artifact tries to get their wishes granted, they would avoid the time when the temple is crowded, and if they tried to sneak into the temple after it was closed, they would have to pass the gatekeepers, which isn't an easy thing to do."

 _"… That'sssssss the leassssssst we could do right now…."_ Jormungand said.

 _"… And I guess that's the end of the whole story, as of right now…"_ Fenrir Jr. spoke up. _"… But I don't think the story would end right here… Either another terrible incident happens… Or the artifact is retrieved, along with people's avarice… Both cases would surely extend the story… To the path that's far from the path of a good ending…"_

"Thank you for telling me the whole story, Fenrir Jr. You too, Jormungand." Korben said. He wasn't sure how to address the Serpent General, but he decided not to use any honorific title as he knew that the Illunight family hated it. "I can see why others wouldn't want to tell this story, so… Thanks."

 _"My pleasure…"_ Fenrir Jr. replied.

 _"…"_ Jormungand lowered his head a bit in the manner of accepting the Kommo-o's thanks.

 _"… Jormungand?"_

An emotionless feminine voice turned the attention of the two male Zoroark and a Kommo-o to behind them, and they found another Zoroark standing behind them. This Zoroark, however, was the high-priest of Newmoon Temple, Hel.

 _"Hel?"_ Jormungand spoke as his younger sister approached him. _"Where have you been until now?"_

 _"… Sis sent me a letter via her son earlier…"_ Hel answered as she glanced at Fenrir Jr. a bit. _"… It's just… You know… an official approval document… About tomorrow…"_

 _"… I see…"_ Jormungand mumbled. Korben could feel like Hel and Jormungand glanced at him a bit when Hel mentioned 'an official order', and the Kommo-o could grasp what they meant by that…

 _"… Tomorrow? Official approval document?"_ Fenrir Jr. spoke up. _"What are you talking about?"_

 _"… There's going to be a big pilgrimage starting tomorrow, and everyone from the Newmoon Temple will join this pilgrimage."_ Hel answered. _"We will leave tomorrow, and we won't be back until a few days later… Your mother has just sent the official approval document of this pilgrimage today via you, Fenrir Jr."_

 _"A pilgrimage? This soon?"_ Fenrir Jr. commented with a snarky voice. _"… Heh… If this doesn't come from you, and there isn't an official approval document from mom, then I would have guessed that this whole pilgrimage thing is just a big scam to get everyone out of the temple… And then something really really bad is going to happen here…"_

 _"… Either way…"_ Hel spoke up again, trying not to let her nephew notice something wrong within her tone. _"Starting tomorrow, Newmoon Temple will be closed to the visitors until five days from now on. The notice of this should be revealed to the public soon…"_

 _"… That means that you are very lucky to be able to visit Newmoon Temple before its temporary closure, Korben."_ Fenrir Jr. spoke as he turned his attention to the Kommo-o before he seemed to realize something. _"… And since you're already here, why don't you give your prayer to the Altar of Desire?"_

"Prayer?" Korben repeated the words he had just heard. "Is it okay for me to do that?"

"Everyone always did it back when the artifact wasn't stolen anyway, but now that the artifact was gone, this altar is nothing more than just a stone pillar…" Fenrir Jr. said. "And don't worry that doing so would be against your religion too, because Newmoon Temple and this altar don't belong to any religion to begin with."

"I… I am not religious anyway…" Korben said. "… But I guess I could give it a try anyway. I mean, if the high-priest doesn't have any problem with me doing that, of course."

 _"… Go ahead."_ Hel said. _"After all… Nothing's going to happen, and everyone has already ignored that the temple prohibit touching the altar anyway…"_

 _"Thanks, Aunt Hel."_ Fenrir Jr. spoke with a crafty voice before turning his attention to the Kommo-o. _"Now, then… Shall we?"_

"Um…" Korben said as he looked at the altar. "… What must I do?"

 _"Simple."_ Fenrir Jr. replied as he approached the altar once again and stopped right in front of it. _"All you have to do is place your paw on the altar, close your eyes for a few second, and that's all."_

"That's it?" Korben said as he watched the Zoroark placed his paw on the top of the altar, on the part that seemed to be the head of the demon statue on the altar. The Zoroark then closed his eyes for ten seconds before he opened them and lifted his paw from the altar. "That's so… simple."

 _"Were you expecting anything else?"_ Fenrir Jr. asked as he left where the altar was.

"When you mentioned 'prayer', I thought that there would be, you know, think deeply about yourself and your feeling as we close our eyes." Korben said. "But… Just a few seconds won't be enough to do that…"

"You don't have to think of anything at all, if you want." Fenrir Jr. said. "Or you can just think of anything while you close your eyes… Such as what would a girl you have a crush on look like when she takes off your cloth."

"Wha—?!" Korben's face suddenly turned red after hearing the Zoroark's words. "What's with an idea like that?!"

"Sigh… Perverted nephew…" Hel spoke up and sighed. "Saying something like that inside the temple… Aren't you afraid of the sin you've committed, Fenrir Jr.?"

"I am a sinful creature, after all." Fenrir Jr. said with a crafty voice. "No matter how much good deed I did or how much sin I committed, I would never ascend to the heaven anyway…"

"… Aren't you going to pray?" Jormungand spoke up to Korben after keeping silent for sometimes.

"Oh." Korben replied. "Okay, I will do it now."

Korben approached the altar and stopped right in front of it, looking at the demonic statue on the top of the altar. The statue was glaring at the Pokemon in front of it, giving the Kommo-o an extreme uneasy feeling, as if someone was staring into his soul…

 _"Go ahead."_ Fenrir Jr. said.

"Hm." Korben nodded to the Zoroark before he reached his paw toward the altar and placed it on the head of the statue...

But then…

* * *

 _ **"TELL ME WHAT YOU DESIRE…"**_

* * *

 _"Korben!"_

"Wha…"

The Kommo-o opened his eyes and found that, instead of standing in front of the altar, he was now lying on the floor of the temple, and three Zoroark were surrounding him.

"W… What happens… to me?" Korben asked slowly as he tried to sit. Right now, he felt very inert, as if his entire body had stopped working until a few seconds ago, and now his body was slowly rebooted. "Why am I… on the floor?"

 _"… After touching the altar, your body… stopped moving, as if you were… petrified."_ Fenrir Jr. answered. _"If Uncle Jormungand didn't pull you away from the altar, who know how long you would stay like that."_

"I… see…" Korben mumbled as he looked as his paw, unsure what to say anything else.

 _"… What about you?"_ Fenrir Jr. asked. _"What happens to you after you touched the altar?"_

"I… I don't know…" Korben answered with an uncertain voice. "Everything was dark… And then… I'm not sure what happened after that…"

 _"… I see…"_ Fenrir Jr. replied with a skeptical voice. _"… Could it be that you were exposed to an excessive amount of chaotic force? Shadowlost Territory is a land full with many… unnatural forces, and I heard that this altar has a high concentration of a negative energy, right, Aunt He—"_

Fenrir Jr.'s words was paused as the young Zoroark noticed something that caught his attention, his uncle and aunt. Since the moment that Korben regained his consciousness, Hel and Jormungand hadn't spoken anything, not even a single word. And now, both of them weren't acting natural. Hel was staying still, with her face remained without a tiny bit of any emotion, as if she was frozen in the place of the Kommo-o. Jormungand, on the other hand, was very restless, as if something had greatly disturbed him, despite that it was clear that he was trying not to show it. Nevertheless, there was one thing that both Hel and Jormungand did right now…

Both of them were staring intensely at Korben…

 _"… Are you listening, Uncle Jormungand, Aunt Hel?"_ Fenrir Jr. spoke again as he was quite sure that both his uncle and aunt didn't listen to him before.

 _"…Hm?"_ Hel was the first one who snapped out of her trance. _"… What?"_

 _"… Either way…"_ Fenrir Jr. ignored his aunt and turned his attention back to the the Kommo-o. _"Korben, you must be tired after this whole thing. Why don't you return to the city and call it a day?"_

"… Good idea." Korben replied as he felt like he really needed a rest, and he wanted to get away from the negative feeling that had been plaguing his mind since when he arrived at this temple.

 _"Then, I will escort you back to the city. After all, I need to report to the chancellor that the high-priest had safely received her message."_ Fenrir Jr. said.

"Thanks, Fenrir Jr." Korben said.

 _"… That's… unusual…"_ Hel spoke up, turning the attention of Fenrir Jr. and Korben to her. _"… Usually, you aren't a type who could easily befriend anyone, are you, Fenrir Jr.? While Princess Natasha was easily able to befriend you, it took Prince Largo a few weeks to do the same thing… And now…"_

 _"… I know what you are trying to say."_ Fenrir Jr. replied. _"To be honest, I am also surprised by all of this too… But again, sometimes, I don't really understand myself, so, that's okay…"_

 _"Suit yourself…"_ Hel replied.

 _"Then…"_ Fenrir Jr. was about to ask Korben to leave with him when he remembered something. The young Zoroark then turned his attention toward his uncle and started speaking again. _"… Speaking of which… Uncle Jormungand, what is the general of Shadowlost's special force doing in a time and a place like this?"_

 _"…"_ Instead of answering his nephew's question, Jormungand turned his attention toward Korben and slowly approached him. _"… If I remember correctly, you are… Korben the Kommo-o, right?"_

"Yes?" Korben replied to the Zoroark. "Do you need something from me?"

 _"… Actually…"_ Jormungand reached his paw into his pocket and pulled out an envelope. _"… A few hourssssssssssssss earlier, I ran into…. A certain Pokemon who wasssssssss... looking for a Kommo-o named Korben, and he asked me to deliver this to you after I mentioned that I knew a Pokemon with a name and sssssssspecie like that."_

"O… Okay." Korben said as he received the enveloped from Jormungand. "T… Thank you for delivering this to me."

 _"… Accepting a request from a stranger... That's not like you at all, Uncle Jormungand."_ Fenrir Jr. commented. _"Who knows what might be in that envelope… Maybe it's a mail bomb or—"_

 _"You overthink it, Fenrir Jr."_ Jormungand replied.

 _"Moreover…"_ Fenrir Jr. continued speaking. _"… Using the high-rank general of Shadowlost Territory as his personal deliveryman… What kind of Pokemon is he? Is he a native or a foreign—"_

 _"Sssssssssstop being pessssssssssssimist like your mother, Fenrir Jr."_ Jormungand scolded. _"The Pokemon who asked me to do this sssssssssssssssounded really desssssssssssperate, so…"_

 _"Sigh…"_ Fenrir Jr. interrupted Jormungand's words by sighing. The young Zoroark then turned his attention to his Kommo-o companion. " _… Let's go, Korben."_

"O… Okay…" Korben nodded to the young Zoroark. He and Fenrir Jr. then started walking toward the foyer of the temple. However, just after both of them walked for a few steps…

"… Tell me once last thing, Hel." Korben suddenly stopped walking and turned his attention back to two Zoroark that were standing behind him and Fenrir Jr., before he started speaking once again. "… What is the kind of the artifact that was stolen from the altar?"

 _"Hm?"_ Not only Hel, but Jormungand and Fenrir Jr. also had their attention on the Kommo-o after hearing his question.

"O… Oh…" Realizing that he was now the center of attention, Korben spoke up with a flustered voice. "I… Is it something that's a secret to the outsider?"

 _"… No, it's fine."_ Hel replied with a plain voice. _"… Answering your question, the artifact that was stolen nineteen years ago is… a diadem."_

"A… A diadem?!" Korben spoke with a shaking voice after hearing the answer from the female Zoroark.

 _"Yes… A diadem… An ornament accessory that's used as a headgear, similar to circlet, headdress or tiara…"_ Hel continued speaking. _"The entire diadem was made from pure silver with many gemstones decorated on it. The unique carvings on the diadem itself are highly cherished in its historical value, but the most outstanding thing on that diadem is the gemstone that's decorated at the center of the diadem, the Black Moon."_

 _"Black Moon?"_ Fenrir Jr. spoke up. _"You mean… the biggest black diamond that's ever discovered?"_

 _"Right, that one…"_ Hel answered. _"Normally, diamond is very hard to find, but black diamond is harder to come by because it's a diamond that has absorbed the dark minerals under the ground, turning the entire thing into a black gemstone. And so, it can only be found in the Shadowlost Territory, and since Black Moon is the biggest black diamond ever discovered… So…"_

 _"Not only the artifact, the diadem, isssssssssss valuable in the term of itsssssssss historical value, but it also hassssssssss its own value in term of how much it'ssssssssss worth in money…"_ Jormungand spoke up. _"… And we haven't talked about the fact that thissssssssss diadem could be used to get wishessssssss granted yet…"_

 _"… I could understand more and more about why this artifact is highly sought…"_ Fenrir Jr. commented.

 _"Anyway…"_ Hel turned her attention back to the Kommo-o. _"… Does my answer satisfy you, young Kommo-o?"_

"Hm? O… Of course." Korben replied. "T… Thank you for answering anyway, Hel."

 _"Glad to quench your thirst for wisdom, young Kommo-o."_ Hel nodded in response.

 _"… Let's go already, Korben."_ Fenrir Jr. spoke up to the Kommo-o before turning his attention back to his uncle and his aunt. _"Thank you for today, Aunt Hel, Uncle Jormungand, and farewell for now."_

"Right." Korben spoke up. "Thank you for everything, Hel. You too, Jormungand. Good bye."

 _"… Good bye, both of you."_ Hel spoke up. _"May the dark force embrace your soul…"_

 _"… May we meet again… ssssssssssssssoon."_ Jormungand said while lowering his voice at the last words in his sentence.

After finishing their farewell, Fenrir Jr. and Korben walked toward the foyer of the temple before they exited the Newmoon Temple, leaving Hel and Jormungand in the main hall of the temple, along with other priests who were minding their business.

 _"… That Kommo-o…"_ Hel spoke up after seeing that her nephew and his companion had already left the temple. _"… He's special, isn't he?"_

 _"Hm…"_ Jormungand nodded in response. _"… Hisssssssssssss kind isssssssssss rare, after all…"_

 _"… Come to think of it, he's the second Kommo-o that we have met in our lifetime, isn't he?"_ Hel continued speaking. _"I remember that… There was a female Kommo-o who worked as the priestess of Newmoon Temple for several years before she mysteriously disappeared…"_

 _"… If I remember correctly, didn't ssssssssshe go misssssssssssssssing during the Bloodmoon War?"_ Jormungand said as he looked at his younger sister. _"After the war, I received a report that sssssssssseveral priestsssssssss and priesssssssstessssssessssssss had died or gone misssssssssssssssing, and I remembered that I sssssssssssaw a Kommo-o being in the lisssssssssssssst…"_

 _"… Actually…"_ Hel spoke up again. _"… That Kommo-o priestess had gone missing just a bit before the Bloodmoon War started, and either the one who wrote the report thought that she went missing during the war, or they were too lazy to write a separate case for her."_

 _"… Now that I think about it again…"_ Jormungand spoke up again. _"… If that Kommo-o priesssssssssstessssssssssss went missssssssssssssing jussssssssssst a bit before the Bloodmoon War ssssssssssssstarted, then ssssssssssshe would have gone misssssssssssing around the time that the artifact was ssssssssssstolen…"_

 _"Jormungand…"_ Hel turned her attention to her elder brother with a grim look on her face. _"Don't tell me that you are thinking that…"_

 _"… And if I am right…"_ Jormungand spoke while still having his attention on the way to the exit of the temple. _"It would mean that… The young Kommo-o who vissssssssssssssssssited Newmoon Temple today… And the female Kommo-o who worked asssssssssssss the priesssssssssssssstessssssssssssssss of Newmoon Temple nineteen yearssssssssssssss ago…"_

"…" Hel said nothing and had her attention on the way to the exit of the temple too.

 _"… I will keep an eye on that Kommo-o…"_ Jormungand spoke up with a grim voice. _"… After all, we have already lossssssssssssssst so many thingssssssssssssss in our life, and I refusssssssssssssse to losssssssssssse anything elsssssssssssse, even if it meanssssssssssssss that I have to… ssssssssssssspill my venom."_

* * *

 **-Meanwhile…**

"This place's… enchanting."

Three Pokemon, a female Dragalge, a male Alolan Marowak, and a male Garchomp, stepped into a lone building located on the northern shore of Venom Island. This place was called the Misty Shrine, which was perhaps the only building located on the northern part of Venom Island due to the excessive amount of poisonous fume on this part of the island, which caused this shrine to be void of any visitors most of the time. Right now, however, the Misty Shrine received a visited from three Pokemon from Dustorm Empire, who wished to ask the shrine to awake a sacred power within one of them…

Outside the shrine, the whole structure of the shrine was almost impossible due to the fog being very thick in this area. However, as the three visitors stepped into the shrine, they could see the architecture of this place wasn't what they used to see. The style of this shrine's architecture was much smoother and more sophisticated than the architecture of Shadowlost, which were rather primitive and chaotic (According to Natasha). For example, there were several carvings of flowers inside the shrine, all which were very refined and carefully carved. Overall, the architecture of this shrine resembled the architecture of Leafburg, but…

"Actually…" Natasha spoke up after she and her brothers entered the shrine. "I heard that this place was built by the Fairy type inhabitants before the old Fairy Isle was turned into Venom Island after the Fallen Crisis, so… The architecture of this place is the same as Venturnome's."

As the three Pokemon walked along the hallway of the shrine, all of them could feel that this shrine was full with a large amount of mystical power, a power that's beyond any explanation. The power gradually grew stronger as the three of them walked deeper into the shrine, until…

"… An altar?"

As they reached the end of the temple, the three visitors stopped in front of a small shrine located at the end of the hall. This altar was small and humble, making many Pokemon consider it as an insignificant place, but not for these three visitors…

"… It's your time, Natasha." Largo was the first one that spoke up after a long silence since when the three of them entered the shrine.

"I know…" Natasha replied to her younger brother before turning her attention to the altar. "… Mother, please watch over me…"

After finished speaking, Natasha gracefully walked forward and stopped right in front of the altar. The Dragalge then kneeled down and placed her fin on her chest, praying from the bottom of her heart.

"…" While their elder sister was praying to the altar, Largo and Zetarus said nothing as they silently watched their elder sister proceeding with the small ritual requiring for her to awaken the power within her veins…

And then…

A minute after Natasha started praying, a dark purple aura suddenly appeared out of nowhere and formed around the body of the Dragalge, but she still didn't budge. The Dragalge continued praying as the dark purple aura embraced her body, awaking the sacred power within her body. Right behind her, her younger brothers were watching her silently, and they would be more surprised about this whole ritual if this was their first time seeing the power of legend being bestowed to a Pokemon…

"… Ah!"

As soon as the dark purple aura was absorbed into her body, Natasha quickly opened eyes. The Dragalge then quickly stood up and looked around, as if she was searching for something.

"Natasha!" Largo quickly approached his elder sister after seeing that she had completed the ritual, followed by Zetarus who casually followed his sibling. "Are you alright? How are you feeling right now?"

"I… I heard her voice…" Natasha slowly replied. "I… heard mother's voice… Just a second ago."

"Mother?" Largo repeated the words he had just heard. "You mean the late Empress Sharon?"

"Right…" Natasha answered. "I could still remember her voice clearly… There's no way that I am mistaking this."

"Then…" Largo continued speaking. "What did mother tell you?"

"I… I couldn't hear her clearly…" Natasha answered. "But… Her voice is so kind and serene… And a bit sad too."

"Sad?" Largo looked at his elder sister. "What do you mean by that?"

"I don't know…" Natasha replied. "It's as if she was trying to tell or warn me about something, but…"

"Anyway." Zetarus spoke up as he reached where his siblings were standing right now. "Natasha, you are now the Heroine of Poison type, right?"

"… Right." Natasha answered as she flipped her fin and found something new on there, which was none other than the proof that she was now the Heroine of Legend, the Mark of Legend.

"And if I remember correctly, when he became the Hero of Ground type, Terrus got a new, fancy weapon, right?" Zetarus continued speaking.

"…" Natasha picked her weapon, a whip, up and found that something also happened to it too. First, the handle of the whip was turned into pure silver with many flower carvings on it. For the whip itself, it had turned dark purple similar to the aura that surrounded its owner a minute ago, making it look like it was always dripped with deadly poison that could poison anyone that got hit by it. Moreover, the whip was much more flexible than before, so it won't break or be cut easily, and even if it was cut, it would regenerate itself within a few seconds, making it a reliable weapon.

"That must be the sacred weapon of the Heroine of Poison type…" Largo commented. "I can feel its power emitting from itself…"

"… I remember now…" Natasha spoke up. "… I remember that mother also had a weapon like this too, but I never saw her using it because she didn't want to hurt anyone…"

"Mother…" Largo mumbled, reminiscing a woman who was his body, despite not being a biological one.

"… In the honor of our mother, I shall name my weapon after her weapon…" Natasha spoke up as she held her whip with her fin. "… I'm counting on you, my Beryl Whip."

"…" Largo and Zetarus nodded in response to their sister's words.

"Now, shall we leave?" Natasha spoke up after she put away her weapon. "We still have one more destination to go, and it's your turn now, Largo."

"I know, I know…" Largo said. "Let's go, everyone. Our next destination is Darkveil Chasm!"

After finished speaking, the three visitors turned back and walked forward, and then they exited the Misty Shrine, leaving nothing but silent inside the shrine…

Except for…

 _"My children… Please… Take care of yourself…"_

* * *

 **-A Few Hours Later…**

After travelling across Shadowlost Wasteland again, Korben and Fenrir Jr. had arrived at Shadowlost City. The Kommo-o and the Zoroark then said farewell to each other before they went their separate way. Fenrir Jr. headed toward the city hall in order to report to the chancellor. Korben, on the other hand, quickly walked into the downtown area of the city. The clock tower in the center square of the city told that it was currently 15:00, but since Korben had already had his lunch with Fenrir Jr. just after they left Newmoon Temple, the Kommo-o wasn't hungry at all. In fact, even if he was hungry, Korben wouldn't stop to have his meal, because something else was troubling him right now.

After ten minutes of walking, the Kommo-o had reached the inn where he and his friends stayed. The Kommo-o quickly went upstairs and walked toward his room, and then he unlocked the door and entered his room. Luckily for him, his roommate, Xavier, seemed to be out and wasn't in the room right now, meaning that Korben had the entire room for himself, which was what he needed right now.

"…" As soon as he locked the door and finished checking that he was alone in the room, Korben slowly reached his paw into his bag, with his paw shaking very hard. After a few seconds of searching, he could feel his paw touching something cold and hard, which caused him to jolt a bit before he slowly pulled the object out, revealing it as…

A diadem with a large black diamond at its center…

"…" Looking at the diadem gave the Kommo-o a nostalgic feeling about 3 years ago (A few weeks in the feeling of the Kommo-o), when he received the diadem from his deceased grandfather, who told him that it was a keepsake from his deceased mother. However, it also gave him a dreadful feeling, which came from his realization that his fear had come true.

"This… There's no doubt…" Korben spoke up with a shaking voice for the first time since after he returned to Shadowlost City. "This must be… the lost artifact… The artifact with the power to grant wishes… The artifact that was stolen from Newmoon Temple nineteen years ago…"

Realizing the truth, Korben's mind was instantly bombarded with many questions regarding the diadem in his paw. Why would this diadem be in his possession right now? No… This artifact was given to him by his grandfather, who said that he found it along with the body of the Kommo-o's deceased mother, which meant that it was his mother who got this artifact in the first place… But… Why would his mother have the lost artifact of Shadowlost Territory with her?

"Wait a minute…" Korben tried to think back to yesterday, to the conversation he had with his friends at the local bistro. He remembered that Richard speculated that Korben may have a blood of someone from Shadowlost Territory, and that someone was most likely the father that the Kommo-o never saw or knew. And if his father was someone from Shadowlost Territory, then it's most likely that his mother must have visited Shadowlost Territory after she left Valley of No Return… Which meant that…

"… Right now, I am fifteen years ago…" Korben mumbled to himself. "And plus three years that I have been… hibernated, then it would mean that… I was born eighteen years ago… And one year earlier… the artifact was stolen from Newmoon Temple… The artifact… That was in the possession of my mother… What if she stole the artifact… And then returned to Valley of No Return, give birth to me, and die? That's… I can't believe it… But… The timings of both events do fit together…"

Korben paused mumbling for a few seconds before he continued. "Then… It would mean that my mother left Valley of No Return and ended up in Shadowlost Territory, where she met my father… And then, nineteen years ago, for some reason, my mother stole the artifact from Newmoon Temple and escaped back to Valley of No Return. However, she suffered an illness or injury and died right at the entrance of Valley of No Return… And died, leaving the egg that contained me inside, a paper with my name written on it, and… the diadem, all which was eighteen years ago, one year after she stole diadem from the Newmoon Temple.

"... But still… Why did my mother have to steal the diadem from the Newmoon Temple?" Korben mumbled to himself. "And… What should I do with this diadem? Should I return it to Newmoon Temple? Or should I keep it hidden? But if I kept it hidden, it would mean that I'm committing a crime… But again, there must be some reason that my mother would go so far to steal this thing… Grrrrrr…"

The Kommo-o let out a frustrated groan as he sat down on his bed, looking at the ceiling of the room. "… I wish I could talk about this with someone…" Korben mumbled. "But… I can't drag my friends into this. They have helped me so much, and they have a lot to deal with right now…"

"Sigh…" Korben sighed as he still had his attention on the ceiling of the room, not knowing what to do next. "… Father, if you're still alive, I wish that I could meet you…"

 _"…"_

"!" Suddenly, Korben felt a sharp and intense negative feeling jolting into his mind, piercing his entire mental soul. This was the same feeling that he had been feeling since when he had arrived in Shadowlost Territory, as well as the same feeling he felt while he was inside the Newmoon Temple. This time, however, the Kommo-o could pinpoint the exact location of its origin, which was none other than…

"T… This diadem!" Korben mumbled as he looked at the diadem in his paw. He could feel that all negative feelings he had was originated from this artifact in his paw. Realizing this, the Kommo-o quickly threw the diadem away from his paw, which bounced on the bed before it stopped as it rested idly on the bed without moving. However, Korben could still feel the negative feeling coming out from the diadem, though much less significant than a while ago.

"This… This is the reason behind everything I felt…" Korben mumbled as he was glaring at the diadem with a look of disgusting his face. "That thing has a power to grant wishes… And because this is the land where the altar that this thing belongs to exists… It must resonance to the whole land and emit those negative feelings toward its possessor… Such a cursed artifact…"

The Kommo-o continued glaring at the artifact, not sure what to do about it. One part of his mind told him to throw it away because not only it was a treat to him and his mind, but it was also an artifact that caused much suffering to befall on many innocent creatures. However, the other part of his mind told him to keep it, because…

"… If I throw it away, it may fall into a paw of another Pokemon… Which would bring the pain and suffering to them— No… They can also use it to cause the pain and suffering to other innocent creatures…" Korben mumbled as he approached the diadem and picked it up, ignoring the intense negative feelings that started pouring into his mind again. "… Moreover, I was entrusted this thing by my grandfather and my mother… And my mother must have some reason for stealing it… Whatever it is… And… I will place my trust on her…"

After finished speaking, Korben placed the diadem back into his bag before he laid down on his bed. "… I guess I'll keep it with me for now… And I'll decide what to do with it later.."

The Kommo-o was about to close his eyes and call it a day after a long and eventful day before he remembered something. He then sat up and reached his paw into his bag again. This time, he pulled out an envelope that was given to him by the Serpent General back at Newmoon Temple.

"That Zoroark… Jormungand, isn't it?" Korben mumbled as he looked at the envelope in his paw. "He said that a stranger wants to give me this… What is it? And who is that stranger? Well… I'll just take a quick look before I call it a day…

The Kommo-o opened the envelope and pulled out the object inside, which was a roll of paper. He then unrolled the paper and started reading the words on it.

"Y **Ou** a _Re_ **sTi** _LL_ _h_ _ **E**_ **r** E, w _ **HI**_ c **h** _w_ I **LL** **bR** I _nG_ _uP_ _ **o**_ **N** **n** _ **O**_ _T_ h **In** G b _uT_ **Pa** In _aNd_ **sUffE** _rinG_. **IF** _yOu_ s **Ti** ll va **L** _uE_ **Y** _ouR_ l **IF** e, _Le_ **aV** E _tH_ **Is** **pL** _Ac_ E **an** D _NeV_ E **r** **Re** TU _rN_ **aG** _AiN_. _**ThI**_ s iS _**tHe**_ s _Ec_ **On** d w **aRn** _Ing_."

 **To Be Continued…**

* * *

 **Dragon of Vale: This chapter turned out to be much longer than I expect, and it took me much longer than I thought. Still, this chapter serves as the 'heart' of this Tail, because the most important detail of the seventh tail is revealed in this chapter…**

 **Right, I was talking about the chapter's namesake, the lost artifact. It was the artifact that can be used to get any wishes granted… At the cost of losing something precious to you… If you could get a hand on that artifact, would you use it to get your greatest desire granted?**

 **One more thing… An artifact with an ability to grant wishes at the cost of losing something… Doesn't that sound awfully familiar?**

* * *

 **Q &A Session:**

 **Tail 7-5 – Question:** Everyone has your own weapon preference, right? Then… Why did you choose that weapon to be your weapon of choice?

 **Answer:** ( **Dragon of Vale:** Note… Everyone's answer is surprisingly long, longer than the average length of each character's answer.)

 **-Korben:** Story time. Back when I started training the art of battle with… everyone, we all were trained in the basic art of all weapons because the weapons in my… village are the simple one, like sword, bow, axe and spear. After the basic training, we were told to choose one weapon as our preference in order to continue with the advance training in each weapon. Noctus chose lance. Lyzia chose bow. Unos chose axe. And Dimitri chose sword. For me, I couldn't choose which one to use because I felt like none of them suit me, but I went with the sword for the time being. One day, we all went into Valley of No Return for our usual patrol, when we were assaulted by a group of wild Pokemon. While everyone was dealing with the enemies, I was attacked off-guard by another wild Pokemon, and my sword was flung away from me, leaving me weaponless. All I could do was use my bare paws to fight the wild Pokemon off. However, as I fought them, I felt that fighting using my bare paw suited me very well, and I was able to finish the battle without retrieving my old sword. When we returned to the village, I decided to fight using my bare paw from now on, but Dimitri insisted that I should, at least, wear a gauntlet or a knuckle to protect my fist. Despite that, we couldn't find an equipment like that because no one else in my village fights like me. Tomorrow, however, Dimitri came to me and handed me an old knuckle. He didn't tell me where he got that one, but I later found that Dimitri stole it from his dad, but Damos still allowed me to keep it because it's just an old weapon, and no one else would use it anyway. I couldn't believe that my knuckle would actually once belong to the legendary figure, Bahamut, who was Damos and Dimitri's ancestor.

 **-Claura:** Similar to Korben's story, back when Xavier and I started training, we have to choose our one weapon type in order to proceed with the advanced training. Because I don't have any appendage, I couldn't use a weapon that requires a use of more than one appendage (I can still use my tail to hold my weapon, but that's the only 'appendage' I have.), and I don't like a weapon with short reach, such as sword or axe, too because of the same reason. Also, I was trained in the marine battle, so I want to use a weapon that's related to the sea. Combined all of this together and you'll see why my weapon of choice is the anchor.

 **-Xavier:** Read Korben and Claura's answer first except for the weapon choosing part. I chose to use a halberd because it's easy to chop off the head of my enemy, eviscerate their stomach, and impale their heart with it. Also, having a longer reach than most physical weapon means that I don't have to waste too much energy to get close to my enemy too.

 **-Anastasia:** You may not believe this, but I was actually trained in the art of sword and shield… No, it wasn't my brother who trained me to use the sword… Anyway, I fought with the sword and shield during the Fallen Crisis, but after that, I went on a journey with my brother… However, seeing the sword and shield of mine made me feel very bad because I once used them to hurt… my old friends. Also, during our journey, because Baromyteus had killed almost everyone who hired him as a mercenary because most of them would tried to do something bad to me, I decided to start working as a songstress, and what's with a songstress that can't play an instrument? I chose to go with a harp because the sound it produced is wonderful… And later, I learnt that, if used correctly, harp could be used as a weapon too. That's why I decided to change my weapon preference from a sword and a shield to a harp.

 **-Baromyteus:** While I may not have the greatest childhood because I was exiled from my homeland when I was very young, my father would often visit me and train me in the art of the sword as it was the most basic weapon art. Later, he taught me about dodging, and he said that, in order to maximize the dodging ability, I shouldn't use a shield or a heavy weapon, such as a two-handed sword. However, I found that having a weapon in only one hand and leaving the other hand free are such a waste, so I decided to train in the art of dual-wield, and double swords are the best option for a dual-wielder like me. That's the main reason why I'm ambidextrous.

 **-Diego:** Being a gladiator, I have to fight with whatever I can find in order to survive, and I have been using many kinds of weapon in my battle. Among all of them, I found that I like using spear in a battle most because it has a better reach than sword and dagger, was easier to use than axe or hammer, and most battles in the arena have a physical contact, making the close-range weapon a better choice than the long-range weapon. And that's how the spear becomes my weapon preference, which isn't surprising considered that most members of Novaflare family (Which includes me.) also fight using spear too.

 **-Zetarus:** You know how my story goes… I have never fought in my life before because I stayed in Desert Prison for the gxxxxxn 21 years. During the day I escaped from that hellhole, the guards were after my ass, and I had to use whatever I found to fend them off. That's when I found this pistol in a room that I ended up in, and I know what it was and somewhat know how to use it because I usually saw the guards used it to shoot any unlucky prisoners who happened to be nearby them when they were pissed, or something like that. I took that pistol with me and used it, along with my newly-acquired power, to escape and destroy that place. After that day, I decided to stick to a pistol not only because it saved my ass, but I found it… enjoyable to blow up the head of my enemy with it. Moreover, you may not see this, but I am a rather skinny Pokemon because I'm rather underno… nou… Whatever it is! I mean that that hellhole didn't feed me well throughout my 21-year stay, so, I'm far from being a muscular and healthy Pokemon, which means that I can't wield a heavy weapon or fight a close-range battle very well, so I decided to stick with a long-range battle, and the pistol is my choice for this.

 **-Rachael:** I haven't seen much battle before I departed from Leafburg, so I didn't fight much before that. However, during the night before I left my home, Cathy appeared, and it's so cute! This cute li'l doll also said that it will protect me, so I took it with me, and it also served as my 'weapon' too. To tell the truth, it's quite a relief that a talking doll is my weapon of choice, because fighting and killing are such the cruel things, and seeing others use their weapons for these… I can't do something like that! But with Cathy, a doll that could attack the enemy on its own, I would be able to help everyone, and I'm grateful for this!

 **-Richard:** As you may or may not know depend on the level of your intelligence, I am the smartest, cleverest, and the most intelligent member of the Pendragon, and I only use a weapon that could bring upon my fullest potential, and that's the tome, a book that can be used to conjure many means of attack. Of course, the tome is a weapon that's very hard to master due to its user is required to be smarter than most Pokemon. However, the tome of mine, the Chronicle, is perhaps the hardest weapon to master due to itself being one of the most powerful weapon in the entire world, and that's the reason how the tome become my weapon of choice.

 **-Freya:** W… Well… For me… I… I wasn't a strong Pokemon to begin with, and I don't like a battle too… So… I didn't start my training in battle until I was sent to Windsky Village… During that time, I already knew from their letters that Natasha specializes in magical attack, Largo specializes in physical attack, and Terrus specializes in everything. (And I later learned that Zetarus specializes in ranged attack.) With this, I decided to specialize in the support role in order to help everyone. And healing rod is one of the best supporting weapon too… Also, because Windsky Village had just become a part of Dustorm Empire a bit before I was sent there, there were still the shrines and the priests from Venturnome there, who taught me in the art of healing and how to use a healing rod too, a… and I'm grateful for their kindness…

 **-Snow:** I… I don't remember much about my past… But I remember a bit that I was a servant of some kind… And… I was trained in a battle too… That's all I can remember… However, if I have to guess, I would say that, being a servant who was trained to battle, I must be ready to battle at any time, even when I'm serving a cup of tea. So, a dagger would be the optimal weapon for someone like me because I can use it in both kitchen and in a battle, and I can carry it with me of all time too. That's my guess…

 **-Sirius:** … ( **Dragon of Vale:** Sirius says that it was created in the Civilized Laboratory to be the weapon of destruction to begin with, so it doesn't need any weapon. However, they implanted the Chip into his body in order to increase and enhance his fighting skill and ability, and that's it. In other words, Sirius didn't choose which weapon to use, but the weapon was chosen for him, and it was fine with it as long as it can use it to help everyone.)

* * *

 **Question from Ridin Valon:** From: Lucille Ostend

To: Rachael Lustermist: U-U-Um... (the rest of the message is in scribbles until the next readable word) This is Kite Maxwell. Lucille, the sender, is wondering whether you would want to be friends with her.

 **-Rachael:** Of course! I'd love to befriend you! I don't have many friends who's at the same age as mine, and most of them were from the school that I attended back when I was living in Forezon Village! I am very excited to meet you! My name is Rachael Lustermist the Latias, by the way, and this Cathy, my cute li'l doll! Do you have a doll with you too! Tell me more about yourself!

* * *

 **Question from Parousia45:** To Freya: What do you think Terrus and the others will feel about your disappearance after you are sealed for an unknown period of time?

 **-Freya:** While Terrus didn't say much about this, I am sure that he was very worried about me, as well as Zetarus, because he was carrying the responsibility for all of us' wellbeing after Empress Sharon died. When I have to travel back to Dustorm Empire alone after King Apollo's coronation ceremony, Terrus was against this, but there's nothing he could do because it was a father's order. And… I think you would understand how Terrus felt after finding that I was nowhere to be found after he, Natasha and Largo returned from Shadowlost Territory, especially after the Pontifex Hawkins was murdered a few months ago in the desert of Dustorm. The same thing could be said for Natasha and Largo too because Natasha is always like a mother figure to all of us, including Terrus, and Largo, despite his tough and rough appearance, is actually very caring to his family deep down. And now… After I have to leave them, all of them respect my decision despite that they are actually against this, and me and Zetarus choosing this way would mean that we would end up being the enemy of each other, and we have to cross our blade with each other in the near future too…


	76. Tail 7-6: The Last Straw

**A Dragon's Tail**

 **Tail 7: Korben's Tail - Inequity**

 **Tail 7-6: The Last Straw**

" _ **And if you want to obtain the power, then you must be ready to pay the price…"**_

"…"

"…"

Far to the north of Shadowlost City of the Shadowlost Territory was the spot known as the northernmost point of the Land of Equilibrium, the Cape of No Return. This cape was like the 'appendage' that grown from the rest of Symmetria and pointed toward the north of the continent, at the vast sea of nothingness. Like the other area of north Shadowlost Territory, the area of Cape of No Return was veiled in the eternal night. Moreover, while it was the important spot of not only Shadowlost Territory, but also the whole continent, Cape of No Return remained as one of the most isolated, most mysterious and most ominous spots on the continent because the area beyond the Darkveil Chasm of Shadowlost Territory was considered as the 'Danger Zone' of the nation due to it being a home to many Shadow Pokemon. And thus, not many Pokemon made their journey to the Cape of No Return, and among those who dared to journey to the Cape of No Return, not all of them had reached their destination or returned from there alive…

Today, however, Cape of No Return received a visit from not one but two non-Shadow Pokemon, which was probably the first time in a long while…

At the tip of the cape, a Latios and a Latias stood there silently as they gazed into the vast nothingness beyond the land and sea. Both of them had just arrived at their destination, at the Cape of No Return.

"So, this is the Cape of No Return…" Rachael broke the silence. "Can you see anything beyond us, Onii-chan?"

"… I wouldn't say I do." Richard slowly replied as he still had his attention on the landscape ahead. "The area beyond the Darkveil Chasm is veiled in the eternal night, and the sea beyond here is no exception. And the fog makes it worse."

Rachael looked in front of her again. At the far-off horizon in front of her, she could spot a thick group of fog that prevented her from seeing anything beyond that, and this fog didn't only exist on the sea in front of her, but it also spanned across the horizon around her, as if the fog was

"… Rachael." Richard spoke up again. "… Do you know why no one has ever discovered the lost continent of Irtha before?"

"… Let me guess…" Rachael tried to think for a few minutes before she came to the conclusion. "It's because of the fog in front of us, right?"

"Correct." Richard nodded to his younger sister. "The continent of Symmetria was surrounded by the impregnable wall of fog, which renders any attempt to sail beyond here impossible. Normally, the thick layer of fog is unnoticeable from the land due to it being located further away from the mainland continent. However, Cape of No Return does span from the center spot of the entire continent more than anywhere else, so it's the only area on the mainland Symmetria where it's possible to observe this fog."

"…" Rachael listened to her elder brother and waited for him to continue his talk.

"… Many explorers have tried to sail pass the fog, and all of their journeys end up as the journey of no return." Richard continued speaking. "Unless there's a way to penetrate this thick fog wall, there's no way that anyone would hope to go beyond the sea of Symmetria."

"… I don't understand one thing, Onii-chan." Rachael spoke up, turning the attention of her elder brother to her. "If no one has ever returned from sailing into the fog, then everyone should know that travelling beyond the sea of Symmetria without dissolving the fog is dangerous, and yet you said that many still try to do that… Why don't they stop going beyond the sea and try to find a way to pass the wall of fog instead?"

"If you ask me, it's because they're both imbecile and arrogant." Richard answered. "They either thought that the travelers that had disappeared into the wall of fog had just discovered a new land and chose not to return to Symmetria… Or think that they could do better than their peers. All of these made them choose the path that they would come to regret later."

"The path… that they would come to regret later…" Rachael repeated the words she heard from her brother slowly with a soft voice, which caught the attention of her elder brother.

"Rachael… Are you alright?" Richard asked with a soft and caring voice. "I may not be able to sense people's emotion as well as you, but…"

"Onii-chan…" Rachael slowly spoke up again. "… Did we choose the right path?"

"What do you mean by that?" Richard asked.

"I mean that… Is siding with the Pendragon a right choice?" Rachael replied. "I know that… Everyone in the Pendragon is our friend, and we can't ignore our friends when they're in trouble… But… The Pendragon's goal is to revenge the dead of everyone in the Hidden Village of Dragon… To kill the remaining Hero/ine of Legend… Is it something that we should really do?"

"…" Richard said nothing to his sister's words.

"For me, revenge is never a good thing. It never brings upon a good thing, and the only thing it brings is the endless cycle of pain." Rachael continued speaking. "Moreover, even if the other Hero/ine of Legend had caused the chaos and disorder in the world, there's no telling that the remaining Hero/ine of Legend will be the same as them, at least for the Archsage Iris and Chancellor Fenrir."

"… Why did you say that, Rachael?" Richard asked.

"You were there with me, aren't you, Onii-chan? Archsage Iris didn't do anything wrong, and she was also trying to atone for the mistake done by others, only to be killed just because she's the Heroine of Legend." Rachael said. "And for Chancellor Fenrir… When we met her earlier, I can sense that she's not a bad person at her heart, and when we were in the city, everyone was saying that they truly respect her for what she has done to their nation, and they're grateful to her. With all of these… To think that we have to kill her… I… I…"

"That's enough, Rachael." Richard cut the word of his younger sister as he looked at her. The Latios then wrapped his arms around his sister's body and gently hugged her.

"… What about you, Onii-chan?" Rachael asked as she continued hugging her brother. "What do you think that we should do?"

"… The best thing that we can do right now… Is to go with the flow." Richard replied as he released his sister from the hug.

"Why is that?" Rachael asked.

"… Back when we woke up after the Dragon Massacre was over, the world has become a dangerous place for all of us." Richard answered. "And so, I figured that joining with the Pendragon would be our best option as not only they're in the same situation as us, but they are also dependable too. Of course, doing so would be equal to declare that we both are, like the Pendragon, the enemies of the rest of the world."

"Then…" Rachael said.

"With all of these, I decided that we should stick with the Pendragon, at least for now, and see what would this path lead us to." Richard said. "After all, the Pendragon isn't really known by the world yet, so we still have a chance to choose a different path should something go wrong, because after everything that happened, I'm not letting any danger befall on any of us again."

"… Thanks, Onii-chan" Rachael said as she turned her attention from her elder brother to the horizon in front of her, to the wall of fog that separated Symmetria from the rest of the world. Both siblings remained silent and spent their time looking at the sea in front of them for a few minutes…

And then…

 **"** _ **… What do you see in front of both of you?"**_

"!" Rachael and Richard immediately turned back as they heard a loud and majestic voice coming from behind both of them, which revealed another Pokemon standing behind both of them. This Pokemon was shrouded in the golden armor suit, just like the last time they met him.

"B… Bahamut?!" Rachael said the name of the Pokemon that stood behind them.

 _ **"… I see that both of you are still alive, Rachael the Latias and Richard the Latios."**_ Bahamut said as he slowly stepped forward, to where the siblings were standing. _**"Tell me… How is the Pendragon doing right now?"**_

"And what about you, Bahamut?" Richard asked with a tense voice. "What have you been up to this whole time? And how could you find both of us here?"

 _ **"You still haven't warmed up to me yet?"**_ Bahamut said with a plain voice. _**"If you want to, we could trade the information that each of us has gotten. What do you say about this?"**_

"Deal." Richard said. "If you want to know how we're doing, we have found ourselves a team base after you left us. Later, one of us sneaked out of our team base and killed the former Hero of Ground type, Emperor Garland of Dustorm Empire. This leaves us with only three remaining Hero/ine of Legend. And now, we're going after the Heroine of Dark type, Chancellor Fenrir."

 _ **"That explains why you're in the land of darkness…"**_ Bahamut said. _**"But that still doesn't explain why both of you are here while the Slave of Dark type is still alive in the capital of darkness."**_

"… Baromyteus and the chancellor agreed that they would 'finish' everything in three days after our meeting with the chancellor." Richard answered. "I won't go into the detail why both of them agreed to do something like that, but as of now, the moment of truth hasn't arrived yet, so my sister and I took a little journey to the infamous Cape of No Return."

 _ **"Hm… Baromyteus and that Slave of Darkness… Just as I thought…"**_ Bahamut spoke to himself before turning his attention to the Latios and Latias. _**"That's enough information for me. Now, what information would you like me to inform you? But keep in mine that I may not be able to share everything I know with you."**_

"For starter… Why are you here, at the Cape of No Return?" Richard spoke up again. "And what had you been up to this whole time after our meeting in the ruined Hidden Village of Dragon?"

 _ **"I can answer those questions."**_ Bahamut said. _**"After our last meeting, I have been operating on my own. Of course, I could just go to where the remaining Slaves of Legend are and kill them right away, but I didn't because I figure that leaving this task to the Pendragon would be a better choice as I have learned that some of you have something personal with the Slaves of Legend, such as Baromyteus and that Slave of Darkness."**_

"And how did you know all of that?" Richard asked.

 _ **"All I can say is that I know more than you think."**_ Bahamut replied. _**"Anyway, I decided to lay low for now and search for some information that could be useful to us."**_

"And what did you find?" Richard asked.

 _ **"No. I can't reveal it to you yet."**_ Bahamut replied. _**"While I was able to get a hold of some information, I need to find more proof to make this information valid, and I wouldn't go and spread any information without valid proof."**_

"Hah… I can't say that I am not disappointed with this, but I have to agree with you." Richard said. "After all, a rumor will never be a truth without a valid proof."

 _ **"Right, since you already shared your information with me, there's no way that I won't fulfill my end of the bargain."**_ Bahamut said. _**"And so… Let me tell you something else that may… pique your interest."**_

As he finished speaking, Bahamut slowly walked toward the edge of Cape of No Return and stopped there, gazing toward the vast sea right in front of his eyes. Rachael and Richard then slowly approached the dragon in the armor suit and stopped behind him when he spoke up again.

 _ **"… When you look ahead from this place…"**_ Bahamut slowly asked with a calm voice as he still had his attention on the sea in front of him. _**"… What do you see in front of your eyes?"**_

"I… I see the vast sea..." Rachael answered. "And… I see a thick wall of fog on the horizon too…"

"For me… I see the same thing that my sister sees." Richard answered. "However, I also see the lost continent beyond the wall of fog too… The lost continent of Irtha… Which is the remnant of the Great Continent… That's what I see."

 _ **"… For me, all I could see is the total destruction."**_ Bahamut answered with a calm and emotionless voice. _**"I see the land that was shattered by the dreadful calamity. I see the sea that was dyed with the blood of the countless Pokemon. I see the sky that was torn apart by the devastating catastrophe. And… I see the advanced civilization… that was crushed by the foolishness of a single group of living creatures."**_

"... Have you…" Richard slowly asked. "… Have you ever visited the Land of Sorrow before?"

 _ **"Yes, thought that was a very long time ago..."**_ Bahamut answered as he lowered his head a bit. _**"You have seen what happened to the Hidden Village of Dragon after the Dragon Massacre… But what happened in the Land of Sorrow is far worse than what you have seen… And to think that all of this happened just because…"**_

"Wait a minute…" Rachael spoke up. "Bahamut, if you have been to Irtha before, then it means that—"

 _ **"You are absolutely right."**_ Bahamut replied. _**"I know how to cross the impregnable wall of fog right in front of us, and I was able to make a safe passage to the Land of Sorrow thank for that, otherwise I would be lost in the fog forever."**_

"I see…" Rachael and Richard spoke in response to Bahamut's answer. Both Latios and Latias then turned their attention to the wall of fog ahead of them again, until…

 _ **"… Do you want to know how to cross the wall of fog and travel to Irtha?"**_ Bahamut suddenly spoke up.

"What?!" Both Rachael and Richard quickly turned their attention back to the dragon in the golden armor suit at the same time after hearing his words, and they both couldn't believe in what they had just heard.

 _ **"As I said before, since I couldn't provide you with much information, I suppose that I would give you an information about something else as the compensation."**_ Bahamut said. _**"And I consider that this would be enough to compensate you… Or not?"**_

"… Don't you know what you have just said?" Richard replied to the dragon in the golden armor suit. "Many Pokemon of Symmetria had wasted their lives trying to cross this wall of fog, and all of their effort ended up in vain, because they don't know how to. And so, the information you have would be considered very valuable that many Pokemon would trade anything just to obtain it, and you are just going to give it to us easily like this?!"

 _ **"Of course, you are right. Many would kill just to obtain this information."**_ Bahamut said. _**"However, even if they obtain it, this information would be useless to them unless they are able to execute it, and not many Pokemon are capable of doing so... Do you understand what I'm trying to say, right?"**_

"You mean… That Onii-chan and I can do it?!" Rachael asked.

 _ **"Precisely."**_ Bahamut nodded his head slightly. _**"You two have a potential to execute the method to dispel the wall of fog that surrounds this continent, and so, this information could be useful to both of you… If you ever want to leave Symmetria for… whatever reason."**_

"… Are you sure that we both have a power to do that?" Rachael asked with a soft voice. "We both are much weaker than the other members of Pendragon, especially physically."

 _ **"… You two haven't realized it."**_ Bahamut mumbled to himself before looking at the siblings again. _**"First, it doesn't require one to be physically strong in order to put this knowledge into a good use, and you two are capable of using it."**_

"And how do you know that?" Richard asked.

 _ **"Because you two have a lot more potential than both of you realize."**_ Bahamut continued speaking. _**"Even right now, there's one thing about both of you that are outstanding among your group. Just so you know, I am not talking about the group of Pendragon, but I'm talking about a group of those who forms a pact with the Legendary Pokemon."**_

"…" Richard and Rachael said nothing after they heard Bahamut's words. All they did were staring into the distant sea in front of them, with their paw reaching toward the Luster Pendand and the Mist Pendant that were worn by either of them.

 _ **"… Enough talking about that."**_ Bahamut said. _ **"Now then… Let me pass this forbidden knowledge to both of you, the Lustermist siblings."**_

* * *

 **-The Next Morning…**

"…"

"Now then…" Korben mumbled to himself as he looked around himself. He had just finished his breakfast and was now standing in the center square of Shadowlost City. Today was the last day of a break before the Pendragon's confrontation with the chancellor of Shadowlost Territory. However, for the Kommo-o, the past two days weren't a 'break' for him at all, as so many things had happened to him. He had learned many things that he never thought that he would learn, as well as many things that he shouldn't learn…

During the breakfast, he learned that Rachael and Richard still hadn't returned from their trip to Cape of No Return yet, as well as Claura who hadn't come back from her trip to the Venom Isle yet. For others, Freya said that she would be looking around the city today, as she hadn't seen Zetarus since their encounter at the inn during the night of the first day. The same thing could be said for Diego, as, while he was seen around the city sometimes, the Mega Charizard X didn't spend much time with the other members of the Pendragon during these three days. For others, Snow decided to leave the city for today in order to study the native ingredients from Shadowlost Territory that could be used in cooking. Anastasia decided to take it easy and stay in the city for today. Baromyteus, as always, left the city to train his battle skill. And Xavier, as always, went back to his room as soon as he finished the breakfast.

And for Korben, since this was his last free day in the Shadowlost Territory, he decided that he would do something that he felt like he should do…

'… I will find the one who sent me these blackmails…' Korben thought as he glanced as two pieces of paper in his paw before closing his eyes. '… I will find out the truth behind the diadem I received from grandpa… And… I will find my father…'

The Kommo-o openned his eyes again after he made a resolve. He was determined to do something that he should do.

'But… I only have one day left, so I must be hurried…' Korben thought to himself. 'First… From what I know, I can deduce that it was mother who stole the diadem with her nineteen years ago and brought it to Valley of No Return eighteen years ago. Considered that she had to travel across the snowy realm that was in the middle of the war while having this damned diadem in her possession…' Korben glanced at his bag, which he could still feel the negative energy coming from the object inside it. '… Being able to endure all of this until she reached the place of her origin… Mother…'

Korben closed his eyes for a moment, thinking about a mother whom he had never known, before he opened his eyes and continued thinking. 'This also explained why, according to grandpa, mother didn't have any injury on her body as she lay dying… Carrying this damned diadem with her during the arduous journey would soon exhaust her life force… But then… There're still many questions left unanswered. Why did she have to steal this thing from the Newmoon Temple? Is there any reason behind her action? And what about father? Did he know about her action of stealing the diadem? If he knew, why didn't he stop her or go with her back to Valley of No Return? Or could it be that he accompanied mother back to Valley of No Return, but he didn't make it to the end? But what if he's still alive? Where is he right now?'

Korben continued thinking about his parents and the diadem for a few minutes before he shook his head. 'No… I don't have enough clue to go any further… I should stop thinking about my parents and the diadem for now… And think about something else… Maybe I should think about these blackmails that I got—'

 _"… Hey."_

"GAHH!" Korben let out a short yelp as he was startled by the voice of someone. The Kommo-o then quickly turned his attention to the owner of the voice that called him and found that it was none other than the son of the chancellor, as well as the Zoroark whom he spent his time with during these past two days.

 _"… Must you overreact like that every time I call you?"_ Fenrir Jr. asked with his arms crossed.

"And must you appear like that every time?!" Korben countered the words of the Zoroark.

 _"Fair enough."_ Fenrir Jr. shrugged. _"Now, let's skip a little pleasantry and go to the real business, shall we?"_

"What do you mean by 'real business'?" Koren asked. "Do you need something from me?"

 _"…"_ The Zoroark glanced around himself, as if to make sure that no one heard their conversation, before he turned his attention back to the Kommo-o. _"First, let's go to somewhere else… To somewhere that's far from any prying eyes and ears, shall we?"_

"… Okay." Korben nodded to the Zoroark, as he knew that Fenrir Jr. wasn't a trusting Pokemon, and he could guess that the Zoroark didn't want anyone else to hear what he's about to say. The Zoroark then started walking toward the exit of the city, with the Kommo-o following him.

* * *

 **-Meanwhile…**

"SHANK! CREEAK! SPLASH!"

The sound of swords slashing through the air and the sound of blood splashing on the ground echoed throughout the wasteland of Shadowlost as Baromyteus swiftly slashed his swords through the bodies of Shadow Pokemon he encountered in the wasteland. After only a few minutes, the battle ended with the victory of the Shiny Haxorus who stood among the corpses of his foes.

"…" Baromyteus put his swords back in their sheath after he finished the battle. He was about to move on when he heard the sound of paw clapping from behind him.

 _"… Impressive as always, Baromyteus."_

"!" The Shiny Haxorus quickly turned back, swords in his paws again, to face the one behind him, which was none other than…

"… Why are you here, Fenrir?" Baromyteus asked with a grim voice as he pointed one of his blades at the Zoroark in front of him.

 _"Is it really that strange for me to take a short stroll outside the city?"_ Fenrir Sr. asked with a calm voice, unfazed by the aggressive action of the Pokemon in front of her.

"I remember you said that you have a lot to do during these three days, and now you're here, standing right behind your enemy." Baromyteus continued speaking.

 _"Oh, being behind you is a complete coincidence, let me tell you…"_ Fenrir Sr. said with a calm voice. _"Also, I have already completed most of my tasks, so I just simply take a break right now. Does this answer satisfy you?"_

"…" Baromyteus said nothing as he slowly lowered his swords.

 _"… And since you're here, why don't you join me, Baromyteus?"_ Fenrir Sr. asked.

"… Are you out of your mind?" Baromyteus asked with a serious voice. "We're the enemy of each other, so why should I—"

 _"Oh… Then, what about what you did during the Fallen Crisis?"_ Fenrir Sr. spoke up with a crafty voice _. "If I remember correctly, just before you fought us, you mentioned that you have been our enemies since even before you joined us, and yet you still hung out with us several times during our journey together…"_

"That's…" Baromyteus said before he let out a groan. "Fine… I give up."

After he finished speaking, the Shiny Haxorus put away his blades before he approached the Zoroark in front of him. The Zoroark then nodded slightly before she led Baromyteus to the nearby tree, and then both of them sat down under the tree together.

 _"How was your time in the Shadowlost Territory, Baromyteus?"_ Fenrir Sr. started another conversation with the Shiny Haxorus beside her. _"Does the sight of the land of darkness please you?"_

"… Do you ask this as the chancellor of Shadowlost Territory or—" Baromyteus said.

 _"I ask this as the one who… was your friend."_ Fenrir Sr. replied with a calm voice.

"Then, I would say that coming here gives me a feeling of nostalgia." Baromyteus replied. "I really miss the time when you were but a simple villager from Lunar Village, and I was but a heartless monster lurking in the Skeleton Woods. But now, I must say that you did a really good job in creating a nation of darkness."

 _"… But did you know that, among the seven nations of Symmetria, Shadowlost Territory is considered as the poorest, the least developed, the most dangerous, and the most 'sinful' nation?"_ Fenrir Sr. spoke with a plain voice.

"… I won't comment on the 'poorest' part, but… Being the most 'developed' land doesn't mean that it's the best land, and being the least 'developed' land doesn't mean that it's the worst land." Baromyteus spoke up. "I have travelled around Symmetria, and I have been to all seven nations on this land, and I would still say that all nations are dangerous in their own way. And for the 'sinful' part… What's the definition of 'sinful' anyway?"

 _"Heh… Well spoken, Baromyteus."_ Fenrir Sr. chuckled after hearing the words of the Shiny Haxorus.

"Enough chitchat." Baromyteus spoke up again as he turned his attention toward the Zoroark. "Fenrir, you didn't ask me to hang out with you just for a reminiscence or a pleasantry, right? If there's any business you have with me, say it."

 _"Ah… Straight to the point… As always."_ Fenrir Sr. commented before her voice became a bit more serious. _"There are two things that I need to speak with you about. The first one is that… I have already issued the Newmoon Temple's 'pilgrimage'. All priests and priestesses of the temple will leave for their task today and won't come back until five days later. Meanwhile, the temple will be close for any visitors, making it free of any Pokemon until it reopens."_

"… I see." Baromyteus nodded to the Zoroark's words. "And what about the second thing?"

 _"… Other than what I asked you when we met two days ago, there's one more thing that I want to ask you."_ Fenrir Sr. said with a grim voice.

"… Didn't you say that we don't have anything else to speak with each other?" Baromyteus asked.

 _"Yes, I did. However, that was two days ago."_ Fenrir Sr. replied. _"I have been thinking about you and your personality, and I came to the conclusion that there's something else that I need to ask you, regarding Rucas' death."_

"…" Baromyteus said nothing after hearing the Zoroark's words.

 _"Baromyteus…"_ Fenrir Sr. spoke up again after seeing that the Shiny Haxorus won't say anything. _"I want you to tell the whole story of what happened in the inaccessible valley three years ago. If you don't want to tell me the entire story, then just tell me the part of your battle with Rucas, and well as Rucas' death."_

* * *

 **-Meanwhile…**

 _"… This place should do it."_

Fenrir Jr. said as he stopped walking after he reached the destination. He, along with Korben, had left Shadowlost City a few hours ago, and both Pokemon had fought many Shadow Pokemon that appeared in their way during their journey. At last, they had reached their destination, which, surprisingly for the Kommo-o, was none other than…

"… Why are we here again?" Korben asked as he looked at several dark and creepy trees around him, which was the common sight of the place where he and Fenrir Jr. were in right now, the Skeleton Woods.

 _"If we want to speak privately, we might as well go to the place where there's nobody else…"_ Fenrir Jr. replied. _"And no one would bother to come to a place with a scary tale like this woods, so, isn't it a perfect place for us to talk? Besides, I always feel calm and at peace every time I come to this place too."_

"Okay…" Korben mumbled. "Anyway, what do you want to talk with me?"

 _"… If I remember correctly…"_ Fenrir Jr. said. _"Korben, your surname is 'Forcenter', right?"_

"Y… Yeah." Korben replied. "Does it have anything to do with this?"

 _"Yes, but first, a little story is needed in order for me to say anything else…"_ Fenrir Jr. said. _"Yesterday, after we came back to the city from our visit to the Newmoon Temple, I returned to the city hall, and my mother, the chancellor, asked me to do more work regarding the Newmoon Temple's pilgrimage. Of course, I don't mind doing it."_

"What did the chancellor ask you to do?" Korben asked.

 _"Nothing special. Just some ordinary paperwork."_ Fenrir Jr. replied. _"However, while I was making the list of the priests and priestesses that will join the pilgrimage, I was happened to look at the list of all priests and priestesses that had ever worked in Newmoon Temple, both those who currently work there and those who didn't. And… There's one name that caught my attention."_

"A… A name?" Korben said as he looked at the Zoroark in front of him.

 _"… Korben."_ Fenrir Jr. spoke up as he looked into the eyes of the Kommo-o. "… Do you happen to know a Pokemon by the name of **Diadora Forcenter the Kommo-o**?"

"!" Korben's body froze after hearing the name of a Pokemon from the Zoroark in front of him, and his face showed a strong expression of shock and inconceivable, which didn't go unnoticed by the one who mentioned the name.

 _"As I guess…"_ Fenrir Jr. mumbled. _"Korben, are you, by any chance, relate to this Pokemon?"_

"T… That's—" Korben's voice was shaken as he slowly spoke, but his words were quickly cut off by the Zoroark.

 _"No. If you don't want to, there's no need to tell me that."_ Fenrir Jr. said. _"Anyway, the name that I mentioned is listed under the 'former priestesses' of Newmoon Temple. According to the list, this priestess became the priestess of Newmoon Temple around the time that Shadowlost Territory was found, and she disappeared sometime around the time Bloodmoon War. Strangely, she's the only priest and priestess with no confirms of their whereabouts and status after the war ended, but considered the period that she disappeared, the list recorded her whereabouts as 'deceased'."_

"…" Korben said nothing after hearing the Zoroark's words.

 _"… To be honest, if I have to guess, she must have something to do with the disappearance of the artifact in the Newmoon Temple."_ Fenrir Jr. spoke up again, which immediately upset the Kommo-o.

"W… Why would you think that?" Korben asked with a shaking voice.

 _"As you know, the artifact was stolen just a bit before the Bloodmoon War started, and this priestess also disappeared around the time of the Bloodmoon War too."_ Fenrir Jr. said. _"Moreover, since she's the priestess of the Newmoon Temple, she must have learned of the wish-granting effect of the artifact too, making her a prime suspect in this theft. However…"_

"W… What is it?" Korben asked.

 _"… If she was the priestess of Newmoon Temple, and she knew about the wish-granting effect of the artifact, then she must also know how the artifact works too."_ Fenrir Jr. said. _"The artifact won't have the power to grant wishes unless it was placed on the Altar of Desire. So, if she was responsible for this theft, why would she steal the artifact in the first place, knowing that it won't be any use to her? Or… Could it be that she stole the artifact because she wants to make money from it, knowing that there are many priceless gems embedded in the artifact? But… Wouldn't it be easier if she just wishes for fortune from the altar? Or… Maybe she had another reason to steal that artifact… Or there's someone else who was working with her—"_

"B… By the way…" Korben interrupted the Zoroark. "I… Is there any investigation about this theft? I… If you can deduce all of that, then the investigation team of this theft would also figure it out already too, so…"

 _"I understand what you're trying to say."_ Fenrir Jr. spoke up. _"However, the theft happened right before Bloodmoon War started, so they didn't have any time to do any investigation, and when the war ended, the trail had gone too cold to investigate, and so, there was never an investigation regarding the theft of Newmoon Temple's artifact. That's what I found writing in the archive of Shadowlost Territory."_

"I… I see." Korben said. "By the way, Fenrir Jr., why are you so interested in this case? It's something that happened nineteen years ago, and it doesn't seem like you pay much attention to this case until our trip to Newmoon Temple."

 _"You have already known me for two days, Korben."_ Fenrir Jr. said. _"Actually, I have been interested in the unsolved crime and mystery, and the theft of Newmoon Temple isn't above the exception. I have been doing an investigation of my own for several years, but I couldn't find any clue regarding this case until yesterday, when the name of a priestess whose surname is the same as the Kommo-o I knew caught my attention."_

"O… Okay." Korben said.

 _"And since you share the surname with the major suspect in this case, I thought that you might know something that would be useful to solving this case."_ Fenrir Jr. said. _"Of course, I won't force you to say anything that you don't want to, but if there's anything you know that you want to tell me, then—"_

"WOOSH!"

 _"!?"_

"!"

Before Fenrir Jr. could even finish his words, both Pokemon could feel something small and fast passing the air between them, like the arrow that was shot from the bow. And in the next second, both of them found that the 'object' was now stuck in the trunk of the tree just beside them!

"W… What's that?!" Korben said as he looked around panically.

 _"WHO'S THERE?!"_ Fenrir Jr. roared as he also looked around, trying to find something, but all he could see were the trees of the Skeleton Woods.

"W… What?!" Korben said after seeing the Zoroark's reaction to what happened earlier.

 _"… I feel… a presence of someone other than us…"_ Fenrir Jr. said as he still looked around carefully, trying to find any other creatures around him. _"… It's no use. The presence I felt is gone… The one who tried to attack us must have already escaped."_

"Attack us?!" Korben repeated the words he had just heard.

 _"Don't you see it?"_ Fenrir Jr. said as he turned his attention to the tree beside them, which had something stuck on its trunk, and the 'something' was none other than…

"A… A dagger?!" Korben said after seeing a short, sharp blade with a handle stuck in the trunk of the tree beside him. "I… If that thing moved only a bit left or right as it passed between us, it might hit you or me, Fenrir Jr.!"

 _"… Or maybe the one who threw it missed us on purpose…"_ Fenrir Jr. said as he slowly approached the tree where the dagger stuck on. _"… Look."_

As he looked more closely, Korben noticed that, other that the dagger itself, there was something else stuck on the blade of the dagger too, and that thing was…

 _"… A piece of paper."_ Fenrir Jr. said as he reached his paw to the handle of the dagger and pulled it from the trunk of the tree, revealing that there was a small piece of black paper stuck on the dagger too. _"… Wait… It isn't an ordinary paper… There's something being written on it too."_

"What!?" Korben said as Fenrir Jr. flipped the paper to see the words that were written on it. "W… What does it say on that paper?!"

 _"… You have ignored my warning not once, but twice…"_ Fenrir Jr. read the words that were written on the paper. _"If you still refuse to oblige to my words, your life will be forfeited, and your soul will be sealed within the darkness forever. Heed my warning, leave the land of darkness and never return again, or else a terrible fate would befall on you. This is the third and the final warning, Korben."_

* * *

 **-Meanwhile…**

"… And that's what happened during the Dragon Massacre three years ago." Baromyteus said after he finished telling the story to the Zoroark.

 _"I see…"_ Fenrir Sr. nodded after hearing the entire story from the Shiny Haxorus. _"So… That's the truth… The battle between the six armies of Symmetria and a small legion of Dragon type Pokemon, which results in the massacre of the dragons in the inaccessible valley."_

"…" Baromyteus said nothing after hearing the words of the Zoroark.

 _"Thank you for telling me the story, Baromyteus."_ Fenrir Sr. said to the Shiny Haxorus. _"Your story has confirmed my suspicion. Baromyteus, you may have changed a lot during these three decades, but there's something else about you that hadn't changed at all."_

"What?" Baromyteus said as he looked at Fenrir Sr.

 _"It's your way of twisting the truth with just a few words."_ Fenrir Sr. said. _"I know that you don't like telling lies. So, when you are in the situation that you don't want to tell the truth, or when you want the listener to get the wrong idea of the truth for whatever reason, you would choose to use the words that make the listener get a wrong grasp from what really happens, yet the story remains true."_

"…" Baromyteus still remained silent.

 _"In this case, you told me that you were the one who killed Rucas, and it wasn't a lie."_ Fenrir Sr. said. _"However, you didn't really kill him, but it was Rucas who sacrificed his life in order to save you and Anastasia. I think that it's his way of redemption for the crime he committed to the dragons of the valley."_

"Nonsense." Baromyteus spoke up. "That bastard would never think of something like that. He believes that what he was doing is right until his last moment, I'm sure of it. I don't really understand why he killed himself just to save me and Anastasia—"

 _"You aren't Rucas' spouse, Baromyteus, and you are never his friend, so it's not strange that you wouldn't understand."_ Fenrir Sr. spoke up. _"But that story still changes nothing. It doesn't change the fact that you are responsible for Rucas' death, and it doesn't change my mind."_

"I know that, Fenrir." Baromyteus said. "Enough about that bastard. Now, since you asked me a question, there's something that I want to ask you too, and I hope that it will be the truth that I got from you."

 _"Fair enough."_ Fenrir Sr. said. _"What do you want to know, Baromyteus?"_

 _"… As I said before, I sided with the dragons in the Valley of No Return, and we fought against the armies of Venturnome, Leafburg, Fireview, Riverbrine, Civilight, and Dustorm."_ Baromyteus said. _"However, we didn't encounter any Pokemon who seems to belong to Shadowlost Territory. I don't think that it's because the land of darkness didn't receive any word about this invasion, considered that the chancellor of Shadowlost Territory is the wife of the bastard who led the invasion of Valley of No Return. Can to explain?"_

 _"Oh? When it comes to Rucas, you never hold anything back, do you? Especially that his wife is now sitting beside you…"_ Fenrir Sr. said before her voice turned sour a bit. _"Answering your question, yes, Shadowlost Territory had received the request to send our army to join this 'invasion', and we would dispatch our special force there if it wasn't for my stupid brother."_

"Your brother?" Baromyteus repeated the words he heard. "You mean the Serpent General?"

 _"Yeah, Jormungand, to be exact."_ Fenrir Sr. said. _"He refused to oblige to the request we received, saying that there's no reason for us to do so, and the request of the seven armies of Symmetria just to catch the one who murdered Hawkins isn't reasonable, or any other reasons he mentioned for us to not dispatch our army to the inaccessible valley, and we couldn't do anything about it."_

"Aren't you his elder sister, as well as his superior?" Baromyteus asked.

 _"He didn't listen to me."_ Fenrir Sr. answered. _"Jormungand is a very stubborn person, even more than I. If he set his mind on something, there's no way for him to change his mind easily, and he had caused so many troubles to me when we were young, as well as during the Fallen Crisis. Also, he's the general of Shadowlost's special force, and the special force is under his absolute command. So, if he refused to, the special force of Shadowlost couldn't be dispatched, and we didn't want to dispatch other armies of Shadowlost and risked of weakening our defenses. If I knew that Rucas would meet his demise in this battle, I would dispatch some other army from the land of darkness… Or at least… I would go and join the battle myself, so that Rucas might not have to waste his life in that valley."_

"…" Baromyteus said nothing after hearing the Zoroark's words.

 _"… But that's all in the past, and we couldn't do anything to fix it."_ Fenrir Sr. said as her voice returned to normal. _"The god of time doesn't allow us to mess with the flow of time, or else we will be punished. All we could do is move forward… and do something that must be done."_

"Yes, I agree with that." Baromyteus said. "There's no point in looking into the past, and the future holds no importance to me either. All that's mattered to me is the present."

 _"But for me, the future is important too, especially tomorrow."_ Fenrir Sr. said as she stood up. _"I'm looking forward to our final battle tomorrow, Baromyteus. I hope that your battle skill have improved during these three decades."_

"And I hope that you haven't become weaker during these times, or I would be sorely disappointed." Baromyteus said as he also stood up.

 _"… Are you saying that you want me to be strong enough to defeat you?"_ Fenrir Sr. asked with a crafty voice.

"T… That's not it." Baromyteus replied as he turned his face away from the Zoroark, only to find that he and Fenrir Sr. weren't the only Pokemon around there.

"You?!" Baromyteus said as he noticed the present of a Pokemon who was standing nearby him, which was none other than a Kingdra who was also the member of the Pendragon. "What are you doing here, stalking other people like that?!"

"I should be the one who ask what you are doing!" Claura said. "I have just come back from Venom Isle, only to find you having your sweet time with your 'friend' here. What are you thinking you are doing?!"

"That's none of your business, you Salty Seahorse!" Baromyteus roared.

"What?! How dare you call me by that name, you Dragon Jerky!" Claura roared back at the Shiny Haxorus. "And shouldn't you be doing something more productive than this?!"

"You spoke as if what you are doing is a benefit to anyone else, you Salty Seahorse!" Baromyteus roared at the Kingdra.

"And you are no better than me, you Dragon Jerky!" Claura roared at the Shiny Haxorus.

"Salty Seahorse!" Baromyteus roared.

"Dragon Jerky!" Claura roared.

The Shiny Haxorus and the Kingdra continued bickering with each other, unaware of the fact that the Zoroark was still there, and she was having her attention on both of them.

 _"... I see… So, that's how it is…"_ Fenrir Sr. mumbled to herself, and a crafty smile appeared on her face. _"… Not bad, Baromyteus, I might say… After all, the story of living creature's existence is truly unfathomable…"_

* * *

 **-Meanwhile…**

 _"You mean…"_ Fenrir Jr. pondered the detail he had just received. _"This isn't the first blackmail you received since you arrived here, right?"_

"R… Right." Korben said as he reached his paw into his bag and pulled out two pieces of black paper, before he showed them to the Zoroark. "These are the two notes I got during my first and second day in this land. The first note was placed in the room at the inn that I stayed, and the second note… It's what's inside the envelope I got from the Serpent General."

 _"So… What uncle Jormungand was asked to deliver turn out to be a blackmail… Being used by a criminal like that… Not too bright, aren't you, uncle?"_ Fenrir Jr. mumbled to himself before he spoke up again. _"Have you told anyone about these blackmails yet?"_

"No…" Korben replied. "I don't want my friend to worry about me more than I already did."

 _"What about the police?"_ Fenrir Jr. asked. _"Have you told them about this yet?"_

"Po… lice?" Korben repeated the words he heard. "What is that?"

 _"… Don't tell me that the village that you came from is so remote that you don't even know what 'police' is?"_ Fenrir Jr. said with a plain voice after hearing the answer of the Kommo-o.

"W… Well…" Korben mumbled as he tried not to meet the Zoroark's eyes.

" _Whatever… The police here are pretty incompetent, and they won't be much of a help to you anyway."_ Fenrir Jr. said. _"Anyway, since you got three blackmails in a row, and the one who sent you these clearly wants you to leave the land of darkness. What will you do next?"_

"… I won't leave." Korben replied. "My friends and I have something that we must do here, and I refuse to abandon any of them."

 _"Even at the risk of losing your life?"_ Fenrir Jr. asked.

 _"I… I have already lost almost everything in my life."_ Korben replied. _"My friends are all that I have left, and I have decided that I will walk alongside them, even if I may have to lose my own life."_

 _"… I see. Either way, it's not my place to judge your action or decision anyway."_ Fenrir Jr. said. _"Back to our topic, since you say that you and your friends are here, in the land of darkness, because you all have something that must be done here… I won't ask what it is, but… Since you're with your friends, did any of them receive the similar blackmail?"_

"I… I don't think so." Korben said. "If any of them got blackmail like this, they would likely tell the others about it, or they may act restless after they receive one."

 _"But you didn't tell your friend about it, did you?"_ Fenrir Jr. noted. _"And… Since you receive the blackmail, won't your friend notice your restless action too?"_

"W… Well… I suppose that some may prefer to keep their problem to themselves…" Korben replied. "And for the restless part… I have been restless since when I arrived here, so I'm not much different than before anyway."

 _"Now that you mention it, you act quite restless during our first meeting, as well as during our journey to the Newmoon Temple too…"_ Fenrir Jr. said. _"Anyway, can I see the first two blackmails you got?"_

"S… Sure." Korben said as he handed over two pieces of black paper he picked from his bag earlier to the Zoroark.

 _"Thanks."_ Fenrir Jr. said as he received two notes from the Kommo-o. The Zoroark then took a look at both notes, as well as the third note he just got earlier.

"… Well?" Korben asked as he patiently waited for the Zoroark to finish looking at the blackmail he received.

" _… There's something unusual with these things…"_ Fenrir Jr. said as he showed the Kommo-o the first two blackmails that Korben had just handed over to him. _"As you can see, the letters on the first two blackmails are very unusual and hard to read, indicating that the writer did it on purpose in order to conceal their real handwriting."_

"Yeah, I can see that." Korben said as he looked at the two blackmails. "And what?"

 _"… But the third one…"_ Fenrir Jr. said as he showed the Kommo-o the third blackmail, which the Kommo-o immediately noticed that…

"T... The handwriting is different!" Korben said after he looked at the third blackmail. Even at first glance, the Kommo-o could easily notice that the handwriting on the third blackmail was different from the first two blackmail. The letters now looked natural and was much easier to read, and…

 _"… There's one more thing that we could tell from the handwriting on the third blackmail."_ Fenrir Jr. said as he flipped the third blackmail back to himself. _"It isn't easy to see, but I can still see that the one who wrote the third blackmail was rushed, as if they wrote this in the last minutes before they sent it to us…"_

"T… Then…" Korben said. "It means that the one who sent me all these blackmails didn't expect me to still be here, and they wrote the last one in desperation to drive me away from this land!"

 _"That may be true…"_ Fenrir Jr. said. _"However, the one who wrote the blackmail and the one who delivered it may be different Pokemon, or something else… We can't deduce the truth with just the clues we have here…"_

"You're right…" Korben sighed.

 _"But still…"_ Fenrir Jr. looked at the third blackmail again. _"… This handwriting looks familiar."_

"R… Really?!" Korben said with an agitated voice. "W… Where did you see it?!

 _"I'm not sure…"_ Fenrir Jr. replied. _"I am quite sure that I have seen this handwriting before, but I can't recall where or when I saw it…"_

"I… I see…" Korben said.

 _"… Korben, I will go back to the city."_ Fenrir Jr. spoke up as he handed over the blackmails that Korben got back to the Kommo-o, including the third blackmail that he had just received a moment ago. _"… There's something that I'd like to investigate. Will you come with me?"_

"Actually…" Korben thought for a moment, before he answered the Zoroark. "I think I'd like some time to be alone. Will that work?"

 _"Whatever you say."_ Fenrir Jr. nodded. _"However, be sure to stay safe. After all, you have received three blackmails in a row, and now that I left you, you will be alone, making you an easy target. However, since I can't sense the presence of anyone around here, you should be safe from anything but the Shadow Pokemon in this Skeleton Woods, not counting that bloodthirsty monster, if it's still alive. Well, just take care of yourself, alright? I'd hate for someone like you to die young."_

"O… Okay." Korben nodded to the words of the Zoroark. He recalled that someone once told him not to die young, but that 'someone' was also the one who killed his best friend…

 _"Then, farewell… For now. Be sure not to let any terrible fate befall on your soul, Korben."_ After finished speaking, the Zoroark sprinted out of the area of the woods to the vast Shadowlost Wasteland, leaving the Kommo-o alone in the Skeleton Woods.

'Now then…' Korben thought to himself after seeing that he was now alone. 'First, let me recap what I learned from this encounter…'

* * *

 **-Meanwhile…**

"So…" Zetarus said as he looked at the building in front of him. "This is where you must go, huh?"

As Natasha finished her task of receiving the power of legend and became the Heroine of Poison type, Zetarus, Natasha and Largo left the Venom Isle and went back to the mainland Shadowlost Territory, and trio then resumed their journey. This time, they headed toward the north of the land of darkness, to the ominous place called Darkveil Chasm.

Darkveil Chasm was a deep chasm formed by two small ranges of mountain on the east coast and the west coast of the north area of Shadowlost Territory that led to the northernmost point of the continent of Symmetria. Because it was located very far to the north, and there were two ranges of mountain on each side of the chasm, Darkveil Chasm was always a dark and desolated place, making it a habitat of many Ghost type Pokemon. However, due to a large amount of Shadow Pokemon that made the area north of Darkveil Chasm their home, this chasm was also regarded as one of the most treacherous places on the entire continent, which was the reason why not many non-Ghost type Pokemon came here beside the fact that beyond this chasm lied nothing but the most dangerous area of the continent…

As the trio journeyed through the dark chasm, they had encountered many Ghost type Pokemon, and most of them just tried to play a prank on the trio. However, as Largo was also a Ghost type Pokemon, he was able to detect where other Ghost type Pokemon were hiding, waiting to pull their prank, and then foiled it, to the disappointment of the other Ghost type Pokemon. However, the trio also encountered many Shadow Pokemon, which appeared in a larger number than those that appeared in the Shadowlost Wasteland, but the trio was able to persevere until they reached their destination.

"Yeah. No doubt about it." Largo said as he looked at the map of Darkveil Chasm in his paw, and then looked at the building in front of him. "This area is the deepest part of Darkveil Chasm, so the place in front of us must be the Spirit Shrine, our destination."

"Are you sure that you didn't flip the map upside down?" Zetarus asked with a teasing voice.

"WEEEELL, at least I CAN read." Largo replied with a sarcastic voice as he put away the map and walked forward, approaching the shrine, with his elder siblings following him. The trio then entered the Spirit Shrine.

* * *

Inside the Spirit Shrine was very dark comparing to the outside, but the trio were still able to get a good look of the interior. At first glance, the shrine reminded them of the Misty Shrine on the Venom Island, but as they looked around more closely…

"… The architecture of this place… is different from the one inside the Misty Shrine…" Natasha commented as she looked around. "While the architecture of the Misty Shrine is similar to the one in Leafburg, the architecture of the Spirit Shrine is similar to the one of Newmoon Temple, indicating that this architecture of this shrine is of the pure Shadowlost style, with all these primitive and chaotic carving on the wall…"

"Err… I don't like this place." Zetarus commented. "I feel very uneasy since when we entered this place. It reminds me of that hellhole I grew up in."

"… That's because, like the Desert Prison, this place is haunted and plagued by the unrest spirits…" Largo spoke as he had his attention on something at the end of the shrine, which was none other than the altar similar to the one in the Misty Shrine.

"And how do you know that?" Zetarus asked.

"Don't forget that I am a Ghost type Pokemon, Zet." Largo answered before he slowly stepped forward to the altar in front of him. "Now, please excuse me for a few minutes… It's my time to… face my destiny."

Largo slowly approached the altar, with his elder siblings watching behind him, before he stopped right in front of the altar. The Alolan Marowak then slowly moved the bone club that he held with his right paw at one end to the level of his eyes, and then he moved his left paw to grab the other end of the bone club before he reached it forward and closed his eyes.

Just like what happened to Natasha at the Misty Shrine, as soon as Largo finished preparing, a dark purple blue aura was emitted from the altar, and it quickly formed itself around the body of the Alolan Marowak. The aura was then gradually absorbed into the body of the Alolan Marowak, waking the power within his blood.

"G… GAH!"

Largo suddenly let out a yelp of pain as the last bit of aura was absorbed into his body. The Alolan Marowak then quickly fell onto his knees as soon as everything was finished.

"Largo!" Natasha said as she quickly approached her younger brother, following by Zetarus. "W… What happened?! Did it hurt?!"

"Well… A bit…" Largo said as he used his bone club to support his body.

"Something's wrong…" Natasha continued speaking as she tried to support her younger brother. "It isn't suppose to hurt when you receive the power of legend. I didn't feel any pain when I receive one, and I don't remember Terrus saying that he felt a pain when he received his power from father—"

"That's because Terrus and you inherited the power of Ground type and Poison type… From father and mother." Largo said. "But for me, I inherit the power of Ghost type, which is the type with no inheritor for many generations, so the power that was inherited by me becomes a bit… drastic."

"Ah… That's right." Natasha said. "As far as I know, there's no record of the Hero of Ghost type as far as before the Twilight Crisis… So, that makes sense…"

"Either way…" Largo said as he was finally able to stand up again. The Alolan Marowak then flipped his paw and, as expected, found the Mark of Legend on it. "I am now the Hero of Ghost type, right?"

"Right. The first one in a very long time." Natasha said as she turned her attention toward the bone club held by her younger brother. "And your bone club is now the sacred weapon of the Hero of Ghost type."

"Y… You're right!" Largo said as he took a good look at his weapon. While his bone club mostly remained the same, the color of the bone became a bit darker, and its texture became a bit smoother, making it easier for Largo to use while remain a deadly weapon. "Hm… Then I guess I'll give it a new name too… Alright, from now on, you shall be known as the Zircon Club."

"Ser… con?" Zetarus tried to repeat the words he had just heard. "What the fxxk is that?"

Natasha and Largo were about to replied to their brother's question when another voice was heard by all of them.

 _"Zircon is the name of the mineral in the group of Siligate, and it's also a lustrous crystal that's known as gemstone too. It can be of several colors, but the most common colors are brown dark gold, thought the colors most favored by everyone are white and blue._

After realizing that the voice came from the entrance of the shrine, the trio turned their attention back and saw two Pokemon standing at the entrance. One of them was a Latias while the other one, which was the one who answered Zetarus' question, was a Latios.

"Sigh… You just have to be here at the moment I ask a question, huh?" Zetarus said after he recognized the two new Pokemon.

"More like you just have to ask a question when I'm around here…" Richard answered as he and Rachael slowly flew into the Spirit Shrine.

"Um…" Largo mumbled as he and Natasha turned their attention to Zetarus. "Your friends, Zet?"

"Well, you could say that…" Zetarus answered before he turned his attention back to Rachael and Richard. "And why are both of you here, in the haunted chasm of Shadowlost Territory? Don't you afraid that a big bad ghost would appear behind you and f—"

"That's enough, Zetarus." Richard interrupted the Garchomp's words. "Answering your question, Rachael and I are on our way back to Shadowlost City when we noticed this lone building in the deepest part of the Darkveil Chasm, so we decide to stop by for a bit. And what about you? Why are you here instead of being in the Shadowlost Territory? And who are these two Pokemon with you?"

"Introduction time." Zetarus said as he looked at the Dragalge and the Alolan Marowak beside him. "This gal here is my elder sister, Natasha Venomist the Dragalge, and this brat here is my younger brother, Largo Boneskull the Alolan Marowak."

"And this asshole here is my elder brother, Zetarus Quakersand the Garchomp." Largo spoke up as soon as Zetarus finished introducing.

"… My name is Richard Lustermist the Latios." Richard introduced himself with a plain after the trio finished their introduction. "And this is my younger sister."

"I am Rachael Lustermist the Latias! Nice to meet you!" Rachael said with a cheerful voice before it turned into a questioned voice. "But… Have we met before? I think that I have seen both of you somewhere before…"

"Of course you would." Richard said. "Since these two Pokemon are Zetarus' siblings, they are the members of Quakersand Royal Family, as well as the prince and princess of Dustorm Empire."

"Ah!" Rachael spoke up after hearing her brother's words. "I remember now! I saw you two in Fireview Kingdom at the Graveyard of Warriors!"

"Fireview Kingdom?" Natasha repeated one of the words she heard.

"She was talking about when you two, Terrus and Freya went to Fireview Kingdom three years ago." Zetarus clarified Rachael's words. "If you can remember, while all of you went to visit the graveyard at the outskirt of the city, I was happening to be around there, and so did both these siblings."

"I see." Natasha said.

"Anyway…" Rachael spoke up again. "Zetarus, what are you doing here?"

"Me? Well… I ran into my siblings in Shadowlost City during our first day in this land, and I decided to keep them a company, so… Here I am."

"You still haven't answered our question yet." Richard spoke up. "If you want to keep your siblings a company, why did you three choose to hang out in a place like this?"

"Heh… I see that there's something that will never chance, such as you with your fetish for knowledge." Zetarus replied with a crafty voice.

"Sigh… You with your choice of words…" Richard mumbled to himself before he continued speaking. "Anyway, Rachael and I are going back to Shadowlost City. What about you, Zetarus?"

"Hm… If you want an honest answer, I haven't thought about it yet." Zetarus replied.

"Well… We have just finished our business here…" Natasha spoke up. "And if you don't mind, why don't we all go back to Shadowlost City together? I want to learn more about Zetarus' friends."

"Hm… I don't have any objection with your idea, Princess Natasha." Richard said and turned his attention to his younger sister. "What about you, Rachael?"

"Of course, I don't mind!" Rachael replied. "It would be more fun if we all go together!"

"And what about you, Largo?" Natasha asked her younger brother. "Are you alright with this?"

"Well… We have already endured our 'beloved' brother Zetarus here well enough, so these two wouldn't be worse…" Largo replied. "The Latias here reminds me a lot of Freya, and this Latios seems like a good brotherly model of his younger sister, unlike my beloved elder brother here."

"If only you know…" Zetarus spoke up in a playful tone without looking at anyone.

"Um…" Rachael said. "If you don't mind me asking, why aren't Freya with you? I thought that she's also your sister."

"Well… It's a long story, but if you must know…" Zetarus replied. "I met my siblings while I was alone in Shadowlost Territory, and they were about to head to some nasty areas in this land. While I decided to go with them, all of us decided that we won't tell Freya about it until we came back, because, you know… Freya works really hard for the sake of the people she cares, to the point that she wouldn't care how many dangers she has to face, as you can see when Freya followed me into Valley of No Return by herself. If Freya knows that we all would go to these areas, she would insist on coming with us despite than she works really hard to support all of us, or despite that the places that we would go are some of the most dangerous places on this entire continent."

"… I get what you're trying to say, and I respect that." Richard said. "But, if you ask me, you should at least tell Freya that you two are here, Princess Natasha and Prince Largo."

"We will keep that in mind." Natasha said. "Now then, shall we go? I want to go back to Shadowlost City before dinner time, so that we would be able to have dinner with Freya too."

"Agree." Largo said. "Too bad that Terrus isn't here, but I guess it couldn't be helped."

"What? I did tell you that I would be your elder brother figure in the place of Terrus, didn't I?" Zetarus said to his younger brother.

"Yeah, yeah… Whatever you said, my 'beloved' brother." Largo said as he crossed his arms and rolled his eyes.

After they finished their conversation, Zetarus, Natasha, Largo, Rachael and Richard exited the Spirit Shrine together, leaving the shrine with nothing but the haunted and unrest spirits of the past…

* * *

 **-Meanwhile…**

'First, it was confirmed that my mother was really here, in the Shadowlost Territory, before she went back to Valley of No Return and gave birth to me.' Korben thought. 'She was working as the priestess of Newmoon Temple while she was here. With this, there's no doubt about it. It was my mother whole stole the diadem with her before she fled the land of darkness… But to what purpose? That's one thing that I don't know…'

'Next… About my father… If my mother was working as a priestess in the Newmoon Temple before she went back to Valley of No Return and gave birth to me, then it would be very likely that my father is also someone from Shadowlost Territory.' Korben continued thinking. '… But who is he? And where is he right now? I don't know. The only clue I have about my father is the piece of paper with my name on it that my mother had with her during her last moment, and that hardly gives me any idea.'

'And last… About the blackmails…' Korben thought. 'Since when I came here, I received three blackmails from an unknown being. Whoever sent these must really want me to leave the land of darkness for sure, but for what? I hardly know anyone here, and I don't think that any of those I know here would send me these blackmails, as they have no reason to do so, or even if they have, it wouldn't be only me who received these blackmails. So… Who was the one behind this?"

Korben stopped thinking about what he was thinking of for a moment to let his mind sort out his thought, before he spoke up for the first time in a while.

"At least Fenrir Jr. seems to know something that could be a help to me…" Korben mumbled to himself. "He said that he has seen the handwriting on the third blackmail before, and he is investigating this. Hopefully, we would be able to find the one who blackmailed me soon…"

After finished speaking to himself, Korben looked at the three pieces of paper in his paw. They were the three blackmails that the Kommo-o received during his stay in the Shadowlost Territory. He then looked at the first blackmail, which was being placed on his bed in his bedroom at the inn two days ago.

"i **F** **Y** _o_ U s **T** i _L_ l V **aL** _Ue_ **yO** Ur _L_ ** _i_** **f** E, **T** ** _Ur_** _N_ b _A_ C **K** **_aN_** d L **ea** _V_ e **T** h _E_ **sHAdoWLosT** _TErRiTorY_ , **_oR_** **e** ** _L_** _S_ e Y **oU** _w_ I _L_ l _b_ **E** p **Lu** n _G_ E _d_ i _Nt_ O t **H** e _e_ N **D** l ** _eS_** s _o_ ** _Bl_** I _V_ **iO** n."

"…" Korben moved his attention from the first blackmail to the second blackmail, which was placed inside the envelope that was given to him yesterday by the Serpent General, who claimed that he received it from a stranger.

"Y **Ou** a _Re_ **sTi** _LL_ _h_ ** _E_** **r** E, w ** _HI_** c **h** _w_ I **LL** **bR** I _nG_ _uP_ ** _o_** **N** **n** ** _O_** _T_ h **In** G b _uT_ **Pa** In _aNd_ **sUffE** _rinG_. **IF** _yOu_ s **Ti** ll va **L** _uE_ **Y** _ouR_ l **IF** e, _Le_ **aV** E _tH_ **Is** **pL** _Ac_ E **an** D _NeV_ E **r** **Re** TU _rN_ **aG** _AiN_. **_ThI_** s iS **_tHe_** s _Ec_ **On** d w **aRn** _Ing_."

"And the last one…" Korben moved his attention from the second blackmail to the last blackmail, which was sent to him by being shot right at the tree right beside him a few moments ago. From the moment that it was sent to him, Korben had just taken a quick look at the message when Fenrir Jr. showed it to him, so he hadn't gotten a good look at it yet until now.

 _You have ignored my warning not once, but twice… If you still refuse to oblige to my words, your life will be forfeited, and your soul will be sealed within the darkness forever. Heed my warning, leave the land of darkness and never return again, or else a terrible fate would befall on you. This is the third and the final warning, Korben._

"Fenrir Jr. was right." Korben said to himself as he slowly read the third blackmail that was sent to him. "The handwriting on this one is indeed different from the one on the first two, for whatever reason. Fenrir Jr. said that he had somehow seen it before, but… Now that I look at it, I feel like—"

The words of the Kommo-o were cut off as he finished reading the message of the third blackmail, and his eyes suddenly widened in shock, as if he was jolted by electricity, except that he wasn't.

"W… Wait!" Korben looked at the message of the third blackmail again. "I… Isn't this… But… How could it be?! Hold on… If this is it, then…"

"!" The Kommo-o's body was stiffened by a sudden realization that hit him, as if he had just received the missing piece of clue about the mysteries that he was chasing after this whole time. The Kommo-o remains in silent for a few minutes before he spoke up again.

"T… That's it!" Korben said. "That answers everything! Well, not really everything, but for the most parts… If I put everything together, it really makes sense! And if I am right, the one who sent me these blackmails must be none other than—"

"BASHHHHHHHHHH!"

"ARRGGGGGGGGGG!"

Before Korben could say anything else, he felt something hard and heavy hitting the back of his head really hard, causing the Kommo-o to yell out in pain before his body collapsed onto the ground, and he quickly lost his consciousness before he was able to grasp what was happening…

* * *

 _"… You have ignored my warning again, dragon whelp. You ignore it, not once or twice, but thrice! You think that you would be able to find the truth by your own, but you are just digging your own grave! I will not let you be in my way again, exactly like what your mother did on that day. I will do anything in order to achieve my goal, even if I have to get you out of my way, the child of Diadora."_

 **To Be Continued…**

* * *

 **Dragon of Vale: The third day has arrived, and many encounters happen in this chapter too. Unfortunately, not all of them seem to be what the characters want it to be…**

 **The next chapter would be the start of the showdown between the chancellor and the Pendragon… But would things really go as they want? We will see…**

* * *

 **Q &A Session:**

 **Tail 7-6 – Question:** What is your favorite time during the day?

 **Answer:**

 **-Korben:** I like the time before the daybreak most. Perhaps it's because I always get up before the sun rises to train and help everyone since when I was living in the Hidden Village of Dragon, and the fresh air in the daybreak makes me feel refreshing and energetic.

 **-Claura:** My favorite time is the evening, I guess. Because, after the sunset, it's the time for me to call it a day and spend my time soaking in a nice, warm bath, and it's very relaxing after a long and arduous day.

 **-Xavier:** My favorite time is any time that I could sleep, and I think I don't need to tell you why.

 **-Anastasia:** My favorite time is at the moment of sunset. It's because, every time I see the last light of the day disappears from the sky, I start reflecting everything that happens in my life, both good and bad, and it somehow brings peace to my mind…

 **-Baromyteus:** As unlikely as it sounds, my favorite time of the day is the late morning before noon. Why? Because it's the time after I finish preparing for a new day, so I am most ready to get into any action that's waiting for me during this new day.

 **-Diego:** Hm… I guess my answer is the early afternoon, as it is the time when the sunlight is very intense, and as a Fire type Pokemon, sunlight makes me very energetic and ready for a battle or two, and sunlight also increase the power of my flame too.

 **-Zetarus:** My favorite time is always the late night, around the time before the midnight. Well… Back when I was in the hellhole, late night is the time when everyone sleeps, so they would finally leave me alone after all of their tormenting to me… But now, I still like the late night because it gives me some 'private time' to do my 'private stuffs' such as taking care of my 'spears'… or sneaking into Diego's bedroom to have a 'nice' time with him.

 **-Rachael:** My favorite time is the early morning, the time after the sun rises, of course! The air in the morning is so refreshing, and it's a good time to take care of the plants and harvest berries. Oh, and the world as the sun gradually ascends to the sky is so beautiful too!

 **-Richard:** I can't believe that it would happen, but I share my opinion with the first half of Zetarus' opinion, except that I prefer the time after the midnight instead as there would always be idiots who still awake before midnight, but their number drastically decreases after midnight, making it a good time for me to induce myself into the good books without being interrupted.

 **-Freya:** M… My favorite time is the late afternoon, because it's the time when everyone would be finished with their work, and seeing the fruit of everyone's work after a long day of hard working makes me very happy for some reason. And… The vermillion world as the sun gradually descends from the sky is beautiful too…

 **-Snow:** My favorite time is at the moment of daybreak, because it is the best time to harvest the tea leaves as the tea leaves harvested during this time are the highest quality one. Also, a cup of tea at the moment when the first light of the day shines upon the earth is heavenly, don't you think?

 **-Sirius:** … ( **Dragon of Vale:** Sirius says that it doesn't have any favorite time because any time is the same to him when he was in the Civilight Laboratory, and even now, each time of the day doesn't hold any difference to it.)

* * *

 **Question from Ridin Valon** : From: Alvin

To: Diego Pyrotorch So... I've heard news about your comrade-in-arms, Zetarus! How would you like to tell me what your relationship is-  
(A-ALVIN! WE DO NOT ASK THIS SORT OF QUESTION! ASK SOMETHING ELSE!)  
Fine... So... who's your type?  
(Alvin...)

 **-Diego:** My relationship with Zetarus? We are just friend! F-R-I-E-N-D! Nothing more than that! And don't listen to what Zetarus says. He's just messing around with me! I am not his fxxkbuddy! Never! Are we clear?

 **-Dragon of Vale:** You still have one more question to answer, Diego.

 **-Diego:** Another question… WHAT?! W… What kind of question is that?! That's the question for an elementary-schooler, not for me! I'm leaving now!

 **-Dragon of Vale:** Hey! Wait! You still have a question to answer!

 **-Diego:** Fxxk off!

* * *

 **Question from Parousia45:** To Anastasia: The way how you sing and dance was beautiful, how did you learn how to dance so majestic? I hope your brother won't kill me.

 **-Anastasia:** Thank you for your kind compliment. For how I sing and dance, half of it is a self-taught, and the other half is from my experience of seeing other dancers or singers and practicing it by myself. Also, wanting to help my brother is another thing that helps too. And for Baromyteus, please forgive him for his aggressive action. He is just overprotective of me as we didn't spend much time together when we were young, and then I got myself injured very badly when he wasn't around, so after that, he is quite tense when it comes to me, but he's a really nice guy when you get to know him.


	77. Tail 7-7: Diabolical Siblings

**A Dragon's Tail**

 **Tail 7: Korben's Tail - Inequity**

 **Tail 7-7: Diabolical Siblings**

" _ **You must be ready to lose everything, even if you have to sacrifice your loved one…"**_

 **-The Next Morning…**

At the entrance of Shadowlost City, the capital of Shadowlost Territory, stood several Pokemon, all which were Dragon type Pokemon. All of them were waiting for their friends to come and meet them here, as today was an important day for all of them…

While waiting for their friends, Diego, Snow and Claura were chatting with each other. Richard and Rachael were standing beside Sirius, while Xavier was leaning his back toward the wall of the city with his eyes close. Anastasia and Baromyteus were standing next to Xavier, both which seemed to be more anxious than everyone else.

And…

"Here we are."

The Pendragon's attention was drawn to two Pokemon who had just appeared from the city gate of the Shadowlost City. One of them was a Flygon while the other one was a Garchomp.

"I thought that you are going to keep us waiting, Zetarus." Diego said as Zetarus and Freya approached him.

"Yeah…" Zetarus replied without paying much attention to the Mega Charizard X.

"Hm?" Diego looked at the Garchomp. "What's wrong with you, Zetarus? That reaction isn't like you at all."

"Well… Something's on my mind." Zetarus replied.

"And that is?" Diego asked.

"… Last night, Zetarus and I had dinner with our siblings, who are currently visiting the Shadowlost Territory." Instead of Zetarus, it was Freya who answered the question. "And from our conversation with them, there's something strange…"

"Something strange?" Snow, who was standing beside Diego, asked.

"… Claura, you said when we met on the Venom Isles that I volunteered to deliver Xavier's food to him, right?" Zetarus asked the Kingdra who was standing beside Snow and Diego.

"Yeah, and you denied it out of the bat that you had no idea about it." Claura replied.

"I really have no idea about it." Zetarus replied. "I left for Venom Isles a few hours after our meeting with the chancellor three days ago, and I don't remember running into you before that."

"Right. That's what Natasha and Largo, our siblings, said too." Freya said. "However, I ran into you as I went back to the inn with Korben three days ago, and you told me that you were delivering food to Xavier!"

"I told you so many times that I didn't, Freya." Zetarus said. "And Natasha and Largo also confirmed that I didn't do something like that! We were on the ship to Venom Isles during that time, so, how was I going to go to the inn to give food to Xavier while I was on a ship to Venom Isles?"

"Strange..." Claura said. "I really gave you food for Xavier, and I checked with Xavier yesterday and he told me that you came and gave him food."

"Xavier did?!" Zetarus said. "But that's impossible! I was with Natasha and Largo all the time. How and I suppose to do something like that?!"

"But Claura and Xavier both confirmed that you were there…" Freya said. "And Korben and I also ran into you while you were doing that too…"

"Speaking of Korben…" Diego spoke up with an impatient voice. "Where the hell is that Kommo-o? That guy takes a fxxxxxg long time to come here?"

"Is he still sleeping?" Zetarus asked.

"I don't think so…" Freya spoke up. "Korben always gets up early, and he's never late."

"Did he forget that today is the showdown day?" Diego asked. "That guy's mind isn't very stable right now, so I wouldn't be surprised if he—"

 _"If that guy isn't going to show up, then we should be going."_

A menacing voice turned the attention of everyone to its owner, which was a Pokemon in the black armor suit.

"A… Aren't you going to wait for Korben, Baromyteus?" Freya asked as the Shiny Haxorus, along with his younger sister, joined the conversation.

"We have already wasted enough time with nonsense things." Baromyteus replied with a menacing voice. "The longer we wait, the longer they will be able to prepare themselves. We should be going now."

"Are you sure that's the whole reason for us to depart right now?" Claura asked. "You aren't just anxious to see your crush again, are you?"

"I have no need to answer your question, Claura." Baromyteus answered as he turned his face toward the direction of the Newmoon Temple. "Now, no more wasting our time. You all are coming with me, and I won't hear no as an answer."

"…" Every other members of the Pendragon looked at each other before they slowly nodded to their leader.

"… Good." Baromyteus said with a calmer voice than before. "We will go to Newmoon Temple to finish what we started."

After Baromyteus finished his words, the Pendragon started walking from the city gate into the wasteland of Shadowlost, toward the Darkveil Chasm north of the wasteland. Their destination is Newmoon Temple, a place where they will fulfill their promise with the chancellor of Shadowlost Territory…

* * *

 **-Meanwhile…**

"…"

"…"

"…G…Grrrr…"

Somewhere… In a place that's completely shrouded in darkness, a lone Pokemon slowly rose from the floor. He then slowly put his paw at the back of his head, feeling a throbbing pain coming from there.

"Ouch… That hurts…" Korben said as he gently touched the back of his head. "I was hit really hard… Wait… Where am I?"

The Kommo-o then looked around himself, waiting for his eyes to adjust to the darkness around him. After several minutes, he was able to see more clearly, and he found that…

"I'm… in a house? No… It looked more like a shack…" Korben said as he slowly stood up and looked around himself. He could see that he was in a small shack with a few furniture and ornaments. "But… Why am I here? The last thing I remember before I passed out is—"

As the words of the Kommo-o reached this point, a memory before he passed out started flooding into his head, about his talk with Fenrir Jr. in the Skeleton Wood, about the third blackmail he received, about…

"T… That's right!" Korben mumbled to himself. "I… I was finally able to solve the mysteries behind everything… The blackmail I received… The lost diadem of Newmoon Temple… And… Everything is connected with each other! And the one behind all of this must be that Pokemon! But then… Someone knocked me from behind, and I lost my conscious— Wait a minute…"

Korben looked around himself again. For some reason, the sensation he felt right now was different from what he used to feel. He felt much more… positive than before, as if a dark cloud that surrounded him had suddenly disappeared…

"W… Wait! The diadem!" Korben realized something as he quickly reached his paw into his pocket, and he was bewildered when he found that the diadem, the artifact that was stolen from Newmoon Temple 19 years ago, was gone!

"T… The diadem is gone!" Korben mumbled as he tried to check his pocket again, but the lost artifact was still nowhere to be found. "T… That's why the negative sensation I had is gone… But why isn't it with me—No… The one who knocked me out must have stolen it, which means that…"

Upon realizing, Korben quickly looked around the place he was in again before he spotted a door that seemed to be the exit of this shack. The Kommo-o then rushed to the door and tried to open it, but the door didn't even budge when he tried his hardest to open it.

"Damn it! It's locked!" Korben cursed after he tried to open the door. "There must be other ways to exit this house…"

Korben looked around the shack again. This time, he spotted several windows around the shack. However, even if he broke it, his body was too big to squeeze through it, so it won't be any use to him. The Kommo-o then checked and found another door of this shack. However, this door was, like the first door, also locked.

"Damn it!" Korben mumbled after he found that he was basically stuck here. "No… Calm down, Korben… In a time like this… I should be calm first…"

The Kommo-o slowly breathed in and out several times, which helped him quite a bit, and a few minutes later, he found that he had calm down considerably, and he was able to think more thoroughly than before.

"… If the one who knocked me out is the one who stole the lost diadem from me…" Korben mumbled to himself after he found that he had finally calmed down. "… Then it means that they must be the same Pokemon behind everything too… But… They knocked me out, stole the diadem and locked me here instead of just killed me, stole the diadem, and left me in the woods… Why did they have to go that far— Wait… If what I think is right, it actually does make sense for them to do this! Which means that reason they want me to leave the land of darkness is…"

Korben closed his eyes for a few seconds before he opened it again and continued mumbling to himself. "Still… With that reason for wanting me out of the way, I understand why they locked me here after I refused to leave the land of darkness, but after that, why do they have to steal the diadem too? Could it be that stealing the diadem from me is their true goal? But if that's true, then they wouldn't have to bother sending me those blackmails. All they have to do is knock me out like this. Grrr… I don't understand a thing!"

Couldn't think of anything, Korben decided to stop focusing his thought at what's on his mind right now and explored the shack more thoroughly instead.

"This place…" Korben mumbled as he looked at the furniture and the decorations of it more closely. It didn't seem like someone was currently living here as it was voided of any sight of living being. However, the inside of this shack, including every object in this place, was quite clean, and the shack was also surprisingly well-built and well-kept. "Despite that no one seems to live here, it's quite clean… How could it be? It's as if someone comes and cleans it regularly, and it seems too nice to be just a random abandoned shack in the wilderness… And… I don't know why or how, but this place gives me a feeling of… nostalgia… Wait…"

Korben looked around the shack again when he started noticing something. From the light of dusk that shone into the shack via the shack's windows, he could see that the objects and decorations in this shack were quite out-of-the-place. Most of them weren't of the same style and design that could be found commonly in the Shadowlost Territory. In fact, the style and design of the objects in this house were very exotic, which most Pokemon wouldn't recognize its origin, but not for this Kommo-o.

"W… Why are all these decorations and furniture in the same style as the one in my village?!" Korben said. "No one should know the existence of the Hidden Village of Dragon, let alone its culture! Unless... The owner of this house, or at least the owner of these decorations, comes from Hidden Village of Dragon… Which means…"

Korben stopped mumbling to himself for a few seconds before he resumed his mumbling. "… That also makes sense… That explains why, despite no one live here, this place is surprisingly well-kept, and it also explains why they chose to lock me up here…"

"In the place that was once the house where my mother lived…"

* * *

 **Meanwhile…**

"Wake up, you lazy Zoroark!"

 _"… Huh?"_

Fenrir Jr. slowly rose from the table he was sleeping on and looked at the owner of the voice that yelled at him, which was none other than one of his friends.

 _"... Do you have to be obnoxious this early in the morning, Largo?"_ Fenrir Jr. said as he slowly stood up and stretched his body.

"Look who's talking!" The Alolan Marowak said as he pointed his bone club at the Zoroark. "You were always the one who wakes me up in the morning, claiming that I am such a lazy head, and now you are being one, so you can't blame me for doing this."

"Largo's right." Another Pokemon, who was a Dragalge that stood next to the Alolan Marowak, said as she also looked at the Zoroark. "Fenrir, you are never the one who would be like this. Did something happen to you?"

 _"It's nothing."_ Fenrir Jr. said as he looked around and found that he was in a room that seemed like an office room, which was actually one of the rooms in the city hall of Shadowlost City. _"I was just investigating something last night, and… I must have fallen asleep while doing so…"_

 _"What are you investigating?"_ Natasha asked.

"… A case." Fenrir Jr. replied.

"At least give us a better answer." Largo said with his arms crossed.

 _"… Sorry, I can't tell you anything about this…"_ Fenrir Jr. decided not to tell his friends about what he was investigating because he knew that a certain Kommo-o wouldn't want anyone else to know about the blackmails he got. _"… And I have a reason for doing so, which I—"_

"Yeah, yeah… You also can't tell us the reason why you won't tell us about what you're doing. I get it." Largo said. "You're always like this, keeping a secret from everyone, Fenrir Jr."

 _"It's not like that I don't want to tell you."_ Fenrir Jr. said. _"It's just that I'm doing this for… someone, and that person doesn't wish for anyone else to know about it."_

"And who could it be?" Largo asked. "Your mother? Your uncle? Or your aunt?"

 _"… None of them."_ Fenrir Jr. replied. _"It's someone that you two don't know, so there's no point in telling you who they are anyway."_

"Heh?" Largo looked at the Zoroark with eyes brimmed with curiosity. "Did I hearit right? You? Doing a stranger? Are you an imposter of the real Prince Fenrir Illunight Jr. of Shadowlost Territory?"

"That's enough, Largo." Natasha scolded her younger brother before turning her attention back to the Zoroark. "But Largo's right. We have known you since ten years ago, and we know that you aren't particularly close with anyone else but your family and us, and now, you are going this far to do a favor for someone—Fenrir?" Natasha's words were cut off when she noticed that the Zoroark didn't pay attention to her words…

 _"… Imposter…"_ Fenrir Jr. didn't have any attention on either Natasha and Largo. All he did was placing his paw on his chin and mumbled a words, as if he was thinking of something…

"… Fenrir Jr.!" Largo yelled at the Zoroark.

 _"… No one forces you to continue being obnoxious, Largo."_ Fenrir Jr. said as he tried to act cool after being startled by the Alolan Marowak.

"Then, at least pay your attention to Natasha." Largo said. "You are thinking of something else again, aren't you?"

 _"Yes."_ Fenrir Jr. replied.

"… I knew it…" Largo mumbled to himself.

 _"Anyway…"_ Fenrir Jr. changed the subject of conversation. _"How was your trip to Venom Isles and Darkveil Chasm? Did you get what you want?"_

"We did." Largo replied. "We both got our power awakened, so now, Natasha is the Heroine of Poison type and I am Hero of Ghost type, just like Terrus and you."

 _"No, I am not the Hero of Legend yet."_ Fenrir Jr. replied. _"I haven't inherited my power from my mother yet. If you want to give an example, just use my younger brother."_

"You mean Ridley?" Natasha said.

"Yes." Fenrir Jr. nodded. "Our father was killed three years ago during the… expedition in the inaccessible valley, so Ridley inherited his power and is currently the Hero of Fighting type."

"And…" Natasha quickly changed the subject from the death of Fenrir Jr.'s father to another topic. "And what do you think of your brother being the Hero of Legend right now?"

"… It's his destiny, so my opinion won't change anything, but I think Ridley is too naïve to be a Hero of Legend. He is too optimistic, and he still sees the world as a black-and-white place."

"More like you are too pessimistic, Fenrir Jr." Largo commented.

 _"Heh… Maybe you're right, Largo."_ Fenrir Jr. commented before he lowered his voice of the next part of his words. _"After all, I just suspect one of 'them' for being the one behind everything…"_

"Hm?" Natasha and Largo looked at the Zoroark. "Did you say something?"

 _"Nothing."_ Fenrir Jr. replied.

* * *

 **Meanwhile…**

After walking through the Shadowlost Wasteland and fighting many wild Pokemon and Shadow Pokemon along the way, the Pendragon finally arrived at their destination, the Newmoon Temple.

"So… This is the Newmoon Temple…" Freya commented. "It looks so scary…"

"For me, it looks more ominous…" Diego said. "As if it's holding a dark secret within…"

As the Pendragon approached the entrance of the temple, they saw two Golett that were acting as the gatekeeper of the temple. However, both Golett were lying unconscious next to the entrance, as if they were already knocked out before the Pendragon arrived.

"Heh… I guess they really want us to have a fair fight…" Zetarus commented. "One less obstacle for us to worry about."

"No more wasting our time." Baromyteus said. "Now, we go."

After he finished speaking, Baromyteus entered the Newmoon Temple, and everyone else followed him into the temple, except…

"… Onii-chan?" Rachael spoke up as she and her brother were about to enter the Newmoon Temple. The Latias was now looking around herself, as if she was searching for someone. "… Did you see Sirius? I remember that Sirius was with us when we were waiting outside Shadowlost City, but I don't see Sirius anywhere here."

"Me too." Richard said. "The last time I saw Sirius was when we departed for Newmoon Temple. I remembered that I saw Baromyteus speaking to Sirius, but I don't remember seeing Sirius after that."

"Then, where could Sirius be?" Rachael said. "And… Baromyteus speaking to Sirius? I thought that everyone else in the Pendragon didn't trust Sirius, so what would Baromyteus have to say to Sirius?"

"I suspect that too…" Richard said. "However, I don't think we have to worry about that or Sirius. After all, Sirius is very strong, much stronger than most of us here."

"Okay." Rachael said as she looked at the Shadowlost Wasteland with a worried look on her face for a second before she turned her attention to the entrance of Newmoon Temple.

"… Let's go, Rachael." Richard said to his younger sister before both of them entered the Newmoon Temple together.

* * *

 **Inside the Newmoon Temple…**

Ten Dragon type Pokemon silently walked along the long foyer of Newmoon Temple. None of them said anything until they reached the end of the foyer and entered the main hall of the temple. From there, they could see that the main hall was voided of any living creature… Except for three Zoroark who were standing in the middle of the main hall. Two of them, a male Zoroark and a female Zoroark, were wearing a demonic mask to cover the left half and right half of their face respectively, while the last Zoroark, the one who stood in the middle of the other two, wore a full demonic mask that covered her entire face.

 _"… You have arrived…"_ The Zoroark who wore a full demonic mask spoke up after she saw the Pendragon entered the main hall of Newmoon Temple. _"Let me, the chancellor of Shadowlost Territory, welcome you all to the sacred site of the land of darkness, Newmoon Temple."_

"…" The Pendragon said nothing to the words of the Zoroark.

 _"… As we have agreed three days ago…"_ Fenrir Sr. continued speaking after seeing that none of the newcomers would say anything. _"Newmoon Temple shall serve as a place for our battleground, and today shall be the day that one of us would live, and one of us would die."_

"Right." Baromyteus spoke up. "Now that the time has come, let's end this."

 _"… Once again, I want to remind you that what we are doing isn't for a greater good, but it's personal, and there's no way that you can change my mind."_ Fenrir Sr. said as she drew out her weapon, which was a scythe, and stepped forward. _"Now, since I am the target, I will be the one who battles you. And who would be my opponent?"_

"Me." Baromyteus said as he stepped forward from the Pendragon, facing Fenrir Sr. that stood opposite of him. "I will be your opponent, Fenrir."

 _"As I guess."_ Fenrir Sr. said. _"Now, are you ready, Baromyteus?"_

"… Before we battle, there's one more thing that I would like to say to you." Baromyteus said. "I know that we have nothing else to speak with each other, but I will never have a chance to say this again after today, so I want to do it now."

 _"… And that is?"_ Fenrir Sr. asked.

"Fenrir…" Baromyteus looked at the Zoroark in front of him. "… I love you."

* * *

 **Meanwhile…**

"Come to think about it…" Korben mumbled to himself. He was still in the shack that he woke up in, and he was now sitting on one of the chairs in the shack, trying to think about something. "How much time has passed since when I was knocked out? There's no way to tell the time from looking at the sky of Shadowlost… But… I think that… at least a night should have already passed, which means…"

Korben looked outside the window. From here, all he could see were the vermillion sky and the ominous wasteland. "Everyone must have already gone to Newmoon Temple… They must be worried about me that I am missing… Or some of them may be mad at me for being irresponsible, especially Baromyteus—"

Korben snapped as he had just realized something. "Wait… If today's the day of our showdown, then… They must be… Oh, no! Everyone is in danger now! If I don't go and warn them, they will…"

Korben quickly rushed toward the door in order to try and force it to open again. However, just as he was about to reach the door…

"!" Suddenly, the Kommo-o was bombarded by a dreadful feeling as he tried to reach his paw toward the door. It wasn't the same negative feeling he had when he had the diadem in his possession, but it was a mixed feeling of fear, anger and hatred.

'W… What is this?!' Korben's face turned pale as he staggered back from the door. 'I have experienced this feeling before… When—'

Before the Kommo-o could say anything else, a sound of something running was heard by the Kommo-o, and it sounded like it's running toward this shack!

'No… No, no, no, no, no, NO!' Korben thought as the sound became louder and louder, indicating that the thing that was running toward the shack was getting closer and closer! 'No! Stay away from me! Don't come any closer! NO!"

"CRRRRAAAAAAASSSSSSSSSHHHHHHH!"

The door of the shack cracked as something from the outside crashed into it, destroying it in the instant, and the thing that crashed into the door wasn't an object, but was actually a living creature, who was now standing at the entrance of the shack over the destroyed door, glaring at the Kommo-o inside the shack. The appearance of this Pokemon sent shiver down the spine of the Kommo-o, as not only this Pokemon had a very bizarre appearance, especially a mask that covered its face, but it was also a Pokemon that he didn't ever want to see again.

"Y…. YOU!" Korben was able to muster his voice to call out a Type: Null that just crashed into the shack. This Pokemon was none other than one of twelve current members of the Pendragon, but for Korben, this Pokemon was the monster that massacred the residents of Hidden Village of Dragon, including his grandfather…

"…" Sirius silently glared at the Kommo-o in front of it. It could see that, right now, the Kommo-o's body was shaking, and his face became pale. There were several expressions on the face of the Kommo-o, however, the most noticeable one wasn't the expression of anger or hate, but it was the expression of fear…

Then…

"…?" Korben's expression changed a bit as he saw that the Type: Null didn't approach him. Instead, it turned back and slightly shook its face toward the opening of the shack that it created from crashing the door earlier, indicating that it was now possible for Korben to escape!

"You…" Korben looked at the Type: Null, who still looked at him with eyes filled with unreadable emotion. "Did you come here… to rescue me?"

"…" Instead of answering the Kommo-o's question, Sirius lowered its body to the ground and nodded its head to its back, as if it was trying to tell Korben that…

"You… want me to get on your back?" Korben said before he snapped and shook his head intensely in protest. "ABSOLUTELY NOT, YOU MONSTER! I WILL NEVER ACCEPT A HELP FROM THE LIKE OF YOU! NEV—"

Korben's words were suddenly stopped when Sirius suddenly got up and turned back toward the Kommo-o, facing him. It then glared at Korben with fierce eyes, which sent shiver down the spine of the Kommo-o again, which made the memory of what happened during the Dragon Massacre flash into the head of the Kommo-o, at the moment when…

* * *

 _"GRAAAWWRRR!" The Type: Null jumped down onto the balcony of the house, facing the Drampa and Hakamo-o in front of it!_

 _"Grandpa, step away!" Realizing that this Pokemon wasn't their ally, the Hakamo-o quickly stepped in between the Drampa and the Type: Null in front of him, preparing to fight his enemy!_

 _"GRRRAAAAWWWRRRR!" Type: Null suddenly charged forward the Hakamo-o, who quickly got himself prepared for his enemy's tackle, but his enemy didn't tackle him. Instead, it stopped just right in front of him before it raised its claws and attacked him with it!_

 _"URG!" Because he wasn't prepared for a claw attack, the Hakamo-o was easily knocked out of the way, leaving no one between this Type: Null and the Drampa!_

 _"Oh dear…" The Drampa said as he saw the Type: Null right in front of him, who was gazing at him, like a starved predator who preyed on its prey. "… Over two thousand years of my life that I have never encountered anything like this before…"_

 _"Grandpa!" The Hakamo-o said as he tried to stand up, and at the same time…_

 _"GRRRRRAAAAAWWWWRRRRR!"_

 _"ARG!"_

 _The Type: Null charged toward the Drampa and then bit him right on his neck, and then it flung the Drampa's body right above the house!_

 _"GRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWRRRRRRRRR!"_

 _After flinging the Drampa into the sky, the Type: Null then jumped into the sky, toward the Drampa's body. It then stretched its sharp claws toward the Drampa._

 _And then…_

 _"SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHUUUUUUUNNNNNNKKKKKKK!"_

 _"…GRANDPA!" The Hakamo-o roared after he saw his grandfather's body being penetrated by the Type: Null's claws right through his chest, ripping his body into several parts, sending his dragon blood splashed around the entire area…_

* * *

"!" Korben's body became frozen with fear as the memory of what happened during the Dragon Massacre flooded into his head, at the moment when his grandfather was killed… by the very same Pokemon in front of him, who was now looking at him with the very same expression as the one it had when it killed Elder Baldr…

And then…

Before Korben could do anything else, the Type Null rushed up toward him, tackled him with its masked face before using it to fling the Kommo-o upward, just like what it did before it killed Elder Baldr…

However…

Instead of being attacked, Korben found himself landing on something soft but sturdy, and he quickly realized that, after being flung from the ground by the Type: Null, he had landed on the back of the very same Pokemon who flung him!

"Did you just—" Korben was about to say the words when Sirius turned its face back to look at him. Right now, the Type: Null's expression had returned to its usual unreadable expression. However, the Kommo-o was able to catch a glimpse of expression that appeared for only a moment on the Type: Null's face. It wasn't the expression of violence that he had seen before, but it was an expression of… benevolence?

Before Korben could say anything else, Sirius turned its face away from him and faced the outside of the shack, and took a deep breath, and then it started running, exiting the shack and going into the large wasteland of Shadowlost instead.

"W… Where are you going?!" Korben asked as he held onto the back of the Type: Null in order not to fall from its back.

"…" Sirius didn't answer Korben's question. All it did was keep running along the Shadowlost Wasteland. However, after a few minutes of looking at his surrounding, including the location of the sun and the moon on the sky, Korben was able to grasp the direction that the Type: Null was going toward, as well as how much time had passed since he was knocked out as he knew how to read the sun and the moon.

"Comparing to the locations of the sun and the moon yesterday, the current locations of the sun and the moon tell that only a single night has passed, which means that today must be the day of our showdown…" Korben mumbled. "… And this way… It's the way to the Newmoon Temple, which means that…"

* * *

 **Meanwhile…**

 _"Anyway…"_ Fenrir Jr. spoke up again as he looked at the Dragalge and the Alolan Marowak beside him. _"What bring you two here today? It doesn't seem like you two come here just to hang out with me…"_

"Oh, that's right." Natasha said as she handed over several brown envelopes to the Zoroark. "The chancellor asked us to give this to you after you woke up, as she said that she would be gone before you woke up."

 _"… Gone?"_ Fenrir Jr. repeated the words he had just heard as he received the envelopes from the Dragalge. _"Where did she go?"_

"I don't know." Natasha answered. "But it seems like an important business as the Serpent General also left with her too. I thought that you already know about this, Fenrir Jr."

 _"… Strange…"_ Fenrir Jr. commented. _"My mother didn't tell me about this, and despite that it isn't rare for her to leave unnoticed, she never leaves for an important business without telling me first before…"_

"Maybe she tries to see you first, but you were still sleeping, and she didn't want to wake her son." Largo said.

 _"Then she would just leave these stuffs and a note on the table instead of asking you two to pass it to me…"_ Fenrir Jr. said. _"And the Serpent General goes with her? That isn't normal. Normally, both the chancellor and the Serpent General wouldn't leave the capital at the same time, and even if they do, the Somber Priestess would be here in the place of both of them, but since she's on a pilgrimage with all other priests and priestesses of Newmoon Temple—"_

"You think too much, Fenrir." Natasha said as she gently placed her fin on the Zoroark's shoulder. "I know that you are very vigilant and prudent, but sometimes, you need to learn to unwind a little…"

 _"… I know."_ Fenrir Jr. said. _"But still…"_

"Speaking of the Serpent General and the Somber Priestess…" Largo spoke up. "I think the chancellor said that there are notes from the Serpent General and the Somber Priestess, along with her note to you, in one of the envelopes too."

 _"Hm?"_ Fenrir Jr. looked throught the envelopes he got from Natasha until he spotted one envelopes that's smaller than the rest. He then openned it and found three notes inside the envelopes.

"It seemed like all three Zoroark wrote it in a rush manner because the Somber Priestess wrote this before she left for the pilgrimage and the other two wrote it just before they left this morning." Natasha said as Fenrir Jr. read the notes inside the envelope. "I don't know the content of those notes, but I think it would have something to do with other stuffs in other envelopes—"

"THUD!"

The words of the Dragalge were cut off when Fenrir Jr. suddenly dropped the envelopes and the notes on the table in front of him, and before anyone could say anything else, the Zoroark quickly rushed to the old cabinet next to the table and started searching for something.

"F… Fenrir?" Largo said after seeing the Zoroark's sudden action. "What's wrong with you? Why did you just—"

"Largo…" Natasha called the name of her younger brother. Right now, she was holding the notes from Fenrir Sr., Jormungand and Hel to Fenrir Jr., and her face was rather grim and troubled. "Look at these notes…"

"Hm?" Largo received three notes from his elder sister and started reading it.

 _"To Fenrir… I have something that I must do, and so, I have to leave. If I do not return by tomorrow's morning, please do know that I am already dead. If that happens, you will be the new lord of Shadowlost Territory, as well as the new Hero of Dark type. Remember that the future will be in your paw, not only of the land of darkness, but also of the entire world too. Don't try finding what happened to me or what I was doing, because I am trying to follow what my heart told. And last, no matter what happens, I will always love you, my son. And please tell Ridley that his mother is sorry that she couldn't spend more time with him. Love, Fenrir the Master of Mercy."_

 _"To my nephew… Fenrir Jr., I have to leave to do a very important mission that only I can do, and I'm very sure that I will not live to see you again. Don't shed any tear for me, because no matter what happen, I won't have any regret. If I have one regret that I could tell you, it would be that I won't be there to see the Shadowlost Territory flourish under your rule, my nephew. From your uncle, Jormungand the Serpent General."_

 _"To Fenrir Jr… This is from your aunt, Hel… I don't know how much your mother tell you about what she's doing, but regardless of that, the paper in other envelopes is about the stuffs regarding the nation's affairs of Shadowlost Territory that your mother prepared in case of the worse. I pray that you will never get to use them, but if you do, remember that the you are never alone, and may the darkness of Shadowlost guides your way. From your aunt, Hel the Somber Priestess…"_

"W… What are these?!" Largo spoke up after reading all three notes. "They wrote as if they would go to die or something like that!"

"Fenrir." Natasha called the name of the Zoroark, who was still searching for something in the old cabinet. "Do you have any idea what could these notes mean?"

 _"No."_ Fenrir Jr. replied.

"Then, what are you doing?!" Largo asked. "Are you trying to follow your mother and—"

 _"No."_ Fenrir Jr. replied again with the same word. _"What I am doing doesn't have anything to do with the content of those notes."_

"Then what is it?" Natasha asked as she saw Fenrir Jr. pulled out an old notebook and flipped through it hastily, and then an unreadable expression appeared on his face.

 _"Heh…"_ Fenrir Jr. mumbled as he closed the notebook and put it away. _"I was having a suspicious about this, but I thought this would be impossible… But now that the evidence is clear… The story of living creature's existence is truly unfathomable…"_

"What are you talking about?" Largo asked as Fenrir Jr. stood up at turned his attention to him and Natasha.

"Natasha, Largo, stays here." Fenrir Jr. said as he walked toward the door of the room. _"I have something that I must do. I am not sure how long would it take, but no matter what happens, do not follow me."_

"Wai—" Natasha and Largo were about to call the Zoroark, but it was already too late as Fenrir Jr. had already exited the room and closed the door as soon as he finished speaking.

* * *

 _'I knew it…'_ Fenrir Jr. thought to himself as he ran along the street of Shadowlost City, passing several Pokemon who quickly got out of the way of the Zoroark before the Zoroark ran into them. ' _The handwriting on the notes they gave me… It is the same one as the handwriting on the third blackmail that Korben got, which is very unique, and I doubt anyone else would have the same handwriting, at least those in the Shadowlost Territory. I had a suspect that I have seen that handwriting before, given how unique it is, and I was right. That notebook I found in the cabinet is the notebook they gave me with the writing of all of them, and like the notes they gave me, the handwriting perfectly matches, which confirms my suspicions even further. That handwriting on the blackmail indeed belongs to that Pokemon, and the one who sent the blackmail to Korben is none other than one of three siblings, Fenrir, Jormungand and Hel.'_

The Zoroark stopped for a bit to catch his breath before he continued running. _'The fact that they know Korben enough to be able to send him the blackmail, including their reaction to Korben in the Newmoon Temple two days ago, indicates that they knew Korben before, maybe even more than I know about him. But why do they have to send a blackmail to Korben? Could it be that they hate or fear that Kommo-o? Or maybe…'_

After running for several minutes, the Zoroark reached the city gate of Shadowlost City, and after passing through it, he found himself facing with the endless wasteland of Shadowlost. "Either way, I must confront that Pokemon and ask them about this, and according to their note, they should be at the…"

Fenrir Jr. turned his attention toward the north of the field, to the direction of the Darkveil Chasm and the Newmoon Temple. However, as he was doing so, he noticed something in the middle of the Shadowlost Wasteland. It was a Pokemon that he had never seen before running through the wasteland, and on its back was someone that he didn't expect to encounter this soon.

 _'Korben?!'_

* * *

 **-Meanwhile…**

"Just a bit more…" Korben mumbled to himself as he held onto Sirius back while the Type: Null was running through the Shadowlost Wasteland, heading toward the Newmoon Temple. "I hope that I am not too late, or else that Pokemon might be—"

 _"Korben!"_

"Hm?!" Korben turned his head back to the direction of the voice and saw the Shadowlost City in the distance, and the owner of the voice was running toward him from the city.

"Fenrir Jr.?!" Korben said as he quickly signaled Sirius to stop running, allowing the Zoroark to catch up with them. "What are you doing here?!"

 _"Huff… Huff… I… I found it."_ Fenrir Jr. replied as he tried to catch his breath. "I found out where I had seen the handwriting on that blackmail before, and I knew who sent you those blackmails."

"Me too." Korben said. "I realized it a bit after you left yesterday, but I was imprisoned until a while later."

 _"You were… imprisoned?"_ Fenrir Jr. repeated the words he had just heard. _"How so?"_

"It would be faster if we talk while we move." Korben said. "I know where that Pokemon is right now, and I am heading there, so, climb aboard. We will go together."

 _"…Are you sure that you REALLY want me to do that?"_ Fenrir Jr. asked as he looked at Korben and the Pokemon that he was riding on skeptically. _"… And what kind of… Pokemon is that?"_

"…" Sirius was looking at the Zoroark with a face that showed the expression of concern and anxious, as if it didn't want the Zoroark to go with them, but…

"Never mind that." Korben ignored Sirius and reached his paw to grab Fenrir Jr.'s paw. "Now, Fenrir Jr., let's go together."

 _"… Fine."_ Fenrir Jr. mumbled as he was pulled onto the Type: Null back by the Kommo-o, and after seeing that the Zoroark had successfully gotten on its back, Sirius continued running through the Shadowlost Wasteland, to the Newmoon Temple…

* * *

 **Meanwhile…**

Thirteen Pokemon in the Newmoon Temple showed different reaction after hearing Baromyteus' sudden confession. Most members of the Pendragon were shocked and awed, except for Rachael and Freya, whose face turned red from blushing. Jormungand and Hel were also restless beside being shocked and awed. Fenrir Sr., on the other hand, just lowered her head a bit and didn't show much emotion due to her face being hidden behind the demonic mask she's wearing.

"Fenrir, I love you." Baromyteus repeated the words he had just said. "I always love you since before the Fallen Crisis. During my time as the 'monster' of the Skeleton Woods, you were the only one who didn't fear or hate me. Instead, you showed your kindness and mercy toward a cursed soul like me, and I gradually fell in love with you."

"…" Fenrir Sr. remained silent and didn't say anything.

"… Perhaps another reason while I hate that bastard whom you called your 'beloved' husband is because I am jealous of him." Baromyteus continued speaking. "After seeing how happy you are with him, and how much you love him, I decided to withdraw myself from you and let you be with him in peace. And now, I know that that bastard is already dead, and either me or you are going to die soon, so I thought that I would let you know this, so that I wouldn't have any regret left in my life, and I understand if you would—"

 _"No."_ Fenrir Sr. spoke up as she raised her head and looked at Baromyteus. Her eyes showed a hard-to-read emotion. _"Baromyteus, you don't really love me."_

"What?" Baromyteus looked at the Zoroark in front him, as if the answer of the Zoroark wasn't what he expected.

 _"Baromyteus, you don't really love me."_ Fenrir Sr. repeated her words. _"The feeling you have toward me is just an affection, not love."_

"… And how could you know what I truly feel?" Baromyteus asked.

 _"I don't, but I can tell based on what I know about you."_ Fenrir Sr. replied. _"Baromyteus, you were an exile who was forced to live in solitude since when you were born, which isn't something that a newborn Pokemon would normally do, and so, you yearned for the kindness that you never received, and because I was one of the very first Pokemon who showed this to you, and as the result of that, you started having an affection on me. It is something like a feeling of love between friends, siblings or parents and children, but not the feeling between two lovers."_

"… How can you be so sure that what I feel isn't a romantic feeling between two lovers?" Baromyteus asked.

 _"Because you don't even know what love is, Baromyteus."_ Fenrir Sr. replied. _"Even if you and I end up as lovers, our relationship wouldn't last long because it wouldn't be a healthy one. Beside, you already have someone you romantically love that isn't me."_

"… I have?" Baromyteus repeated the words he had just heard.

 _"My words are proved here."_ Fenrir Jr. said. _"You already have someone you love, someone whose their relationship between you and them would be a healthy one instead of an unhealthy one between you and me, and yet you haven't realized it and still indulge in your fallacious love with me."_

"D… Don't just tell that you know how I truly feel!" Baromyteus growled at Fenrir Sr., but it was noticeable that his voice was shaking a bit, as if he was hesitate to raise his voice against the Zoroark in front of him. "W… We haven't seen each other for more than three decades, and we have just reunited with each other for three days, so don't just say that you know everything about me!"

 _"See?"_ Fenrir Sr. said. _"Even now that we are the enemies of each other and I have angered you, you still hesitate to raise your voice against me. Was it was other people who anger you, your blades would already be drawn out and point toward those who offend you, and yet you didn't dare to express your true feeling toward me…"_

"I…" Baromyteus mumbled.

 _"I guess that's enough about this…"_ Fenrir Sr. said as she drawn out her weapon. _"You will have plenty of time to ponder about this later, but that's only if I am the one who died today."_

"… I suppose so." Baromyteus said as he looked at the Zoroark in front of him, who had a scythe in her paw. The Shiny Haxorus then drawn out his Dragon Fang Sword. "Then… Fenrir, let's get this over with…"

 _"You and me too…"_ Fenrir Sr. said. _"Now, let the duel of vengeance begin."_

* * *

 **-Meanwhile…**

"… I was right." Korben said as he was riding on Sirius' back, along with Fenrir Jr., as they journeyed to the Newmoon Temple. Both Kommo-o and Zoroark had just exchanged what they had learned and deduced. "Our deductions match with each other's, so that person must be the real culprit behind everything."

 _"… To be honest, I still couldn't believe that one of three siblings would be responsible for this."_ Fenrir Jr. commented. _"But now that I think about it… It would mean that we both are…"_

"You're right." Korben said. "And I thought that I have nothing else left after… that day. I never thought that I would find it outside the place I called home."

 _"Now that I think about it, it's quite obvious…"_ Fenrir Jr. commented. _"Back then, I was able to befriend Princess Natasha of Dustorm Empire easily, while I have a hard time doing the same thing to her younger brother, Prince Largo. And a few days ago, I was able to do the same thing I did to Princess Natasha to you, despite that you are just a random Pokemon I encountered. After all, you and Princess Natasha are the same to me…"_

"…" Korben said nothing after hearing the words of the Zoroark.

 _"But… There're few more things that I still don't understand."_ Fenrir Sr. said. _"How did you know that all of them are currently at the Newmoon Temple right now? What's your true purpose of coming to the land of darknesss? And… What is this… Pokemon that we're riding right now?"_

"… I guess that I can't hide it anymore…" Korben said. "My friends and I come to the land of darkness… to kill the chancellor."

 _"…Are you serious?"_ Fenrir Jr. replied after hearing the words of the Kommo-o.

"Yes." Korben replied, not looking at the Zoroark.

 _"… Tell me everything, Korben. EVERYTHING."_ Fenrir Jr. said.

* * *

 **Meanwhile…**

"SHIIINNNKKK!"

"CLLLAAAAAASSSSHHHHH!"

"GRRRRRRRRRAAAAA!"

"SSSSWWWWWOOOOSSSSSHHHH!"

The sound of battle echoed through the main hall of Newmoon Temple as a Shiny Haxorus and a Zoroark fought against each other in a duel. Here, Fenrir Sr.'s prowess as the Heroine of Dark type was shown. Her movement was graceful as she moved around, dodging her enemy's attack, and her ferocity was shown as she struck her opponent with her scythe.

"CLAAANNKKKK!"

Baromyteus shielded Fenrir Sr.'s attack with one of his blades and tried to strike her with his other blade, but the Zoroark was able to dodge it by jumping backward.

 _"Not bad…"_ Fenrir Sr. commented. _"We have battled against each other before, remember? It was at the end of our adventure during the Fallen Crisis, just before the final battle against the Fallen Dragon."_

"…" Baromyteus said nothing as he silently gazed at the Zoroark in front of him.

 _"In that battle, you are almost unbeatable. However, the strength you possessed at that time was but a cursed blessing from the Fallen Dragon…"_ Fenrir Sr. continued speaking. _"But now, you fight against me with your true strength, and you are such a force to be reckoned with."_

"… I remember that I both felt relieved and frustrated at the same time after our first battle." Baromyteus said. "I felt relieved because I don't have to hurt you anymore, but I also felt frustrated because I hate losing a battle."

 _"But at least you're still alive after that battle, in contrast of what I believed during these past three decades."_ Fenrir Sr. said as she tightened her grip on her scythe. _"Now, let's resume our battle, shall we?"_

"… Here I come." Baromyteus said as he readied his blades. The Shiny Haxorus and the Zoroark then prepared to resume their duel…

But then…

"RRRRAAAWWWRRR!"

Just before the duel resumed, something suddenly emerged from the foyer of the temple and entered the main hall of Newmoon Temple. That thing then jumped from the entrance of the main hall and landed between the Shiny Haxorus and the Zoroark, revealing itself to be none other than Sirius the Type: Null!

"What the—" While Sirius' sudden appearance was such a surprise to everyone, it was nothing compared to the appearance of two Pokemon who were riding on the Type: Null's back. It's because one of them was the son of the Zoroark who was engaged in the battle, and another one was none other than the missing member of the Pendragon!

"K… Korben?!" Rachael and Freya said as they saw the Kommo-o sitting on the back of the Type: Null.

"Fenrir?" Fenrir Sr. seemed to be confused after realizing that her own son was here. "What are you doing here?!"

 _"… That question could also be said to you by me, mother."_ Fenrir Jr. said as he jumped down from the Type: Null's back. _"But that isn't necessary, because I already know everything."_

 _"… Everything?"_ Fenrir Sr. repeated the words she had just heard.

 _"Yes, everything."_ Fenrir Jr. replied.

"… Not only you disappear during this whole morning, but you also have a nerve to show yourself here, interrupting my battle." While Fenrir Jr. was talking to his mother, Baromyteus growled as he gazed at Korben, who was climbing down from Sirius' back. "Now, I will give you ten seconds to step out of my way, or else I won't guarantee that my blades wouldn't find you their victim."

"… Before you do that." Korben slowly spoke as he looked at the Shiny Haxorus in front of him. "There's something that I must tell all of you, right here and right now."

"… And that 'something' is more important than your own life, the life of the last survivor of the Hidden Village of Dragon?" Baromyteus said with a creepy voice.

"Just… listen to me, please." Korben said as he turned back and found that Sirius had already walked away to join with Rachael and Richard, and the four Zoroark standing on the other side of the temple were having their attention on them. "Everyone, I know the identity of the one who stole the artifact from this very place 19 years ago."

"What?!"

Hearing the words of the Kommo-o generated different reactions to everyone here. Everyone in the Pendragon either was shocked or pondered in confusion. For the four Zoroark, Fenrir Jr. had an unreadable emotion on his face, and the other three Zoroark didn't show much emotion due to their faces were concealed beneath their mask. However, they all seemed to be interested in the Kommo-o's words.

"The one who stole… the artifact…" Diego repeated the words he had just heard. "Korben, what the fxxk are you talking about?"

 _"… For those who don't know, this very place in the Newmoon Temple…"_ Fenrir Jr. explained as he approached the Altar od Desire at the end of the main hall and placed his paw on it for a few seconds, before he walked back and joined the Kommo-o. _"... Once housed the 'sacred' artifact, a diadem with a power to grant any wishes, be money, object, fame, glory or power, at the cost of their own misery of losing something in their life."_

"An artifact… that can grant any wishes… At the cost of losing something in their life?" Freya said. Meanwhile, other members of the Pendragon except for Sirius involuntarily reached their paw to their own Dragon Relic, the symbol of their pact with the Legendary Pokemon to get an unimaginable power at the cost of being cursed to lose something in their life…

 _"With a power like that, the story of the artifact was concealed in order not to let anyone misuse it."_ Fenrir Jr. continued explaining. _"However, during the fateful night 19 years ago, this very artifact was stolen from its place in this very temple, and so far, none was able to find the any clue regarding the whereabouts of the stolen artifact and the identity of the one who stole it, let alone retrieving the artifact and catching the thief who stole it."_

"But now…" Korben spoke up after Fenrir Jr. finished explaining. "We have deduced this case from the evidences and data that we could gather, and we came to the conclusion of this case. We know the identity of the one who stole the artifact from this temple 19 years ago."

 _"… Go on."_ Fenrir Sr. said as she looked at the Kommo-o and her own son.

"First…" Korben said. "You may not believe it, but I once had the diadem, the very artifact that was stolen from this place, in my possession."

 _"You… have?"_ Hel said as she looked at the Kommo-o in front of her.

"Yes." Korben nodded. "The diadem was in the possession of my grandfather, who passed it to me just before he… died, and I had it in my possession during the whole time until I came to this land of darkness, the very land that the diadem belongs to."

 _"… And how could the diadem end up in your posssssssssssssesssssssssssssion?"_ Jormungand asked.

"According to my grandfather, the diadem was in the possession of my mother, who left my village 23 years ago, only to return to my village 18 years ago at her final moment. She came back with the Pokemon egg that contained me in her possession, along with the stolen diadem from the Newmoon Temple."

"Then…" Anastasia spoke up. "It would mean that…"

"That's right." Korben said. "It was my mother who stole the diadem with her from the land of darkness back to my village."

 _"Your… mother?"_ Hel said. _"Wait, don't tell me that…"_

"My mother… Her name is Diadora Forcenter the Kommo-o." Korben said. " You may remember her. She was once the priestess of Newmoon Temple, but she disappeared 19 years ago, around the time that the Bloodmoon War started, so she was believed to perish in the war. However, that is incorrect. She didn't die in the war. She died in the valley where her village was located in after escaping from the land of darkness with the diadem in her possession."

 _"… I have a sssssssssssssussssssssspeciousssssssssssss about thissssssssssssss."_ Jormungand said. _"Sssssssssssstill, according to your wordsssssssss, that would mean that ssssssssssssshe'sssssssssss already dead, but you ssssssssaid that the one who sssssssssstole the diadem issssssssss in thissssssssssss very place, didn't you?"_

"I stand by my words." Korben said. "It's true that my mother is the one who stole the diadem with her from the land of darkness back to our village. However, there's something about this whole case more than that."

"What do you mean by that?" Anastasia asked.

"Think about it. What kind of reason would my mother have in order to steal the diadem from this very temple?" Korben said. "While the diadem has a power to grant any wishes, its power would be lost unless it was placed on the Altar of Desire in this very temple, so stealing it from this place wouldn't be any use. Sure, she could steal it and then trade it for a large amount of fortune, but she didn't do that. Instead, she had it in her possession as she lay dying while returning to her village, a place where the diadem would be completely useless as it's separated from the rest of the world. So, what's the true reason behind her action?"

 _"… Now this is really interesting…"_ Fenrir Sr. said. _"Tell me more about it."_

"Next, do you remember what I said that I once 'had' the diadem in my possession?" Korben said. "The truth is, I don't have the diadem with me anymore, because it was taken from me when I was kidnapped yesterday."

"Wait…" Rachael spoke up. "You were kidnapped?"

 _"Right. That's why I didn't show up earlier today."_ Korben explained. _"I was imprisoned in a lone shack somewhere in the Shadowlost Wasteland, and I was rescued later. Then I quickly rushed to this place."_

"And I met him during his way, just after I discovered something." Fenrir Jr. spoke up. "And the thing I discovered actually leads to us finding the identity of the one who stole the artifact."

"What do you mean by that?" Diego asked.

"… When I was knocked out yesterday and woke up in the shack I mentioned before today, I checked my belonging and found that the diadem was taken from me." Korben continued explaining. "However, all of my other belongings still remain with me. Don't you find it strange? If the one who knocked me out want to steal from me, they would take my other belongings too, not that I have much, but still… They knocked me out and took the diadem from me, yet they didn't touch anything else. That could mean only one thing. The one who knocked me out must have targeted the diadem that I have since the start."

 _"And that's actually the vital part of this."_ Fenrir Jr. spoke up. _"If the one who knocked him out really targets this Kommo-o because they want to take the lost artifact from him, how could they know that the artifact was in his possession? To other Pokemon, he was just a random Pokemon who appeared as a visitor to the land of darkness… despite his true intention of coming here."_

 _"Wait a minute…"_ Fenrir Sr. interrupted her son's words. _"Fenrir, don't tell me that…"_

 _"Yes, I already know everything."_ Fenrir Jr. said. _"However, that's beside the point here, and I'm not going to say anything about that right now. For now, let me and Korben continue our deduction here."_

 _"…"_ Fenrir Sr. slightly nodded to her son.

 _"… Let's continue…"_ Fenrir Jr. said. _"What I tried to say is that, the one who knocked Korben out must know that he had the diadem in his possession, not just a random burglar who was lucky enough to find the artifact in his possession, or else they would have taken more stuffs from this Kommo-o after they knocked him out."_

"And here, let's leave that part like that for now…" Korben spoke up before turning his attention to everyone else in the Pendragon. "Everyone, there's something that happened to me during these past three days that I didn't tell you. I had received a serie of blackmails."

"B… Blackmail?!" Freya exclaimed.

"Yes." Korben said as he showed the Pendragon two small notes. "These are the first two of three blackmails I received. All of them told me to leave the land of darkness, or else something bad would happen to me. The second one, along with the third one that I didn't show, also mentioned that I ignored the warning in the first and second one too, which means that the one who sent it must know about my action and my whereabout."

"Then…" Baromyteus spoke up for the first time. "Why didn't you tell this to us? What sort of craven do you think to conceal this story to yourself?"

"It's because I don't want to worry all of you, for that this is my own matter." Korben replied. "Besides, I didn't lie to you. I just didn't tell you anything about it."

"…" Baromyteus said nothing after hearing the words of the Kommo-o.

"And of course, I ignored all three blackmails, and then I was knocked out and imprisoned in the shack." Korben said. "And so, the one who sent me these blackmails must have known that I didn't heed their warning, so they decided to act physically and knock me out of the way."

"… That might be possible…" Richard spoke up. "However, there's possibility that the one who sent you these three blackmails and the one who knocked you out are different Pokemon too…"

"Yes, I'm aware that that's also possible... If the one who knocked me out only want to take the diadem from me." Korben replied. "Think about it, if the only thing they want to do with me is to take the diadem from me, why did they have to lock me in the shack?"

"Heh… I see it now." Richard said. "The one who sent you the blackmails want you to get out of the land of darkness, and the one who knocked you out also locked you in the shack, or in the other words, also got you out of the way, right?"

"Yes." Korben said. "The next vital part that we're going to talk about is how they sent these blackmails to me, which also accidentally revealed more detail about the sender."

 _"First, the third blackmail was sent to this Kommo-o yesterday by being attached to a dagger that was flung to the tree next to where Korben was standing."_ Fenrir Jr. said. _"I was with Korben during that time, so I can confirm this."_

"The second blackmail, on the other hand…" Korben said as he turned his attention toward the older male Zoroark in this place. "… It was in the envelope that you gave me two days ago when I visited Newmoon Temple, Jormungand."

 _"… Then…"_ Jormungand spoke up. _"You would say that…"_

"Jormungand, you told me that it was a random Pokemon who was looking for me who asked you to deliver that envelope to me, right?" Korben said.

 _"I see…"_ Hel spoke up and looked at her elder brother. _"Jormungand, then it would mean that you have met the sender of the blackmail before…"_

 _"I guesssssssssss you could ssssssssssssssay that…"_ Jormungand relied. _"Unfortunately, I didn't get to sssssssssssssssee the face of the one who assssssssssssked me to give the envelope to you becaussssssssssssse their face wassssssssss concealed in the veil of cloak that they wore."_

 _"And then you proceed to give an envelope that contain a blackmail from a random stranger to this Kommo-o..."_ Fenrir Sr. said with a sarcastic voice. _"What a good judgment you have, my brother."_

"If I may…" Korben spoke up again. "Still, what we could learn regarding how they sent the second and the third blackmail doesn't help us learn much. However, the key lies with how they sent the first blackmail to me, in the very first day that I arrived at the land of darkness."

Korben then turned his attention to the Pendragon. "I found the first blackmail in my room at the inn after I came back from having dinner in the very first day I arrived at Shadowlost Territory. It was in folded towel on my bed at the inn."

"Now that you mention it… I remember that too…" Xavier spoke up. "You picked a small note from the floor, and then your face changed, as if you have seen a ghost, and then you asked me if someone had entered our room before you came, which means that the note you picked is…"

"Yes, it was the very first blackmail I received." Korben said. "This is the key to know the identity of the sender of the blackmail."

"Xavier…" Richard spoke up and looked at the Dragonite. "If I remember correctly, it was you who arrived at the in first, thus you would be the one who assigned the room that each of us stay, right?"

"Yeah…" Xavier replied. "And then I went straight to my room and quickly fell asleep, and I stayed in the room of all time until you arrived, Korben."

"Which mean that it's impossible for the sender of the blackmail to place the blackmail in our room before you arrived, Xavier, as they wouldn't know which room that I stayed." Korben said.

"But that's the problem." Diego spoke up. "Since Xavier said that he's in his room the whole time, then, how could the sender of the blackmail place the it in your room without being known?"

"Xavier…" Korben looked at the Dragonite. "I will ask the same question again. Before I came back to the room three days ago, did anyone come in first?"

"The only one who came in before you was Zetarus who came and gave me food that Claura forgot, thought I think that I heard Baromyteus' voice while I was sleeping too."

"I already told you about this!" Zetarus spoke up as he looked at the Dragonite. "I know nothing of this! I was on the ship to Venom Island during that time, so how could I come back and give you your food?"

"As I thought... Xavier's testament and Zetarus' testament didn't match with each other, right?" Korben said. "Well… That would lead us to more puzzle… If the one who came and gave food to Xavier was really Zetarus."

"What?!" Everyone in the Pendragon looked at Korben in disbelief.

 _"Heh… I see it now…"_ Fenrir Jr. spoke up. _"While it's almost impossible for any other Pokemon to disguise themselves as someone else unless they are of the same species, it was possible for a certain species of Pokemon, who possessed an ability to trick the other Pokemon's eyes via illusion."_

"… And those are the Pokemon whose ability is called 'Illusion', a Zorua and a Zoroark." Richard said and gazed at four Zoroark on the other side of the main hall.

"That's right." Korben said as he turned his attention to the four Zoroark. "The Pokemon who came to my room and gave food to Xavier, as well as the Pokemon that was asked by Claura to deliver food to Xavier three days ago, wasn't Zetarus, but it was a Zoroark who disguised themselves as Zetarus. This is why Zetarus didn't know anything about this."

"B… But…" Freya spoke up. "K… Korben, we encountered Zetarus just as we arrived at the inn, didn't we? A… And we also spoke to him too…"

"That Pokemon isn't Zetarus, Freya." Korben replied. "If you remember correctly, 'Zetarus' that we met didn't speak much, as if they tried to say as little as possible in order not to let their identity be revealed. That's because they weren't Zetarus, but they were another Pokemon in disguise instead."

"Heh… Now that I think about it… 'Zetarus' who gave me food also didn't say much, in contrast of the real one." Xavier said.

"Hey!" Zetarus yelled at the Dragonite.

"Xavier's right…" Claura spoke up. "But still… The fact that I asked 'Zetarus' to deliver food to Xavier is completely random. I was about to board a ship to Venom Island when I realized that Xavier's food was with me while Xavier was at the inn back in Shadowlost City, and 'Zetarus' just showed up randomly and offered to deliver food to Xavier. If you ask me, that's a bit too random."

"Actually, it's more random than you think, Claura." Korben said. "I think that it happened just because the sender of the blackmail was happened to be around there when you said that you want to deliver food to Xavier back at the inn in Shadowlost City, and so, the sender of the blackmail disguised themselves as one of us in order to trick Claura, starting their plan to send me blackmail."

"That might be possible, but still…" Zetarus said. "They're lucky that they chose to disguise as me, who wasn't in Shadowlost City at that time, but what if they chose to disguise as someone who was still in Shadowlost City, or if I was still at Shadowlost City, and the fake one run into the real one?"

"For this part, it wasn't luck." Korben said. "As I said before, they were just happened to be around there when Claura said that she wanted to deliver food to Xavier, at the port before she boarded the ship to Venom Island. If they were at the port, then they must know that you, Zetarus, had already boarded the ship to Venom Island, so you wouldn't be at Shadowlost City at that time, making it's safe for them to disguise as you."

"I see…" Claura nodded to the Kommo-o. "And after the fake Zetarus received food from me, they would go to the in where Xavier was as I told them which inn that we stayed, and then they could just pretend to be Zetarus and check with the receptionist that which room was Xavier's and Korben's. They were lucky that Xavier and Korben stay in the same room, so all they must do is go to that said room and gave Xavier his food, and then slip the blackmail in Korben's bed as Korben shared his room with Xavier, and since Xavier already chose one bed, the other bed must be Korben's."

"And even if Xavier and Korben didn't stay in the same room, all they must do is to go to Xavier's room to deliver food to him, and then go to Korben's room and slip the blackmail there, and since they were disguised as Zetarus, it would also be fine if they run into any of us too." Richard said.

"Even so, despite what you said, this whole thing is too random to be true." Baromyteus said. "From what I heard, everything that happened is very random and flawed. What if what happened wasn't like that, such as what if the sender of the blackmail wasn't happening to be where Claura was, or what if Claura didn't need to deliver food to Xavier? Then their plan would be ruined. Also, are you sure that the one who sent you the first blackmail was actually a Zorua or a Zoroark disguised as Zetarus? According to Xavier's words, I could also do it, and Xavier could also do it too. Also, I think that any Ghost type Pokemon could do it too, because they could hide in the shadow that secretly slip the blackmail to you."

 _"If the one who did it was actually a Ghost type Pokemon, they wouldn't have to use the Serpent General to send the second blackmail. They could just easily slip the blackmail to Korben, just like what you said."_ Fenrir Jr. said.

"And actually, this whole blackmail shenanigan is entirely random, if you think about it." Korben said. "It was very random that I showed up in the land of darkness three days ago, and so, the one who sent the blackmail to me didn't have time to carefully make plan to send the blackmails to me, so the method they used to send the blackmail to me was actually random, such as if they weren't happened to run into Claura at the port or if Claura didn't need to deliver food to Xavier, they would just find another way to send the blackmail to me, such as them sending the second blackmail via the Serpent General and sending the third blackmail by a dagger."

 _"And since the sender of the blackmail didn't have any time to prepare for all of this, they must have just met Korben recently, which meant that none of you…"_ Fenrir Jr. looked at the other members of the Pendragon. _"… Could be the sender of the blackmail, or else you would have planned it more carefully… Unless that's beyond your ability."_

"And so, the sender of the blackmail must be either a Zorua or a Zoroark. However, in order for this whole thing to be possible, it was also required that the sender of the blackmail knows that I am in the same group as Claura, Xavier and Zetarus." Korben said as he turned his attention toward the four Zoroark. "… Which means that the Zorua and the Zoroark sent me the blackmail must be one of you, who knows that I am in the same group as everyone else."

 _"And since I don't know anything about your group until today, as the whole shenanigan about a group that wants to kill the chancellor was kept as a top secret, I also couldn't be the one who sent the blackmail too."_ Fenrir Jr. said. _"The one who sent the blackmail must be one of three Zoroark who know of Korben's association, the Master of Mercy, the Serpent General and the Somber Priestess."_

 _"…"_ Fenrir Sr., Jormungand and Hel said nothing after hearing the words of Fenrir Jr. and Korben.

"And now, this is the final evidence that helps us seek the true culprit." Korben said as he took another note out of his bag and showed it to everyone. "This is the third and the final blackmail I got, and as you can see, the handwriting on this one is completely different from the first two. And why is that? The answer is because the sender of the blackmail didn't expect me to still be in the Land of Darkness after the first two blackmail, and so, they wrote the last one in haste, as a last resort to get me out before they had to use force."

"That's such a reckless plan." Richard commented. "If I was the sender of these blackmail, I would prepare all three blackmails in advance, just in case that they didn't work."

 _"But this really confirms the whole shenanigan about the blackmail and kidnapping, isn't it?"_ Fenrir Jr. said. _"The culprit acts recklessly without a solid plan because Korben's appearance was very sudden, and considered that the culprit had just met Korben recently, they wouldn't know much about him too."_

"And so…" Korben said as he turned his attention to the three Zoroark. "Since the third blackmail was written recklessly, we were able to track the true owner of the blackmail."

 _"…"_ Fenrir Sr., Jormungand and Hel said nothing after hearing the words of the Kommo-o.

 _"And here…"_ Fenrir Jr. said as he showed everyone an old notebook. _"This is the notebook that was given to me a few years ago. It had the handwriting of the Master of Mercy, the Serpent General and the Somber Priest. However, at first glance, the handwriting on the third blackmail didn't match with any of their handwriting…"_

 _"… What are you trying to say?"_ Hel asked.

"He said that the handwriting on the third blackmail isn't an ordinary handwriting." Korben said. "Because the third blackmail was written in haste, the handwriting on the third blackmail must be the handwriting of someone when they hastily write too."

 _"And since this notebook contains the handwriting of all three when they hastily wrote it, I was able to figure it out."_ Fenrir Jr. said as he looked at three other Zoroark. _"The handwriting on the third blackmail really matches with one of your handwriting!"_

"And that person, the one who sent me three blackmails, as well as the one who knocked me out and locked me in the shack, is you!" Korben said as he pointed his paw at one of three Zoroark on the other side of the room. "It's you, the Serpent General of Shadowlost Territory, General Jormungand Illunight the Zoroark!"

* * *

Everyone in the main hall was surprised by the revelation, and their attentions were focused at the Serpent General, except Korben and Fenrir Jr. who had an unreadable emotion on their face, and Jormungand himself, who didn't even show any emotion on his face. All he did was crossing his arms and looked at the Kommo-o.

"… It was you, the Serpent General." Korben spoke up again. "The handwriting on the third blackmail matches with your handwriting in Fenrir Jr.'s notebook, so you are the one who sent three blackmails to me, as well as the one who knocked me out and locked me in that shack."

 _"… Are you really sure that it's him?"_ Fenrir Sr. asked as she glanced at her younger brother for a bit. _"His handwriting matching with the handwriting in the third blackmail may just be a coincidence."_

 _"This isn't the case, mother."_ Fenrir Jr. said. _"His handwriting is really unique, so I'm very sure that there's no one else who shared the same handwriting with him, at least for those in the Land of Darkness."_

"And before you said anything else…" Korben said. "During the case of the second blackmail, he didn't encounter any suspicious stranger and was asked by them to give an envelope that contained the blackmail to me. He just simply gave the envelope that contained the blackmail to me and lied about where he got it."

 _"Which explains why you, the general of Shadowlost Territory, decided to be a deliver man for a complete stranger."_ Fenrir Jr. _"Honestly, this lie is pretty easy to look through, but considers that your entire plan is very reckless and careless, it isn't possible for you to come up with something like this."_  
 _"… I musssssssssssst admit that the whole deduction is impresssssssssssssive."_ Jormungand spoke up for the first time after the revelation as he looked at Korben. _"However, I ssssssssstill don't think the handwriting is a ssssssssssolid evidence. Sssssssssssure, I may have written it, but I may not be the one who sssssssssssent it to you or knocked you out."_  
"Yes, I am aware of that too." Korben said. "However, I have one last evidence, the one that would pinpoint you as the one behind everything, and you won't be able to break free from this one."

 _"And that isssssssss?"_ Jormungand asked.

"… I have it in my possession for a some time, so I know about it…" Korben mumbled. "After I arrived at the Land of Darkness with it in my possession, I felt that I was shrouded in a strong negative feeling, which I later found out that it was because I had it in my possession. And after it was taken from me, the strong negative feeling was also taken away from me too."

 _"… What are you talking about?"_ Fenrir Sr. asked.

"… But as I travelled closer to the Newmoon Temple, I started to feel the very same negative feeling again…" Korben continued speaking as he looked straight at the Serpent General. "And now, as I stand here, in the Newmoon Temple, I could feel a strong presence of the very same negative feeling, and that presence is coming from you, the Serpent General."

"…" Jormungand said nothing after hearing the words of the Kommo-o.

"Jormungand, you still have it with you, haven't you?" Korben said. "The final evidence of this case. The object that was taken from me when I was imprisoned. The very same artifact that was stolen from this very place. The lost diadem. You have it with you, haven't you."

"…" Jormungand said nothing as he slowly reached his paw into his pocket and pulled something out. It was a large diadem that was made from pure silver with several strange carving in an exotic style, and was decorated with several colored gemstones, which the most outstanding one was a large black gemstone, that glittered like a reflection of the moon in the water, that was placed at the center of this ornament.

It was the stolen artifact of Newmoon Temple…

"J… Jormungand…" Fenrir Sr. and Hel said as they looked at their brother. "Y… You…"

 _"Impressssssssssive. Very impressssssssssive."_ Jormungand slowly spoke up again. _"You are right, young Kommo-o. I am the one behind everything. I am the one who sssssssssssssent you the blackmail, and I am the one who knocked you out and locked you in that sssssssssshack."_

"Wait a minute, Korben…" Baromyteus spoke up to Korben. "Before this, I remember that you said that the sender of the blackmail must know that you had the diadem in your possession, and so, how could he know that you have the diadem with you? You didn't show it to anyone, did you?"

"Of course he would know it…" Korben replied. "During my second day in the Shadowlost Territory, I paid a visit to Newmoon Temple with Fenrir Jr., and I gave my prayer to the Altar of Desire in this temple. However, since I was having the diadem in my possession, I was frozen and was asked by the voice inside the diadem about what I want to wish for. At that time, the Serpent General was with me, and he was the one who pulled me away from the altar, so he must realize that I have the diadem in my possession."

"But that would be after you received the first blackmail, isn't it?" Baromyteus asked. "If so, then how could he know about you and that diadem?"

 _"It'ssssssssss becaussssssssse I knew nothing of the diadem in posssssssssesssssssssion when I sssssssssent him the firsssssssst blackmail."_ Jormungand said. _"And the diadem isssssssssn't the only reassssssssson why I sssssssent blackmail to him in the firssssssst place too."_

 _"What… do you mean by that?"_ Hel asked.

 _"… It wasssssss becaussssssse I already figured out ssssssssince the firssssssst time we met…"_ Jormungand said as he pointed his paw at Korben. _"I already figured out that you are Diadora's ssssssssson, Kommo-o. You ssssssssshare the very ssssssssssame ssssssssspecie and ssssssssssurname with her, and your name… That'sssssssss why I wasssssssss able to figure it out."_

"… Having the same surname and being of the specie don't guarantee that a Pokemon is really the child of another one." Baromyteus said. "Also, what's with Korben's name that you're talking?"

 _"… And I alssssssssssso figured it out sssssssssssssince a very long time ago that it wassssssssssss Diadora who ssssssssssssstole the diadem from the Newmoon Temple."_ Jormungand ignored Baromyteus' words as he looked at Korben _. "I have been sssssssssssearching for her sssssssssssssince the Bloodmoon War ended, but I couldn't find her, and now that you, the sssssssssssson of Diadora, are here, and you even have the diadem in your posssssssssssessssssssssssion. I couldn't sssssssssssit still and let you do as you pleassssssssssse. That'ssssssssssss why I have to take an action by doing all of thesssssssssssse."_

"But that still doesn't answer anything!" Baromyteus spoke up again in a threatening tone. "You find the son of the one who stole the artifact from this temple 19 years ago, who also had the very same artifact that was stolen in his possession, and what you did was sent him blackmail to get him out of this land, and when he didn't comply, you just knocked him out, locked him in a shack and then took the lost artifact from him. That doesn't make any sense, especially the part when you took the artifact from him when you knocked him out, and yet you tried to get him out of the land of darkness in the first place. If you really want to retrieve the diadem from him, why did you threaten him to leave Shadowlost, even after you learned that the diadem was in Korben's possession? If he left the land of darkness, then the diadem would be gone from this land too, which is opposite of what you did to him after you knocked him out."

 _"… The answer would be that… I have already losssssssssssssssssssst too much in my life…"_ Jormungand replied as he put the diadem back into his pocket again. _"… And I refusssssssse to losssssssssse anything elsssssssse, even if I have to…. Sssssssssspill my venom."_

"That's…" Korben mumbled after hearing the words of the Serpent General.

 _"… It sssssssseemsssssssss like the time hassssssss come…"_ Jormungand said as he drew his weapon, which looked like two swords with their hilt joined together, out. _"Korben Forcenter the Kommo-o, the child of Diadora, I challenge you in a battle."_

"A…. battle?!" Freya said as she, along everyone else, heard the words of the Serpent General.

"... No…" Korben replied. "I… I don't want to fight you."

 _"… After everything I have done to you, you're still a coward?"_ Jormungand spoke as he slowly stepped forward, toward the Kommo-o. _"… What would your mother think of her sssssssssson being like thissssssssss?"_

"… Don't try to provoke me." Korben said. "I already know everything, far more than what I have revealed, and I stand by my words. I don't want to fight you, of all people."

 _"…"_ Jormungand said nothing after hearing the words of the Kommo-o.

"And what I don't understand is why you have to fight me." Korben asked. "After all, we have no reason to fight each other! What would my mother think if we fight here?!"

 _"Don't take your mother into this matter, Korben!"_ Jormungand scolded. _"Sssssssssshe has nothing to do with thisssssssssss!"_

"She has!" Korben said. "After all, what's her true reason for stealing the diadem from this temple?! Isn't it because she doesn't—"

 _"ENOUGH!"_

Jormungand cut the Kommo-o's words by slashing his swords at him, but the attacked was blocked by someone who suddenly appeared in front of the Kommo-o and shielded him with his weapon.

"… You have stepped out of your border…" Baromyteus grumbled with a creepy voice after he was able to block Jormungand from attacking Korben.

"Heh… Then…" Jormungand said as he approached his elder sister. _"… Sssssisssss, let me join the fight too."_

 _"No."_ Fenrir Sr. replied. _"This is a fight between me and Baromyteus, and you have nothing to do with this."_

 _"And you really think that your wordssssssssssssssss can stop me?"_ Jormungand said. _"Like I ssssssssssssssssay, I would do anything about thisssssssssssss, even if I have to ssssssssssssspill my venom, and you, of all Pokemon, sssssssssssssshould know how dangerousssssssssssss the venom of the ssssssssssssserpent isssssssssssss."_

 _"… If you really want to die that much, then do as you please."_ Fenrir Sr. said.

 _"Then…"_ Hel suddenly spoke up as she approached her elder siblings. _"… If Jormungand can join the fight, then so can I."_

 _"And for what reason, Hel?"_ Fenrir Sr. asked.

 _"… My two siblings are going to fight in a battle to death, and how can you expect me to just stay still and watch you two risk your life?"_ Hel replied.

 _"Heh… I guess you and Jormungand still don't listen to your elder sister, even after this whole time…"_ Fenrir Sr. said as she turned his attention toward the Pendragon. _"I must inform all of you that our battle's rule is slightly changed. It's no longer a 1-on-1 duel. It's now a 3-on-3 duel. Is this acceptable?"_

"Yes." Baromyteus replied before he turned his attention to Korben. "Join me, Korben. And don't ever think of saying no. If you did, I will make your life from now on a living hell. Understand?"

"…" Korben said nothing to the Shiny Haxorus. However, he didn't retreat to be with other Pendragon, which was an enough response to the Shiny Haxorus.

"And then, we need one more Pokemon from our side…" Baromyteus said as he turned back to look at his other teammates, deciding the one who would join him and Korben.

"…L… Let me help!"

Before Baromyteus could decide, Freya suddenly stepped forward and approached the Shiny Haxorus. She was holding her healing rod, Scarlet Rose, with her.

"Wait, Freya! Come back here!" Zetarus shouted out after realizing what the Flygon had done. "What do you think you're doing?! They're having a duel to death!"

"I… I know…" Freya replied. "T… That's why I must do this! My friends are risking their lives for—"

"Enough speech about your heroic reason." Baromyteus cut Freya's words off. "If you want to join us, then do it. Just don't get in our way."

"I… I will…" Freya replied.

"Geez…" Zetarus mumbled to himself after seeing Freya's decision. "Terrus' going to kill me for this…"

 _"… Are you done?"_ Fenrir Sr. asked. She was having Jormungand and Hel standing beside her.

"Yes." Baromyteus replied as he had Korben and Freya stood by his side. "We're ready."

 _"Then, the last thing that we must do is…"_ Fenrir Sr. shifted her attention to another Zoroark, who was standing beside Korben. This Zoroark was none other than her own son. _"… Step away, Fenrir."_

 _"... Okay."_ Fenrir Jr. replied with a nonchalant voice as he stepped away to the side of the main hall, which surprised everyone quite a bit.

 _"… I didn't think that you would be this obedient, my son."_ Fenrir Sr. said.

 _"That's because I respect your decision, mother."_ Fenrir Jr replied. _"You decided to engage in a duel to death against a group of Pokemon who's responsible for father's death, with my new friend being part of said group, at the risk of you, the chancellor of Shadowlost Territory, being killed. If that's your decision, then I won't judge you for this, and I will oblige to it, no matter what outcome of this duel is."_

"!" Korben felt stunned after hearing Fenrir Jr.' words, especially the part when Fenrir Jr. called him 'friend'. However, he wasn't able to see the expression on the Zoroark's face as he said those words because the Fenrir Jr. was facing his mother.

 _"Thank you for understanding, my son."_ Fenrir Sr. said. _"… If anything happens to me today, I'm sure that you will be a fine ruler of Shadowlost Territory."_

 _"Yeah, I will."_ Fenrir Jr. said. _"If you die today, I promise not to make the same mistake you and father did, mother."_

After finished speaking, Fenrir Jr. walked away from the middle of the main hall to the side of the hall to observe the battle, leaving six Pokemon in the battle area.

 _"Now, then…"_ Fenrir Sr. said to her opponents after Fenrir Jr. left the battle area. _"… Let's get this over with."_

 **Diabolical Siblings**

 **Fenrir Illunight Sr. the Zoroark**

 **Jormungand Illunight the Zoroark**

 **Hel Illunight the Zoroark**

Korben silently observed his opponents in front of him. Jormungand, who was having strange blades that looked like two swords with their hilt joined together as his personal weapon, seemed to be a fast physical attacker. Hel, on ther other hand, was having a small dark orb as her weapon, which, along with her title, indicated that she's some kind of long-ranged fighter, such as a mage, a priestess or a shaman. Fenrir Sr., however, seemed to specialize in both physical and special attack, with her weapon that looked like a scythe made from a dark and sinister gemstone, which told that it wasn't an ordinary weapon.

"Listen to me, you two…" Baromyteus whispered to the Kommo-o and the Flygon. "Korben and I will fight in the front. Freya, you cover both of us from the back row. Korben, focuses on defense, and I will focus on attack. Understand?"

"Hm." Korben and Freya nodded to the Shiny Haxorus.

"Then, I'm counting on both of you too." Baromyteus said before he dashed toward his opponents, with his Dragon Fang Swords in his paws, and then he slashed it at Fenrir Sr.!

"!" Fenrir Sr. was able to dodge Baromyteus' first strike and used her scythe to block the Shiny Haxorus' second strike. She then countered by attacking Baromyteus with her scythe, which the Shiny Haxorus managed to dodge the attack.

"SLASSSH!"

While Baromyteus were busy battling Fenrir Sr., Jormungand dashed up toward Korben and struck him with his blade. With how fast he moved, Korben could only manage the block the attack with his fist. Jormungand, however, kept attacking Korben without stop.

"GRRRRR!"

Korben countered Jormungand's attack with the move Counter, sending the Zoroark backward. However, after landing, Jormungand then rushed toward Korben and kept attacking him.

'W… What's he doing?!' Korben thought as he continued guarding himself from Jormungand's attack. 'T… That guy's attack is ferocious, like a wild beast… But… His stance has many opening that I could easily counterattack. Why does he fight like that?!'

"Korben! Let me help!" Freya said as she pointed her Scarlet Rose to the Kommo-o and tried to heal him. However, a dark wave of energy suddenly appeared and interrupted the healing aura from the Scarlet Rose, preventing her from healing the Kommo-o!

"Don't think I'm going to let you do as you please…" Hel spoke up. She was raising the orb in her paw upward, creating the very same dark wave that interrupted Freya's healing aura.

"YAH!" Korben roared as he, once again, countered Jormungand's attack and sent him backward.

"Tsk…" Jormungand slowly stood up again and then dashed toward Korben and started attacking him again.

 _"… What are you doing, Jormungand?"_ Fenrir Sr. said as she was parrying Baronmyteus's attack.

 _"I am doing what I mussssssssssssssst do."_ Jormungand answered as he raised his claws, which was cloaked in the dark power, and then slashed it at the Kommo-o, attacking him with the move Night Slash!

"Grrr…" Korben concentrated his power to guard himself from Jormungand's Night Slash.

 _"… Allow me."_ Hel said as she raised her orb again and created several waves of dark energies, which became the move Dark Pulse, to attack Korben and Baromyteus!

"NO!" Freya shouted as she raised her Scarlet Rose and created a protective aura to ward off Hel's Dark Pulse.

"Thanks, augh!" Korben thanked Freya before he had to guard himself again as Jormungand mercilessly attacked him again.

"GRRRR!" Baromyteus roared as he jumped away from Fenrir Sr. in order to dodge her attack. The Shiny Haxorus then crossed his swords and started performing a vigorous dance. "Sword Dance!" Baromyteus roared as he boosted his attack stat, which also boosted Korben and Freya's attack stat too.

 _"An opening!"_ Fenrir Sr. used the moment that Baromyteus used the move Swords Dance to summon a whip made of dark energy and then whipped the Shiny Haxorus with it. _"Punishment!"_

"GRRR!" Baromyteus groaned as he was attacked by Fenrir Sr.'s punishment, which dealt increasing damage to him as he had just increased his stat using the move Sword Dance.

"YAH!" Korben used the move Counter again to send Jormungand flying backward, and then he quickly approached the injured Shiny Haxorus.

"Baromyteus! Are you alright?!" Korben said as Baromyteus was trying to stand.

"Do you really think that someone who killed your best friend would die that easy?!" Baromyteus replied as he was finally able to stand up again.

 _"Jormungand!"_ Fenrir Sr. spoke up to her younger brother as Hel was helping him to stand up. _"Why did you fight like that?! You shouldn't abandon your guard and put everyone on attack!"_

 _"Don't tell me what to do, ssssssssissssss."_ Jormungand said as he stood up again and dashed toward Korben in order to attack him again.

"GRRRR!" Seeing Jormungand coming his way, Baromyteus raised his swords to guard Korben from Jormungand's attack.

 _"Out of my way!"_ Jormungand said as he struck Baromyteus with his blade, and then quickly used the other end of his blade to strike Korben immediately afterward!

"Arrrgggg!" Korben groaned in pain as he blocked Jormungand's attack with his arms again.

* * *

"That Zoroark… The Serpent General…" Claura spoke up as she and other members of the Pendragon, along with Fenrir Jr., observed the battle. "What is he thinking of doing? Not only he put everything in offense and neglect his guard, but he also focuses his attack on, of all his opponent, Korben."

"Right?" Zetarus said. "While that Zoroark's full-offensive battle style would be an advantage to Freya, who was supporting everyone from behind, and Baromyteus, who fights an offensive battle, but not to his degree, his battle style would be a great disadvantage to Korben, who fights an defensive battle. Anyone with half a brain would know not to target a defensive fighter using a full-offensive battle style like that."

"And if they really want to defeat Korben, the Somber Priestess' battle style of being a long ranged attacker or the chancellor's battle style of normal offensive style would be much more effective…" Snow commented.

"…" Xavier and Richard said nothing as they silently observed the battle.

"… The battle style of the Serpent General… I have seen it before… Back when I was a gladiator at the Brawl Arena…" Diego said. "He doesn't fight like a warrior who seeks victory. He fights like a warrior who seeks death."

* * *

 _"GARRR!"_

Jormungand roared as he was sent back by Korben's counterattack again. The Zoroark then landed on the floor as he was flung backward.

 _"Jormungand, you stubborn mule…"_ Fenrir Sr. said with an irritated as her younger brother tried to stand up again. _"Stop wasting your power like that! We're having a duel to death! Every bit of your strength and stamina matters! Don't waste it like that!"_

 _"I know what I am doing, sssssssssisssssss."_ Jormungand simply replied his elder sister.

"Dragon Claw!" Baromyteus used the moment that Fenrir Sr. was talking to Jormungand with the move Dragon Claw!

 _"Hurh!"_ Fenrir Sr. had to jump away from Baromyteus to avoid being attacked again. She then inspected the wound she got and found that it bled!

 _"Dark Pulse!"_ Hel roared as she emitted a dark aura to attack Baromyteus.

"Shadow Claw!" Baromyteus cloaked his claws in the sinister aura and used it to neutralize Hel's Dark Pulse!

 _"RRRRRARRR!"_ Jormungand roared as he dashed toward Korben in order to attack him. However, he was stoped when the floor below started cracking and shaking!

"E… Earth Power!" Freya said as she used the move Earth Power to stop Jormungand from attacking Korben.

 _"Don't get in my way!"_ Jormungand said as he charged toward Freya, pointing his blade at her!

"Freya!" Korben quickly stepped between the Flygon and the Zoroark in order to shield her from Jormungand's attack. The Kommo-o then punched the Zoroark in the face, forcing him to stumble backward!

 _"Enough! Jormungand!"_ Fenrir Sr. roared at her younger sister with an angry voice. _"Are you trying to get all of us killed?!"_

"That's none of your busssssssssssinesssssssssss." Jormungand replied.

 _"Of course it's mine!"_ Fenrir Sr. roared at her younger brother again. _"We can't lose here! They are responsible for Rucas's death! I can't lose here! I can't die until I have avenged him and erased my regret!"_

 _"Me too."_ Jormungand replied. _"I have already lost many thingsssssssssssssss in my life, and I refusssssssssssssssse to lose anything elssssssssssssssssssse. You must understand that too if you're fighting for your husband's sssssssssssssssake."_

"No, you aren't!" Fenrir Sr. roared. Her voice was shaking from the anger she had. "I am fighting for Rucas' sake, but you?! WHO ARE YOU REALLY FIGHTING FOR?!"

"!" Everyone in the main hall was surprised after hearing Fenrir Sr.'s words. They had never seen her becoming angry like this before, even for those who have known her for a long time like Baromyteus, Anastasia, Jormungand, Hel and Fenrir Jr.

 _"… For the lassssssssst reasssssssssson of my exisssssssssstence."_ Jormungand replied to his angry sister before he rushed toward Korben and started attacking him again.

 _"Then…"_ Hel mumbled as she was about to use her power to help her brother, however, she was stopped when the floor below her started cracking!

"No, you won't!" Freya roared as she held her Scarlet Rose forward. "Earth Power!"

 _"AHHHHH!"_ Hel cried in pain as she was damaged by Freya's Earth Power, forcing her to stumble backward!

 _"HEL!"_ Fenrir Sr. roared at her younger sister before turning her attention toward Baromyteus with a blood-hungry looking on her face. _"THAT'S IT! I AM DONE WITH ALL OF YOU HERE! IT'S TIME TO END OF OF THIS!"_

After finished speaking, Fenrir Sr. rushed toward Baromyteus and struck him with her scythe, forcing Baromyteus to use his blades to shield himself from Fenrir Sr.'s attack.

'W… What is it?!' Baromyteus thought as he tried his hardest to kept himself guarded from Fenrir Sr.'s attack. 'Her attack is much more ferocious this time. Even I have a hard time keeping up with her.'

 _"I WON'T STOP HERE!"_ Fenrir Sr. roared while she was still striking Baromyteus with her scythe. She then summoned dark energy and used it to attack the Haxorus. _"NIGHT DAZE!"_

"GRRRRRR!" Baromyteus groaned in pain as he had to keep his guard up while enduring Fenrir Sr.'s Night Daze attack.

"GRRRRR!" Korben groaned as he was experiencing the same thing as Baromyteus, but with Jormungand instead as the Zoroark kept attacking him.

 _"ARRRRR!"_ Jormungand roared as he tried to stab Korben at his abdomen. However, the Kommo-o managed to grab him and then flung him upward before attacked him with the move Counter, making him being flung backward and collapse on the floor!

 _"I… I won't lose here…"_ Fenrir Sr. roared as she kept attacking Baromyteus. _"I will not lose here, to the one who killed Rucas! I WILL NEVER LOSE TO YOU, BAROMYTEUS! GAHHH!"_ Fenrir Sr. then used her scythe to slash Baromyteus at his abdomen. However…

"GRRRR!" After being attacked at his abdomen, Baromyteus used his tail to swept Fenrir Sr.'s legs, stumbling her! The Shiny Haxorus then crossed his swords in the X-shape and then used it to strike the Zoroark!

"NOW! X-SCISSORS!" Baromyteus roared as he used his swords to strike Fenrir Sr. with the move X-Scissors, sending her stagger backward!

 _"Hrrrhhhhrrr…"_ Fenrir Sr. groaned in pain as she was trying to stand. However, the wound she got from the battle clearly told that she was nearly at her limit, and she might not survive if she was attacked again...

 _"Sssssisss…"_ Jormungand mumbled as he and Hel approached their elder sister. Both of them were also greatly injured as much as their elder sister, while Korben, Baromyteus and Freya, who were still standing away from them, didn't suffer as much injury as them. With this, the result of this battle was almost guaranteed…

 _"THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT, JORMUNGAND!"_ Fenrir Sr. spoke with a maddening voice as she looked at her younger brother. _"IT'S BECAUSE OF YOU! YOU HAVE DOOMED US ALL!"_

 _"Sis, what happen to you?!"_ Hel asked as she, along with Jormungand, was clearly surprised by their sister's outburst. _"You are never like this before!"_

 _"THREE TIMES! THREE TIMES THAT YOU IGNORED MY WORDS, ALL WHICH ENDS IN OUR DOOM!"_ Fenrir Sr. continued shouting at her younger brother, ignoring Hel's words. " _FIRST YOU LEFT OUR VILLAGE OVER FORTY YEARS AGO AND WENT TO SYMMETRIA WITHOUT MY WARNING, THEN YOU IGNORED RUCAS' REQUEST OF SENDING SOLDIERS FROM OUR NATION THREE YEARS AGO, AND NOW THIS! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!"_

 _"Ssssssissss, calm down!"_ Jormungand said. _"You are never like this before! What's wrong with you?!"_

 _"DON'T SAY WHAT'S WRONG WITH ME WHEN EVERYTHING YOU'VE DONE IS WRONG!"_ Fenrir Sr. roared at Jormungand. "I CAN'T LOSE HERE! I CAN'T DIE UNTIL RUCAS' DEATH IS AVENGED. I WON'T ALLOW THIS! I WILL DO ANYTHING! I WILL DO ANYTHING TO OBTAIN THE VICTORY OF THIS BATTLE. BUT YOU, JORMUNGAND!"

"Sssssissss—" Jormungand was about to speak up again when his elder sister burst out again.

"WHY WON'T YOU NEVER LISTEN TO YOUR SISTER!" Fenrir Sr. roared as she pushed Jormungand with her remaining force right at where he was injured.

"GRAA!" Being pushed at at where he was injured at full force caused Jormungand to stumble backward and falling on the floor. However…

"GRINK!"

As the Zoroark fell down onto the floor, something slipped off from his pocket and fell from it, causing it to roll on the floor until it stopped right at where Fenrir Sr. stood…

It was the stolen artifact of Newmoon Temple, the lost diadem…

"Huh! THIS!" Fenrir Sr. said as she quickly snatched the diadem from the floor. "THIS IS IT! THIS THING! I CAN USE IT! IT WILL ANSWER ME!"

"Sis, don't tell me that—" Hel spoke up, however, her words were cut off when Fenrir Sr. started speaking again.

"I CAN USE IT TO GET MY WISH COME TRUE, AND NO ONE CAN STOP IT!" Fenrir Sr. said as she started dashing toward where the Altar of Desire was located, with the diadem in her grasp.

 _"No, ssssssisssss! Don't do it!"_ Jormungand roared as he tried to stand up. _"That diadem isssssss dangerousssssss and mussssssst never be used! Hel, sssssssstop her!"_

 _"Stop, sis!"_ Hel said as she quickly followed her elder sister to the Altar of Desire. However, she was too late as Fenrir Sr. was already at the altar…

 _"SILENCE!"_ Fenrir Sr. roared to everyone in the main hall as she held the diadem above the Altar of Desire. _"Hear me, the god or whatever in this place! I ask of you to grant me the ultimate power! Grant me the power to defeat those who killed my husband, and take whatever price you want! I don't care anymore!"_

After finished speaking, Fenrir Sr. placed the diadem on the Altar of Desire, which caused her body to be frozen still, and then, the altar started emitting dark aura from it, which then surrounded Fenrir Sr.'s body!

 _"NOOOO!"_ Hel said as she, having just reached where her elder sister stood, was also swallowed by the dark aura.

 _"Sssssisss…"_ Jormungand mumbled as he watched both his sisters were swallowed by the dark aura from the Altar of Desire. " _What have you done?"_

 **To Be Continued…**

* * *

 **Dragon of Vale: This chapter turns out much longer than I expected, and it took me long enough, more than enough, I would say. Anyway, the story of Pendragon's adventure in Shadowlost Territory is about to come to the end, and the mysterious cases in this whole tail were revealed in this chapter as we learnt the identity of the one behind everything. However, there's something that hasn't been revealed yet, which you may have realized it already or not. However, remember that there's still one more chapter left for this tail...**

 **And the ending of this chapter… This is bad… Very, very bad…**

* * *

 **Q &A Session:**

 **Tail 7-7 – Question:** What is your greatest wish?

 **Answer:**

 **-Korben:** I wish to become stronger, and to overcome the nightmare that's haunting me.

 **-Claura:** I wish to never repeat the mistake I have done in the past.

 **-Xavier:** I wish to sleep forever, so that I don't have to wake up and face the reality again.

 **-Anastasia:** I wish… for love.

 **-Baromyteus:** I wish to keep fighting, until I find the greatest enemy, someone who's capable of overpowering me.

 **-Diego:** I wish to be free from all the battle that I have been fighting.

 **-Zetarus:** I wish to find the purpose of my life again.

 **-Rachael:** I wish to find a place where Onii-chan and I really belong to.

 **-Richard:** I wish to discover the greatest knowledge of this world.

 **-Freya:** I… I wish for everyone to stop fighting each other.

 **-Snow:** I wish to understand myself.

 **-Sirius:** … ( **Dragon of Vale:** Sirius wishes to atone for what it had done…)

* * *

 **Question from Ridin Valon** : From: Luca R. Ezperanda  
I have a problem... It's a matter with a friend... Actually... one night, he went to push me away from him, pointing his weapon at me... But I'm certain that he had reasons... Although he rarely explains anything to me... Right now, I'm wondering what he is doing... whether he is safe... So... I want to know from your opinion, whether I should continue to look for him... Everyone else'll probably tell me to stop and treat him like an enemy... But I can't! He's my best friend... I just can't... I don't care whether he's a Dragon-Type or not! Why must everyone mistreat Dragon-Types...? Well, as far as I remember, he's the only one that I've met... other than...

 **-Freya:** I… I once had the same problem too… With all of my siblings… After we met Zetarus the first time, Terrus seems to believe in him, but Natasha and Largo didn't. Largo even became hostile to him. But… I have known him better than everyone in my family, and I can tell that he's not a bad guy deep in his heart. For you, I am sure that you believe in your friend, and… Do you see good in him? If you do, then I'm sure that nothing wrong will happen, or even if it happens, everything will be fine... After all, I am very sure that you will cross path with him again. So, for now, I would say that you should focus on what's most important to you first, and if you meet him again, don't do something that will make you regret later…


	78. Tail 7-8: Descendant of the Serpent

**A Dragon's Tail**

 **Tail 7: Korben's Tail - Inequity**

 **Tail 7-8: Descendant of the Serpent**

" _ **Everything must be done for the power and victory you seek, no matter the cost…"**_

The Pendragon, Jormungand and Fenrir Jr. looked at where the Altar of Desire was located, which was cloaked in the dark aura emitting from the altar, with a concern look on their face. They knew of the story of the artifact with a power to grant any wishes, at the cost of losing something important in their life. The artifact was stolen from this temple 19 years ago, and now that it had returned to this place, it was once again used to get a wish granted…

"!"

Suddenly, the dark aura gradually became lessened, revealing two Pokemon there. One of them was the Zoroark who had just used the diadem to get her wishes granted, Fenrir Sr.

However…

 _"…"_ Fenrir Sr. slowly stepped forward from the Altar of Desire. Her body was cloaked in the very same dark aura that surrounded her earlier. These dark aura, however, didn't look like an ordinary aura. It looked more like a burning dark flame that's burning through parts of her flesh. Her eyes, which were now void of any pupil, were glowing red through the demonic mask she's wearing. Also, she was now wearing something on her head…

It was the lost diadem, the very artifact that answered her wish.

 _"Mother!?"_ Fenrir Jr. said as he, along with everyone else, looked at his mother in horror.

"KYAKYAKYAKYA!" Fenrir Sr. let out a sinister laugh as she gripped her scythe in her paw.

However, that wasn't the most horrendous thing…

Behind her, at where the Altar of Desire was located, was another Zoroark who was consumed by the dark aura earlier, Hel the Somber Priestess. Unlike Fenrir Sr., however, she didn't move a bit. She was laying on the floor in front of the altar, with her eyes opened in shock and surprised, but the look in her eyes, along with her body, clearly suggested that the owner of that body was no longer alive…

"Oh, no…" Korben mumbled as he looked at Fenrir Sr. in disgust. "You ask for power from that thing at the cost of your sister's life?!"

 _"…"_ Fenrir Sr. didn't reply the Kommo-o.

"W… Why must you do that?!" Korben shouted. "What's the point of obtaining something like that at the cost of someone dear to you?!"

 _"HAHAHAHA… THIS IS IT…"_ Fenrir Sr. spoke as she looked at her paw. _"THIS IS WHAT I NEED. POWER! POWER IS ALL I NEED, AND NOTHING ELSE MATTER TO ME!"_

 _"Mother, what have you done?"_ Fenrir Jr. shouted. _"No… You aren't mother that I know! What have you done to her?!"_

"THIS IS ME, MY SON…" Fenrir Sr. replied. "AND NOW, WITH THE POWER I HAVE, I CAN FINALLY AVENGE YOUR FATHER, AND I DON'T NEED ANYTHING ELSE!"

"No! That's not it!" Fenrir Jr. said. "Do you really think that father really wants this?! Do you really think your husband wants you to let your sister die at the cost of you avenging him?!"

"SILENCE!" Fenrir Sr. said as she swung her scythe, sending a shock wave through the main hall of Newmoon Temple. "DON'T SPEAK AS IF YOU KNOW HIM BETTER THAN ME! I KNOW HIM BETTER THAN EVERYONE ELSE!"

"GRRRRR!" Everyone, especially the Pendragon, groaned in pain as the shock wave passed through them, damaging them in the process.

"HAHAHAHA! IT'S WORKING!" Fenrir Sr. roared as she raised her scythe upward. "THIS POWER IS WORKING! WITH THIS, NO ONE WILL BE ABLE TO STOP ME!"

 _"No! You're—"_ Fenrir Jr. was about to approached Fenrir Sr. when a sword was suddenly pointed to block his way.

"No, kid." Baromyteus mumbled as he used his sword to prevent Fenrir Jr. from approaching Fenrir Sr. It was clearly seen that he was also horrendous by Fenrir Sr.'s action. "She has already lost her mind. There's no way that we can help her other than killing her."

 _"DON'T THINK THAT YOU CAN DEFEAT ME EASILY!"_ Fenrir Sr. said as she raised her paw to summon several waves of dark energy. _"NIGHT DAZE!"_

"GARRRRRRARARARA!"

Everyone in the Pendragon was hit by Fenrir Sr.'s Night Daze attack. Even when they tried to guard themselves from the attack, all of them still found themselves being hit directly by the attack. This caused everyone in the Pendragon to fall on their knees after suffering from the injury they got from the attack. Even Fenrir Jr. also found himself being attacked too, but not to the extend of the Pendragon.

 _"FOOL!"_ Fenrir Sr. roared as she looked at everyone in the Pendragon, who were trying to stand up. _"I ASK FOR THE ULTIMATE POWER TO DEFEAT YOU, AND WITH THIS, YOU ALL STAND NO CHANCE AGAINST ME!"_

"Grrrr…" Everyone in the Pendragon groaned in pain.

 _"DON'T THINK THAT I WOULD LET YOU DIE EASILY!"_ Fenrir Sr. raised her scythe upward, using it to create several more waves of dark energy, and then released it to attack the Pendragon with the move Night Daze again. _"I SHALL GIVE YOU THE TORMENT THAT MY HUSBAND HAD SUFFERED, UNTIL ALL OF YOU BEG ME FOR DEATH!"_

"GARRRRARARAAR!" Everyone in the Pendragon roared as they were attacked again. This time, the attack was too much that none of them managed to stand up!

 _"Mother…"_ Fenrir Jr. said as he tried to stand up. He also suffered from Fenrir Sr.'s attack too, but not much as the Pendragon. _"You really already lost your mind…"_

 _"AND NOW!"_ Fenrir Sr. said again as she raised her paw to prepare an even larger attack. _"I WILL LET YOU EXPERIENCE THE PAIN MY HUSBAND HAD SUFFERED! TAKE THI—"_

 _"No."_

Suddenly, Fenrir Sr.'s raising arm was grabbed from behind, and before she could do anything else, another arm appeared from behind her and started choking her at her neck!

 _"Y… YOU?!"_ Fenrir Sr. roared as she realized that the one who was behind her and choking her right now was none other than her younger brother! _"W… WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?!"_

 _"Ssssssssimple…"_ Jormungand replied as he continued choking his elder sister, despite himself being burned by the flame that covered his sister's body. _"I am stopping you."_

 _"L… LET ME GO!"_ Fenrir Sr. roared as she felt the arms around her neck became tighter and tighter. She was struggling to break free, but to no avail. _"OR ELSE I WILL KILL YOU TOO!"_

 _"I… I don't care."_ Jormungand replied. His voice started shaking as he was burned by his sister's flame. _"Y… You only wisssssssssh for the power t… to defeat them, but not me, so I ssssssstill sssssstand a chance againssssst you… A… And I… I will sssssstop you at any cossssssst, even if I have to die in proceed."_

 _"WHY YOU?!"_ Fenrir Sr. roared as she struggled even more.

"N… NO!" Korben roared while he was trying to stand after realizing what Jormungand was doing. "Don't do that!"

 _"Hehe… Remember what I sssssssssaid earlier?"_ Jormungand spoke to the Kommo-o as he endured Fenrir Sr.'s struggle. _"I have lossssssst too much in my life, and I refusssssssse to losssssssse anything elsssssssse, even if I have to ssssssssspill my venom."_

"NO! I don't understand!" Korben roared. "Why do you have to go this far?!"

 _"You know the answer, Korben."_ Jormungand replied before turning his attention to Fenrir Jr, ignoring his sister's groan as she struggled to break free from him. _"Fenrir! The land of darkness issssssssss now yourssssssssss! Take a good care of it!"_

 _"…"_ Fenrir Jr. said nothing to his uncle.

 _"You!"_ Jormungand said as he directed his gaze toward Baromyteus. He was nearly at his limit as Fenrir Sr. was also using her weapon to attack him, but he still didn't loosen his grip on her neck. _"… I… I leave Korben in your care."_

"Don't just giving out your s—" Baromyteus spoke up, but his words were cut off as Jormungand spoke up again.

 _"And you, K…Korben…"_ Jormungand turned his attention back to Korben. _"… T… This world isssss a c… cruel place, b… but do not let it blind your v… virtue, essssspecially your virtue of f… fairness."_

"W… What?!" Korben said after hearing Jormungand's words.

 _"Y… Your heart of fariness i… isssss your greatest asset, K… Korben, a… and do not ever let it be q… quenched."_ Jormungand said as he started to have a hard time putting his though into words as the dark flame gradually burned his body. _"A… And… Finisssssh what I sssssstart, can you?"_

"No…" Korben said with a shaking voice as his body was also shaking. His eyes started leaking tear. "D… Don't do this to me… Don't repeat it… Don't make me experience it again… After all this time…"

 _"F… Forgive me, Korben, but I…I know that you w…will be sssssstrong."_ Jormungand said.

 _"GRRRARARARARARARARARAAAR!"_ Fenrir Sr. roared as she still struggling, but her strength was gradually sapped away as the amount of air that passed through her neck gradually decreased.

 _"Ssssssorry for waiting, ssssssissssss."_ Jormungand said as he tightened his grip around his sister's neck. _"NOW!"_

Jormungand focused every bit of his strength at the arm he wrapped around Fenrir Sr.'s neck, snapping it!

 _"GREAEAEAEEAEEAAEAEAEE!"_ Fenrir Sr. let out the last cried in pain, emitting the intense amount of dark flame from her body, which quickly burned her younger brother's body!

 _"GRARARARARAARARR!"_ Jormungand cried in pain as he was burned and charred by the dark fire from his sister's body.

"NOOOOO!" Korben roared out as he watched Jormungand being consumed by the dark flame from Fenrir Sr.'s body, burning his entire body in proceed.

And then… It ended…

"GRINK!"

The diadem fell from the head of Fenrir Sr. onto the floor as the bodies of two Zoroark collapsed on the floor. Fenrir Sr.'s body showed that she was no longer alive as her neck was snapped and she was choked to death by her younger brother. Jormungand's body, on the other hand, showed that he was also no longer alive after being burned to char by the dark flame from his sister's body. The dark flame then gradually extinguished… Leaving two lifeless corpses of two Zoroark right next to each other…

"No…" Korben mumbled as he fell onto his knees. His eyes still leaked tear non-stop. "After everything I have done… After all these times… Just to see it gone beyond my grasp again… Why? WHY DOES IT HAVE TO HAPPEN AGAIN?! WHY?!"

The sound of Korben's roar echoed through the main hall of Newmoon Temple as the Kommo-o mourned for the departed souls. His sorrowful cry pierced through the heart of everyone who heard it, even the most hardened one.

"Korben…"

As the Kommo-o continued mourning, he felt someone approaching him and started embracing him. Through his teary eyes, he could see that it was one of his friends, the very same Pokemon that consoled him after he survived the Dragon Massacre, Freya.

"…" Freya said nothing as she continued to embrace him gently.

 _"…"_

Then, the Kommo-o felt a paw reaching to touch his shoulder shortly. He looked at the owner of that paw and realized that it was the Pokemon who had just suffered from losing someone, Fenrir Jr. However, unlike Korben, Fenrir Jr. didn't shed any tear, but that didn't mean that he didn't suffer from this whole event like Korben too.

 _"..."_ Fenrir Jr. looked at Korben with eyes that showed empathy toward him, as he had also just suffered in the same way as him. The Zoroark then walked toward the Altar of Desire, to where a lifeless body of a Zoroark was lying.

 _"… Rest in peace, Aunt Hel."_ Fenrir Jr. mumbled as he reached his paw to Hel's motionless eyes to close her eyelids, and then he gently lifted her body up. The Zoroark then approached where the two other corpses were lying before placing Hel's lifeless body right next to the lifeless body of her brother.

 _"… Three siblings. All were born in different day, month and year, yet all die at the very same time in the very same place…"_ Fenrir Jr. said with an emotionless voice as he looked at the corpses of Fenrir Sr., Jormungand and Hel. _"The one whose body and soul was used as the sacrifice for a wish was the high priestess of this very place, the Newmoon Temple. The one whose body was burnt alive was the general of this very nation, Shadowlost Territory. And the one who suffered from suffocation was the chancellor of the land of darkness, as well as the Heroine of Legend who once saved this very continent, Symmetria."_

As soon as Fenrir Jr. finished speaking, the body of his mother started glowing with a black aura again, and the very same aura appeared and surrounded her son's body too. This aura, however, was completely different from the dreadful aura that devoured her body earlier. It was a gentle and protective aura, as if it was embracing both Zoroark.

"…" Fenrir Jr. stood still with his eyes closed and let the aura be absorbed into his body, feeling a new power being awakened inside his body, and as soon as it finished, and the aura was fully absorbed into his body, he opened his eyes again.

 _"And now, I have inherited your duties."_ Fenrir Jr. said as he kneeled down in front of the corpses of three Zoroark and reached his right paw toward the corpse of his mother to close the eyelids of her mother, just like what he did to Hel's corpse earlier. From here, a newly-made mark could be seen from the back of his right paw…

It was the Mark of Legend, the symbol of the Hero/ine of Legend…

 _"… I must ask of you, mother, to allow me to keep your weapon, the Jasper Scythe."_ Fenrir Jr. said as he picked something from beside his mother's corpse. It was the very same scythe that she used in her battle earlier. While its former owner was corrupted, the scythe itself didn't show any sight of being corrupt. Instead, the scythe itself still sparkled the black light from its body, which was black, sharp and sinister, as if it concealed the forbidden power within itself.

 _"…"_ Korben said nothing as he looked at Fenrir Jr. stand up and looked at the scythe in his grasp, with Freya now standing right beside him after she released him from her embrace. Then the Kommo-o could feel the Zoroark looking at him, before he started speaking again.

 _"… Korben, thank you."_ Fenrir Jr. spoke to the Kommo-o. His voice sounded sincere and genuine. _"From my heart, I thank you for everything you have done for me. But… If you would allow me, there's a plea that I wish to ask of you."_

"…" Korben said nothing as he slowly nodded to the Zoroark.

 _"… I wish to ask you to shed your tear for the fallen souls here in my place."_ Fenrir Jr. said. _"As you can see, I am unable to shed any tear, even when my mother had just died right in front of my eyes, so… Please…"_

"… I will." Korben replied. "And I wish to thank you for everything you have done for me too."

 _"Hm… And for all of you…"_ Fenrir Jr. directed his attention to everyone other than him in this place, the Pendragon. _"… Your intention of coming to the land of darkness is to kill the chancellor, my mother, and you all have succeeded in doing so, though not in the way you intended to…"_

"…" The Pendragon said nothing as they waited for the Zoroark to continue speaking.

 _"However, the death of my mother and others came from their agreement with all of you, and so, I will respect that."_ Fenrir Jr. continued speaking. _"With this, all of you are never here, in the Newmoon Temple, at the time when my mother and others died, and the chancellor, the Serpent General and the Somber Priestess died from the cursed power of the diadem that was returned to the temple today."_

"Thanks… But… The diadem…" Korben said as he looked at the artifact, which was now lying on the floor between the corpse of Fenrir Sr. and Jormungand. "… What are you going to do with it?"

 _"… To everyone, the diadem was destroyed as it takes away the lives of the chancellor and others."_ Fenrir Jr. said as he looked at the very artifact that caused the tragedy in this place. _"But for you all… I will leave this… artifact's fate to your decision, Korben. I trust you and your judgment in dealing with this, after everything we've been through together."_

"I will…" Korben said. "And I also trust you too, Fenrir."

 _"… Trusting me may bring you to your doom one day. Such a sinful virtue…"_ Fenrir Jr. said. _"However, while being sinful, trust is still a virtue too..."_

"…" Korben said nothing to the Zoroark.

 _"… Nevertheless… All of this doesn't change the fact that you all are the enemies of my mother."_ Fenrir Jr. continued speaking. "And as her son… I don't need to tell you the rest, do you?"

"No." This time, it was Baromyteus who replied. "We already know what you want to say, and we accept that."

 _"Good."_ Fenrir Jr. said. _"Then, please excuse me. As the new lord of Shadowlost Territory, I have many duties that I must fulfill. Also, I advise all of you to leave the Land of Darkness, or at least this temple, as soon as possible. The police of Shadowlost Territory will arrive here to retrieve the corpses of the chancellor and others in about two hours from now on, and I won't guarantee you the consequence you desire if you still stay here."_

"Understood." Baromyteus replied. "Once we finished preparing, we will leave Shadowlost Territory at once."

 _"Then… May the darkness of Shadowlost guide your path."_

After finished speaking, Fenrir Jr. started walking, passing Korben, Freya, Baromyteus, and everyone else, to the foyer of the temple. The Zoroark was about to leave the main hall and entered the foyer when he was stopped when someone spoke up.

"Fenrir…" Korben spoke up, which caused the Zoroark to stop walking, but not turning his head back. "… Are we… still friends?"

 _"… If one person can be both friend and enemy at the same time, then… Sure."_ Fenrir Jr. replied without turning back to look at Korben. The Zoroark then continued walking toward the exit of the temple, leaving the Newmoon Temple.

"…" Korben lowered his head a bit after he heard Fenrir Jr.'s answer to hide his face from everyone else.

"… Look like our mission here's complete." Baromyteus spoke up after Fenrir Jr. had left the Newmoon Temple. "And so, we have nothing else to do here. Let's get back to Pendracomonium to plan our next move."

"Right…" Anastasia nodded to her brother. "I am sure that all of you, especially Korben, Freya and my brother, would appreciate a nice rest."

"Hm." Korben raised his head again and nodded at the Goodra.

"Then, let's—" Freya was about to say something, however, her words were cut off when Korben spoke up again.

"One last thing…" Korben said as he slowly approached where the corpses of three Zoroark was lying on. The Kommo-o then picked the object that was lying between the corpse of Fenrir Sr. and Jormungand, the lost diadem.

"That diadem…" Anastasia spoke up with a sad voice as Korben looked at the diadem without saying anything. "Such a dreadful artifact…"

"Korben…" Freya spoke up as she looked at the Kommo-o with a worried look on her face. "… What are you going to do with it?"

"… This thing… Despite its power to make any wish come true, it also caused much suffering to everyone in process… Not just us, but also the people of Shadowlost too…" Korben said as he looked at the diadem with a look of disgust in his face. "And so… I'm going to destroy it."

"Destroy it?" Freya repeated the words that the Kommo-o had just said.

"Right." Korben said. "After all, I am sure that's what my mother and… he want to do, to not let it bring suffering to anyone else again."

After finished speaking, the Kommo-o raised the diadem gripped by his paw upward, preparing to destroy it…

But then…

"!"

Just as Korben was about to destroy the diadem, a dark aura, the very same one that devoured Fenrir Sr. and Hel after Fenrir Sr. used the diadem to get her wish granted earlier, was suddenly emitted from the diadem, which quickly engulfed the body of the Kommo-o!

"GAHHH!"

"Korben!"

Everyone shouted as the Kommo-o was swallowed by the dark aura from the diadem. But just before they could do anything else, the dark aura suddenly disappeared, revealing the Kommo-o again. However, as soon as his body was revealed again, the Kommo-o slowly fell down onto the floor, as if he was a tree that was cut down, and his eyes didn't open anymore as he had already become unconscious!

"KORBEN!"

* * *

 **-About An Hour Later…**

"Geez… What is that Zoroark doing?!" Largo mumbled in frustration. He, along with his elder sister, was still in the very same room that he, Natasha and Fenrir Jr. was in earlier before Fenrir Jr. suddenly left the room and told him and Natasha to stay here. "It has been a few hours since he left. Why does it take him so long?! Did he go to Theocracy of Venturnome to visit his younger brother?!"

"Don't be silly, Largo." Natasha said as she tried to calm her younger brother down. "It takes a few weeks to travel from Shadowlost to Venturnome by foot, and I'm sure that he would leave to somewhere that far all of a sudden."

"Yeah, yeah…" Largo mumbled. "I just hope that he will be back soon, or I'm going to get bored to dead—"

"BANG!"

"HM?!" The attention of everyone in the room was turned to the door that was opened suddenly, and the one who opened it was none other than the one they were waiting for.

"Finally!" Largo spoke up. "Where have you been, you ass—"

 _"I was just dealing with something."_ Fenrir Jr. replied as he walked into the room. His tone, however, was serious and ominous, which quickly shut the Alolan Marowak up.

"Fenrir, you seem tired." Natasha changed the topic of conversation. She decided to avoid asking him what he was doing or what happened to him earlier. "Do you want some food or water? I can prepare—"

 _"No."_ Fenrir Jr. replied. _"Anyway, did something happen here while I'm away?"_

"No, unless you count that you have two guests here." Largo said as he nodded toward two other Pokemon who was also in this room, both who had their attention fixed at the Zoroark. One was a Charizard in a tribal cloth with blue body-paintings on his body, and another one was an Aerodactyl.

"You're back." The Aerodactyl was the first one who spoke up as Fenrir Jr. looked at them. "It has been some times since the last time we met, Prince Fenrir."

 _"Just Fenrir is fine"_ Fenrir Jr. said. _"I remembered you. Aren't you Prince Terrus' retainer? What business do you have with me?"_

"Yes. I come here in the name of Prince Terrus." Soryl said. "He requests all of you here to depart for Theocracy of Venturnome at once."

 _"… For what reason?"_ Fenrir asked with his arms crossed.

"A few days ago, Prince Terrus received a sealed letter from Theocracy of Venturnome, and the sender of that letter was the pr—I mean, the new Pontifex of Theocracy of Venturnome." Soryl answered. "The content of that letter is that the Pontifex requests all who possessed the blood of legend in their veins to come and meet him at the Theocracy of Venturnome, for that he had foreseen an upcoming crisis that was about to strike the Land of Equilibrium, and he needs all Hero/ine of Legend to gather together in order to stop that crisis at once. That's why he asked Prince Terrus to gather the Hero/ine of Ground type, Flying type, Fire type, Rock type, Ice type, Dark type, Poison type and Dark type while he will gather the Hero/ine of Normal type, Fighting type, Fairy type, Grass type, Bug type, Electric type, Steel type and Water type."

"And that's why I'm here." The Charizard who was standing beside Soryl spoke up. "I am Dinus, the current Volcano Guardian of Fireview Kingdom. I was coming here as the ambassador of Fireview Kingdom. Earlier, as my work here had already finished, I prepared to leave for the land of stone and flame when I encountered the Hero of Flying type, who asked me to come and join him, for that I am the current Hero of Fire type."

 _"Hm. I remembered you from King Apollo's Coronation Ceremony 3 years ago too."_ Fenrir Jr. nodded to Dinus before turning his attention back to Soryl. _"Did the Pontifex of Venturnome mention anything else about the upcoming crisis that he spoke of?"_

"Unfortunately, not much." Soryl replied. "Most parts of the letter he wrote to Prince Terrus was either about the stars or as cryptic as it can be, but for what Prince Terrus could gather, he didn't mention anything else other than the ten void spots that were dormant for 3 years have just awakened again, which will be the harbinger of the crisis that's even bigger than the Fallen Crisis."

 _"Ten void spots… He did say something like this before when we all met him at King Apollo's Coronation Ceremony 3 years ago, and now, he mentioned that the ten void spots had been dormant for 3 years too…"_ Fenrir Jr. said.

"And…" Natasha spoke up as she and Largo joined the conversation. "We didn't age since 3 years ago too."

"You too?!" Dinus and Soryl spoke up at the same time.

"Y… Yes." Natasha said. She was startled a bit after she heard Dinus and Soryl spoke up at the same time. "We assume that it happens to those who carry the Blood of Legend, and since the two of you also didn't age too, it seems like my assumption is proved correct again."

"Either way, it seems like everything was linked to 3 years ago…" Largo said. "Other than the assault at the inaccessible valley, I can't think of any major event that would cause a global-scale impact."

 _"Ten void spots… Could it be them?"_ Fenrir Jr. mumbled to him. _"But… There're 12 of them… So… It couldn't be them, right?"_

"Hm?" Natasha turned her attention to the Zoroark. "Did you say anything, Fenrir?"

 _"…. Nothing."_ Fenrir Jr. replied before turning his attention to Soryl again. _"Understood. Once I finish my work here, I will depart for the Theocracy of Venturnome at once."_

"And Largo and I will go with Fenrir when he finished his work too." Natasha said.

"Great." Soryl said. "Prince Terrus said he also had to deal with his work as the new emperor of Dustorm Empire too, so it may take him a while before he could depart for Theocracy of Venturnome."

 _"I see."_ Fenrir Jr. nodded to the Aerodactyl.

"Wait a minute…" Largo spoke up and looked at the Zoroark. "The Pontifex of Venturnome wants to summon Fenrir Jr. to Venturnome, right? Well, I understand that he has the Blood of Legend too, but right now, I think that it's his mother who holds the title of—"

 _"… No."_ Fenrir Jr. said as he showed everyone the back of his right paw, which had the Mark of Legend there!

"The Mark of Legend?" Natasha said as she looked at the mark that appeared at the back of Fenrir Jr.'s right paw. "Fenrir, how did you get it? I thought that you didn't have it this morning. Wait, could it be that the whole time that you've been missing—"

 _"… I will speak about it later."_ Fenrir Jr. replied to the Dragalge.

"At first, I came to you because I wish to relay this message to the chancellor via you, but now that you're the Hero of Dark type, I don't need to do it anymore." Soryl said. "And so, I must take my leave right now."

"Are you going to go back to Dustorm Empire, Soryl?" Largo asked.

"No." Soryl replied. "I must go to Snowlost City next."

"Snowlost? You mean the capital of Queendom of Riverbrine?" Natasha said.

"Yes." Soryl said. "After receiving the order from Prince Terrus, I came straight here, to the Shadowlost Territory, to relay you all this message. However, I still need to relay this message to Queen of Riverbrine, the Heroine of Ice type. And I still need to find the Hero of Rock type too."

"That would be Queen Misvale, isn't it?" Dinus spoke up. "Very well, I will accompany you, Soryl."

"Hm?" Soryl looked at the Charizard.

"Chronos, the Hero of Rock type, is now the bodyguard of Queen Misvale." Dinus said. "He's my close friend, so it would be easier to speak to him and Queen Misvale if I'm with you."

"Then, I accept your help, Dinus." Soryl said.

"Then, let's depart for Snowlost City." Dinus said to Soryl before turning his attention to Fenrir Jr., Natasha and Largo. "Here, I must bid you farewell for now. May the flame of Fireview protect you."

"Me too." Soryl said. "Good bye for now. See you all again soon."

"Good bye to you two too." Natasha said.

"Yeah. Let's meet again." Largo said.

 _"Safe travel."_ Fenrir Jr. said.

After they finished their farewell, Dinus and Soryl left the room, leaving Fenrir Jr., Natasha and Largo in the room.

"So, we are really going to Venturnome, huh?" Largo spoke up after Dinus and Soryl left the room. "Talk about coincidence…"

 _"Venturnome, huh?"_ Fenrir Jr. mumbled with a sarcastic voice. _"Guess it's time for me to visit Ridley again after 3 years… I wonder what 'good news' I should bring to him…"_

"So, you are going to visit your brother?" Natasha said to the Zoroark.

 _"… He's now the Hero of Fighting type after our father dies, so I will get to meet him there anyway regardless of our action."_ Fenrir Jr. said to the Dragalge. _"And… My brother, huh? Isn't that such a cold way to call your cousin, Natasha?"_

"Hm… I guess you're right. I am sorry about this." Natasha said.

"Wait…" Largo spoke up as he looked at Fenrir Jr. and Natasha. "What are you two talking about? Cousin?"

"Oh, I haven't told you about this yet?" Natasha said as she looked at her younger brother. "Fenrir and I are cousins."

"WHAT?!" Largo said as he looked at Natasha and Fenrir Jr.

 _"She's right."_ Fenrir Jr. said. _"The late Empress of Dustorm Empire, Empress Sharon the Dragalge, who is Natasha's mother, is the elder sister of the Hero of Justice, Rucas the Lucario, who is the father of me and Ridley. That means that Ridley and I are cousins of Natasha, and vice versa."_

"Not many people know the connection between the Hero of Justice and the Empress of Dustorm, so it's no surprise that you didn't know about this, Largo." Natasha said. "Terrus already know about this too, but I guess I haven't told you and Freya yet."

"Then…" Largo whispered to his sister. "Zetarus…"

"Yes, he also applies here too…" Natasha whispered back to her brother before turning her attention to Fenrir Jr. and spoke again. "And me being your cousin made it easier for you to befriend me too, right?"

 _"…"_ Fenrir Jr. said nothing to the Dragalge.

"Oh, that's right." Largo said. "When I arrived at this place the first time over ten years ago, it took me several weeks to befriend you, Fenrir Jr., and I heard that other Pokemon also has a hard time befriending you too. However, I heard that Natasha was able to befriend you easily when she got here. So it's because she's your cousin, huh?"

 _"… You're right."_ Fenrir Jr. sighed before he spoke up again. _"While I am far from being a trusting person, I tend to trust those who share a close blood tie with me more than anyone else. I guess this action of mine is right to the subconscious level too, as I was able to befriend the one who share the close blood with me without knowing that they are my close relative beforehand."_

"Hm? Who're you referring to?" Natasha asked.

 _"… Never mind that."_ Fenrir Jr. replied. _"Anyway, do you have anything else for me? If not, then… I have a large amount of work to do. So, if you'll excuse—"_

"Oh, no. You don't." Natasha spoke up.

 _"Hm?"_ Fenrir Jr. looked at the Dragalge.

"Fenrir, you are pushing yourself too hard, I can tell." Natasha said. "Since when you entered this room, I can see that you're very tired, and you didn't have breakfast earlier today too, yet you still push yourself forward. Aren't you afraid that you will break?"

 _"Heh… Don't worry about it."_ Fenrir Jr. mumbled to himself. _"After all, I was already broke earlier today…"_

"Hm?" Natasha and Largo looked at the Zoroark.

 _"… Never mind that."_ Fenrir Jr. said. _"So, what do you want me to do, Natasha?"_

"Just sit down here." Natasha said. "I will bring you something to eat. After that, let me and Largo help you with your work."

 _"Help me… With my work?"_ Fenrir Jr. repeated the words he had just heard.

"Yeah." Largo spoke with his arms crossed. "Thought I am not fond of doing any work that doesn't involve fighting, I can't leave my friend when he needs help, right? Especially after he had helped you so much before."

"Largo's right." Natasha said. "So, let us help you with your burden, and once we finish, let's go to Theocracy of Venturnome together, okay?"

 _"… Thanks."_ Fenrir Jr. replied with a soft smile on his face.

* * *

"…"

"…"

"Where am I?"

Korben mumbled to himself after he regained his consciousness. He stood up and looked around, finding himself in a very dark place. Everywhere around him was a complete darkness. He couldn't see anything else other than nothingness, but strangely, he could still see himself clearly.

'I… I remember that I was at Newmoon Temple, after the battle's over…' Korben tried to recall what happened before. 'Then I was about to destroy the diadem when… I remember that everything suddenly went dark, but I can't remember anything else…'

Korben looked around himself again, trying to find anything that could help him recognize the current situation, when…

 _"Welcome, mortal…"_

Suddenly, the Kommo-o could hear the noise from right in front of him, and when he turned his attention to it, he found a hazy silhouette of a Pokemon, which was too hazy for him to tell which kind of Pokemon it was. The only feature of this silhouette that Korben could clearly see are two intimidating red eyes that were gazing at him, like a light that was piercing his soul.

"W… Who are you?!" Korben decided to ask the questions. "And… Where am I?!"

 _"Strange…"_ The silhouette spoke with a creepy voice. _"I thought that you must surely recognize my voice…"_

"Your voi— Wait a minute…" Korben said before he realized something, which made his blood almost frozen. He had heard this voice before two days ago, when he visited the Newmoon Temple for the first time, when he offered his prayer to the Altar of Desire. "It's the same voice I heard when I touched the Altar of Desire two days ago! Then, you must be…"

 _"Ah, you remember me at last. And you are correct. I am the god who communicates with the mortal via the artifact of chaos, and I am the one who answers their plea and grant them the wish they asked me."_

"Y… You…" Korben mumbled. His voice was mixed of anger and fear. "I… It's because of you, you are the one who brings the pain and suffering to the Pokemon of Shadowlost Territory…"

 _"… I think you must have misunderstood something, mortal. Those mortals asked for my blessing, and I merely granted them what they desired with a price that they must pay, for that everything in this world has its price, and if anyone wants anything, they must be ready to pay the price for what they want."_

"…" Korben said nothing after hearing the words of the mysterious silhouette.

 _"And even knowing that they will have to pay the price should they ask for my blessing, those mortals still asked for my blessings. So, all I did was just oblige to their plea. After all, the fact that they decided to ask for my blessing means that they are ready to pay the price of their wish. With this, how can you really say that I am guilty of bringing pain and suffering to those mortals, for it was they who chose to accept pain and suffering into their lives by their own will?"_

"… There are so many things that I still don't understand about you." Korben spoke up. "First, the land of darkness was ravaged by chaos for several decades until the discover of the altar and the artifact, which stopped all the chaos that happened earlier, only for the Pokemon of this land to start abusing this wish-granting artifact to sate their own desire, which is pretty much equal to another chaos, and when the artifact disappeared 19 years ago, the peace of the land of darkness was disrupted again as the chaos returned to this land in the form of war. With this, it could be said that it was you who are behind all of this—"

 _"Again, this is a huge misunderstanding. I have nothing to do with the chaos that wreck upon this land, for that the world is the work of chaos. For the periods you claimed that I was the one who brought upon the chaos are but the natural state of this world, and the periods that the chaos disappeared was but a coincidence of temporary break of chaos, which didn't last long because the world will return to the chaos again. It's the endless cycle of this world. Everything was born from the chaos, and they all will try to stay in order, only to return to chaos in the end…"_

"… Next." Korben decided to ask the next question. "Why must you do all of this? Why must you grant the wish to everyone who pled to you? If you only just ignore their wishes, all of these would never happen…"

 _"Alas, you seem to forget my earlier words that I am a god. Everyone who gives their prayer to me is my follower, and as their god, it's my duty to answer their plea, with a price, of course. Also, while I am a god, I am merely the forgotten one, for that most mortals in this world turn their worship toward Arceus or Yggdrasil, but not me, for that I was banished from this world a long time ago. The place you called Newmoon Temple is the only place in your mortal world that links with my realm. Pity, for that, as of now, the link between your world and my realm has mostly faded away, leaving the artifact and the altar as the only place where I could communicate with my followers."_

"God… Banished… Another Realm… Wait…" Korben looked at the silhouette in disbelief. "W… Who are you?!"

 _"For the world, I am known as the treacherous god who opposed Arceus since the beginning of your timeline, as I betrayed Arceus and rekindled the war against them after the Dragon God was defeated. For countless years, I have lived in solitude in my own realm, the Distortion World, and the world has already forgotten my name, but my vengeance still remains. I am the god of renegade, and I am called Giratina."_

* * *

The Kommo-o looked at the silhouette in front of him in awe and shock, for that he couldn't believe in what he had just heard. Right now, he was having an encounter with Giratina, one of the gods of Pokemon World, the very same god that opposed Arceus since the beginning of the world!

"Y… You are Giratina?!" Korben was finally able to muster his words to reply the silhouette in front of him.

 _"… Judge by your reaction, you seem to still have an idea of who I am, which is very unusual, for that most Pokemon would only remember me by the name of the god of renegade."_

"I… I have read the history of this world since when I was young, so I remembered your name and the story about you in War of the God I." Korben said. "But I never thought that I would be able to meet the very same god who appeared in the history book I read…"

 _"I am flattered, but I digress. Do you still have anything you wish to question me? But make it quick, for that my patience is limited."_

"Y… Yes…" Korben spoke with a shaking voice, for that he felt the feeling of dread and fear within his body as he spoke to the silhouette in front of him. "L… Last questions. Where am I? And why did you bring me here?"

 _"I didn't do anything to your physical body. I merely put you into slumber and trap you in your own consciousness, for that I have something I wish to speak with you alone."_

"W… With me?!" Korben repeated the words he heard. "W… What do you want to speak with me?"

 _"… Since when the artifact that links to my realm was discovered by you mortals, I have met many mortals who gave their prayer to me, all which their heart was filled with greed and fell into the temptation for my power. You, however, are the first and a very rare one who could resist the temptation of my power, which makes you special in my eyes."_

"You mean the fact that I decided to destroy the diadem?" Korben asked.

 _"Correct. As I said, the artifact is the link between your world and my realm, and the altar in Newmoon Temple is the only place I could communicate with mortals, for that the link between both realms is the strongest there. However, even with only the artifact, I am still able to observe the world through it, and since you once have the artifact in your possession, I have been observing you for quite some time."_

"S… So… The feeling of dread and uneasiness, the feeling that someone is watching me, that I felt since I arrived at the land of darkness… It was because of you, isn't it?" Korben said.

 _"The closer the artifact is to the altar, the stronger my influence in the mortal world is. With you being in what you called the land of darkness, my power would e strong enough to affect your soul, but I digress. I have been watching you for some time, and even after you discovered the nature of the artifact in your possession, you didn't show any interest in using it to sate your desire, and you even determined to destroy it too."_

"... I just feel like this is something that I should do…" Korben said.

" _You could just choose not to destroy it and keep it in your possession, for that you could have a chance to abuse my power again in the future, but you didn't, which proved that your heart and soul is strong enough to resist the temptation of my power."_

"… Actually, I am not the only one who's capable of doing that…" Korben said. "My mother stole the diadem from Newmoon Temple 19 years ago, and there's… Jormungand too…"

 _"But the one who took the diadem from the altar 19 years ago chose to keep the artifact in her possession instead of destroy it, didn't she? And for another one… While his intention may seem like he's able to resist the temptation of my power, he actually planned to execute what he intended to do by wishing upon me. With this, I would say that both of them aren't above their desire, unlike you."_

"He… planned to do that?" Korben mumbled. "I… I have no idea… So… It means that he…"

 _"… Enough about nonsense matter. Back to our topic, the reason why I wish to speak with you is because you are the only one I have met who's able to resist the temptation of my power. With this, I saw a potential in you and wish to observe you and your future path, and so, I deem you worthy of my true power…"_

"Your true power…" Korben mumbled. "What do you mean by that?"

 _"It means that my true power, which is far greater than what you have seen before, could be yours to use as you desire, if you accept my proposal. I offer you to form a pact with me, mortal."_

"… A pact…" Korben mumbled the words he had just heard. "You mean… Something like…"

 _"I am positive that I have no need to clarify my words, for that I know that you are currently associated with other mortals who have already formed a pact with other Legendary Pokemon."_

"Which means that… I would gain more power from our pact, and I would be able to harbor your power as I wish…" Korben said. "But… At the cost of power, I would be cursed to lose something in my life…"

 _"I have mentioned this before. Everything has its own price. You can harbor my terrible power, but you must also be ready to pay the price of it too."_

"…" Korben said nothing after hearing the words of Giratina.

 _"… Now, then… Give me the answer to my proposal, mortal."_

"… I refuse." Korben replied.

 _"You… refuse my power?"_

"Right." Korben said. "While it's true that I'm walking a dangerous path, and I need as much power as I could. However, one thing I can't stand is inequity. I know that equality doesn't really exist in this world, and I'm trying to accept that. However, I will not allow anyone to abuse their superior power to take advantage of those who're inferior to them, and that includes me. And so, I will have to refuse your proposal, for that I have no wish to harbor your power, especially the very same power that caused pain and suffering to many Pokemon in this world, both in the distant past and in the recent past."

 _"… Once again, you seem to misunderstand something…"_

"What?" Korben looked at the silhouette in front of him.

 _"… Since when you're in the place that you could bargain with me, mortal?"_

"What—ARGGRRGRGRGRGRGRRRRRR!" Suddenly, the Kommo-o felt an unbearable pain at his left shoulder, as if some mysterious force was ripping his left arm from his body. It didn't take very long for him to realize that his left arm that was attached to his left shoulder was now lying on the floor right beside him, with blood still flowing out of the wound!

"W… What have you done to me?!" Korben's face grew pale as he saw what happened to his left arm, and he could still feel the lingering pain in his left shoulder, which was almost unbearable.

 _"You chose to oppose to my words, and that's the price that you must pay for your action, mortal."_

"D… Damn you!" Korben cursed as he tried to endure his pain.

 _"Now, I will ask you again, mortal. Will you form a pact with me?"_

"NO! ARGGRGRGRRRGRGRGR!" Korben replied, which was followed by him feeling the very same pain he felt before, but this time, he felt it at his right shoulder. Soon, he could no longer feel any of his arms, both which were now lying right beside his body.

 _"Now you have lost both your arms… And I will ask you once again… Will you form a pact with me?"_

"NO! ARGGGGGRGRGRGR!" Korben answered again, and he soon felt another unbearable pain being inflicted onto his body. This time, he felt the pain at both his thighs, which soon followed by his body fell down onto the ground, as both his legs were just ripped away, leaving him as a limbless creature lying on the ground, with blood gradually seeped from where his arms and his legs were.

"Pitiful mortal… Your stubbornness leads you to lose all your limbs… And let me ask you again, which you should know what would happen if you refuse me again, will you form a pact with me?"

"N…. NEVER! ARRGRGRGRGRGRGRGRRGRGRRG!" Korben replied again, and again that his body being ravaged by an unbearable pain. This time, he felt like a sharp object was pierced through both his eyes and ripped it out, rendered him completely blind!

 _"Now the price you must pay is your sight, which sent you to the world of eternal darkness…"_

"… S… SHUT UP!" Korben replied.

"… I will ask you again, will you—"

"My answer is still NO! Don't try to—ARGRGGRGRGRGGRGRGGR!" Korben spoke up, but before he could finish his words, he felt another unbearable pain at the side of his body, and he felt his ears being ripped from his body, which rendered him completely deaf!

 _"Now you lost your ability to hear… And yet you still stand with your idea, despite all the pain you feel."_ This time, while he was already deaf, Korben 'heard' the voice of Giratina right in his mind, as they were talking to him using telepathy instead. _"How do you feel right now? Are you able to endure all the pain you're feeling right now? Or are you desperate for the embrace of death?"_

"N… No…" Korben replied with a shaking voice. "I will… n… never submit to the l… like of you…"

 _"If that's so… Then… Let me ask you again, and if your answer still remains the same, the only wish you will have afterward is death, mortal. Will you form a pact with me?"_

"N… NO!" Korben replied, and his words were immediately answered by him paying the last price. This time, he didn't let out any cry, as he could no longer do it as his body was ripped apart, like a rock that was blown apart by a bomb into countless pieces. The only thing left at where the body of the Kommo-o was was a single glowing light, which was none other than Korben's soul…

 _"… You impress me, mortal."_ Giratina spoke up as they gazed at Korben's soul. _"You believe in your virtue of fairness, and you still stand by it, even when you have to pay the price with your body. I must say that I can't remember the last time a mortal managed to impress me like this."_

"…" Korben didn't answer Giratina's words, for that he no longer capable to do so.

 _"But now that you have lost everything, including your limbs, your senses, and your body. You will now able to focus on you and yourself even more, don't you think?"_

"…" Korben didn't reply to Giratina.

 _"Now that you have time to be with yourself, you must have seen things from a new light, and so, I will ask you one last time, and your answer won't matter, for that its consequence would be the same. Will you form a pact with me?"_

"…"

 _"… I have received your answer, mortal. And so, let's begin."_

After finished speaking, the silhouette of Giratina turned into a eerie black light, which gradually approached Korben's soul and merged with it.

 _"Now that our pact are formed, our souls are bound. My power is yours, and your soul is mine, mortal."_

* * *

"…"

"…"

"Yawn…"

The Kommo-o slowly opened his eyes as he woke up. As he tried to adjust his sight, he saw the familiar vision right in front of him.

"…This is…" Korben mumbled as he looked right in front of him and saw that he was in his own room in the Pendracomonium, and he was sleeping in his own bed.

"When did I—Wait…" Korben mumbled before his memory started flooding into his head. The first thing he did was looking at himself. He then realized that he could still see, hear, and his arms and legs still existed, and so do his body.

"What… just happened?" Korben mumbled as he looked at his body, which showed no sight of injury other than some bandages that were wrapped around some parts of his body, which most likely the injuries he got from the battle at the Newmoon Temple. However, he still remembered the pain he felt when his organs were ripped from his body…

"… Good morning, Korben."

A calm voice was heard by the Kommo-o from beside him, and as he turned his head to the source of the voice, he saw a Latios with a chronicle watching him from beside his bed.

"R… Richard?" Korben spoke up. "What are you doing here? And… When did I come back here?"

"… After you fell down, we carried you back here." Richard answered with a calm voice. "And for your information, you slept for only just one night, which made the whole time you fell unconscious nothing different from an ordinary sleep."

"… I see." Korben mumbled in response.

"… But most of us know that you didn't just fall asleep randomly." Richard continued speaking. "So, how's your meeting with your Dragon Legend?"

"Drago—What?!" Korben looked at the Latios in confusion. "H… How did you know about… this?!"

"Not just me. All of us know this since most of us could feel it due to 8 of us had already formed a pact with different Legendary Pokemon, including me." Richard answered. "Baromyteus and Anastasia could even pinpoint which Legendary Pokemon you met, but since that Pokemon lives in a different realm, we couldn't do much except for waiting for you to wake up."

"So… It's true…" Korben said as he looked at his paws. "I… I already formed a pact with a Legendary Pokemon."

"… Judge by the identity of the Dragon Legend that formed a pact with you, I can assume that it wasn't a pleasant experience, was it?" Richard said.

"…" Korben didn't response to the Latios.

"Anyway, as I am the 'doctor' of our group, I came here to check your health." Richard continued speaking. "But since you seem to be fine, I will take my leave."

"W… Wait a sec…" Korben spoke up again. "A… Are you sure that I will be fine?"

"If you're talking about the pact, don't worry about it. You will be fine." Richard answered. "The only negative thing from forming a pact with a Legendary Pokemon, not counting the social stigma, is the fact that you will be cursed to lose something in your life…"

"So… This is no different than everyone else who wished upon that diadem..." Korben said.

"… I don't think so." Richard said, turning the attention of the Kommo-o to him. "It's true that the pact gave you a benefit at the cost of losing something in your life, the thing that you will lose doesn't have to affect other Pokemon, unlike the wish-granting altar at the Newmoon Temple. Also, unlike that altar, you didn't just do it one thing and get over it. You are bound by your action for as long as the pact exists. With these, I would say that forming a pact is different from asking for a wish."

"… If you say so…" Korben said.

"Then, I will go now." Richard said as he moved toward the door of the room, only to stop when the Kommo-o spoke up again.

"One last question, Richard…" Korben spoke up. "… Where's everyone right now?"

"If you're referring to everyone in our group…" Richard answered. "Rachael, Freya, Claura and Anastasia are having a tea party at the lounge on Floor B2. Zetarus and Diego went to Valley of No Return to hunt some games. Snow's preparing lunch in the kitchen. Baromyteus' in the Meeting Room, and he's calling me and Xavier to meet him right now."

"Wait…" Korben said. "Baromyteus called you and Xavier to meet him right now?"

"Yes. I plan to go there after I finish checking you." Richard said. "I assume that he wants to talk about our next plan now that we have already finished our mission at the Shadowlost Territory."

"… And where's Sirius?" Korben asked.

"… He's exploring the cave on Floor B5." Richard replied. For some reason, Korben knew that the Latios didn't mention Sirius in the first place on purpose. "And speaking of Shadowlost Territory reminds me one more thing…"

Richard didn't say anything more. Instead, he used his eyes to direct the Kommo-o's attention to something that was lying next to his bed, which was none other than…

"T… The diadem?!" Korben spoke with a voice that showed both surprise and disgust toward the artifact next to his bed. "W… What's it doing here?"

"It was with you when we brought you back here." Richard answered. "And since it's now your Dragon Relic, destroying it is out of option."

"Dragon Relic?" Korben repeated the words he heard.

"It's the prove of your pact with the Legendary Pokemon." Richard explained. "You can use it to communicate with your Dragon Legend, and you can use it to harbor your Dragon Legend's power by summoning them to help you in the battle too. Also, since the Legendary Pokemon could communicate with each other, we also use it as a way to communicate with each other too, not counting Freya, Snow and Sirius who didn't form a pact with the Legendary Pokemon as of now. So, no matter what you do, do not ever lose it."

"…" Korben looked at the diadem right next to him. He didn't know what to feel after hearing the words of the Latios.

"… I think I should go for real. If I'm late, Baromyteus won't be happy with me." Richard spoke up. "… See you, Korben."

After finished speaking, Richard moved toward the door and exited the room, leaving Korben in the room alone.

"…" After Richard left the room, Korben reached his paw to the diadem and grabbed it. As soon as he touched it, he could feel a dreadful energy coming out of it.

"… Giratina." Korben spoke to the diadem. "… Can you hear me?"

 _"I have been waiting for you, Korben."_ Giratina spoke to the Kommo-o via the Black Moon, the black diamond located in the middle of the diadem.

"So… Everything that happened… It wasn't a dream, was it?" Korben said.

 _"Yes, and now, you and I are bound by the pact we formed."_ Giratina said. _"With the Diadem of Chaos in your possession, now you can ask for my power me in a battle, and I will answer your plea by striking fear into the heart of your enemies with my power, Shadow Force. However, keep in mind that everything has its own price, and you'll have to pay the price with your soul every time you summon me."_

"You mean… That I'll have to sacrifice my Hp in order to summon you?" Korben said.

 _"Correct."_ Giratina answered. _"Considering that my power is far greater than the power of other Legendary Pokemon your friends had formed a pact with, your soul is a reasonable price that you must pay for using my power, don't you agree?"_

"… I was right." Korben mumbled. "I was right to decide to form a pact with you, Giratina."

 _"And what do you mean by that?"_ Giratina asked.

"… I don't care if you'll continue torturing me when I refuse to form a pact with you or not…" Korben spoke up. "But if I still refuse to form a pact with you, sooner or later, there will be other Pokemon who faces the same fate as me, and I don't want anyone else to suffer like me. That's why I chose to harbor your power and accept this curse into my soul, for that no one else would suffer like me."

 _"Oh? Didn't you talk like a real hero?"_ Giratina said. _"But don't try to conceal it from me. Deep down, you still wish to really harbor my power for your own benefit, don't you? After all, no one in this world would do anything that doesn't benefit them, for that the greed in their heart would motivate them to perform the action that benefit them, no matter what it may seem like."_

"… At least no one would have their soul stolen by you again." Korben mumbled.

 _"Again, you misunderstood me."_ Giratina said. _"Losing part of your soul when you summon me doesn't have anything to do with the curse of losing something in your life after forming a pact with me. It's just me taking the price of my power."_

"Then.." Korben looked at the diadem in his paw. "What is it? What was I cursed to lose when I formed a pact with you?"

 _"You may not realize it yet, for that the time hasn't come."_ Giratina answered. _"But when the time come, you'll finally have your answer you seek."_

"…" Korben looked at the diadem. Then he gently lifted it up and placed it above his head, wearing it on his head. "… Now that this thing is mine, I'll wear it."

 _"Good choice."_ Giratina commented. _"If you wish to speak to me, call my name, and I'll answer you as long as the Diadem of Chaos is with you."_

"… Okay." Korben said as he got out of his bed. "Then… Talk to you later, Giratina. For now, I'll need to find my friends."

 _"Then, I wish your foes an endless suffering."_ Giratina said before his presence disappeared from the diadem.

"… Next…" Korben mumbled before he approached the door and exited his room.

* * *

 **-Meanwhile…**

"Thank you for letting me borrows this!"

Rachael spoke with a cheerful voice as she handed over a book to Anastasia, who was sitting beside her. Right now, the four dragonesses of the Pendragon, Rachael, Freya, Claura and Anastasia were having a tea party in the lounge of the Pendracomonium.

"Thank you." Anastasia said as she received the book from the Latias. "Did you like it?"

"Yes, I like it…" Rachael answered. "Though it's such a sad story with a tragic end, which I'm not very fond of."

"But the story you lent me before we went to Shadowlost Territory is also very sad too." Anastasia said.

"I bought it because I thought it's going to have a happy ending." Rachael replied.

"Oh…" Freya spoke up. "D… Do you mean the story you told us when we were having a bath? The one about two lovers who fought in the war together?"

"Yes, that one…" Anastasia said.

"I… want to know what happen next." Freya said. "You said that their love is perfect, with nothing that could separate them, and none of them were killed by their enemies. So… How did their story end up as a tragedy?"

"Tell me about it too…" Claura spoke up. "I am kinda interested in this story too."

"… The man wishes to build a nation where he would rule over with his beloved fiancée by his side. However, while they've won so many battles, their victory in the war didn't last forever…" Anastasia said with a sad voice. "Soon, their enemies started to gain an upper hand as they gradually regained the land they've lost in the war, forcing the armies of the two lovers to retreat back to their land. However, the man's loss of battle left a huge emotional wound to himself, who views himself as someone with no equal, and this wound gradually expanded when their enemies started invading their land and won over his army in a battle. This made the man gradually lost his mind, despite the woman's attempt to comfort him."

"…" Freya, Claura and even Rachael carefully listened to Anastasia. For some reason, they started to feel uneasy as the story went on.

"And in the end, they lost everything…" Anastasia said with a sad voice. "Their army lost the war as all of their lands were claimed by their enemies, leaving the man, the one who was called the god of war, emotionally devastated, with is unbearable for him. The feeling of shame and disgrace he got from the war was too much for him, and even his beloved fiancée wasn't enough to comfort him. The negative feelings soon overcame him as he completely lost his mind, and he turned to his last resort. He asked for the blessing of the dark god in the story, for a power that could defeat his enemies, with a price…"

"O… Oh, no!" Freya said. "D… Don't tell me that…"

"… The price was his beloved fiancée." Anastasia said with a grim voice. "His fiancée was sacrificed to the dark god, turning her into the thrall of the dark god, but again, it could be said that the man also died the moment he asked the dark god for power."

"No…" Freya said as she covered her mouth. "This is… so sad…"

"… But even with the power of the dark god, the man still lost to his enemies." Anastasia continued the story. "But this is actually a good thing, as being defeated freed both the man and the woman from the dark god's grasp. In their last moment of life, the woman told the man that she didn't hate him for what he had done, for that she knew that the heart of her fiancé. The man apologized to his fiancée for everything he had done, and promise her that he would find a land where they could be together, and their story ended as both of them depart to the Afterlife together."

"This… is such a tragedy." Freya said. "I felt very bad for both of them, but at least, I felt at ease that both of them are freed and be together at the end…"

"…" Claura didn't say anything after the Goodra finished her story. However, she seemed like she wanted to say something.

"Claura?" Noticing the Kingdra's reaction to her story, Anastasia decided to ask her. "You seem to have something on your mind. If you want to, you can share it with us."

"… I am just surprised how real this story can be." Claura spoke up. "After all, this story is eerily similar to what happened at the Newmoon Temple…"

"…" Rachael, Freya and Anastasia's faces suddenly turned grim at the mention of the event at Newmoon Temple.

"You can see it too, right?" Claura said. "At the beginning, the chancellor of Shadowlost Territory seemed calm, and we could see her confidence as she battled Baromyteus because she wanted to kill him as a revenge of him killing her husband. However, as the battle proceeded, she gradually became more and more frustrating of not only Baromyteus started to overpower her, but her younger brother, the Serpent General, also refused to listen to her too. And when Baromyteus defeated her, she had lost her mind and turned to the Legendary Pokemon inside that diadem, which granted her power at the price of her sister, the Somber Priestess,'s life. I think it could be said that she didn't die when the Serpent General snapped her neck, but she died as soon as she was given power from the diadem."

"… That's… That's truly tragic…" Rachael mumbled.

"Yeah…" Freya said. "While they're our enemies, I can't help but feel bad for all of them. They didn't deserve this."

"… For me, while I am not very fond of those Hero/ine of Legend, I still can't help but feel pity toward them, especially the chancellor." Claura commented.

"But at least, all of them are finally freed, or at least I hope so…" Anastasia said. "Their story also helped inspiring the song I'm writing right now."

"The song?" Rachael looked at the Goodra. "Oh, that's right. You said that you're writing a song from the story you told us earlier."

"Right." Anastasia said. "I plan that the song of mine may sound like power is the key to the victory you want to achieve. However, the true meaning of that song is that everything has its own price, even the power or the victory you seek. My song may seem like it encourages you to obtain power for the victory you seek, but it will actually reminds you that they will have to pay the price for the power they want to obtain, and it's often that the power they received isn't worth the price they must pay."

"That's deep." Claura commented. "I hope that it'll be complete soon."

"Me too!" Rachael said.

"S… So do I." Freya said.

"Thank you, everyone." Anastasia said with a gentle smile on her face. However, their conversation was soon interrupted with the sound of someone knocking the door of the room.

"KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!"

"Oh! Come on in!" Rachael said.

The door of the room then opened, revealing another Pokemon stand at the entrance of the room. Upon seeing him, Freya quickly stood from her seat and approached him.

"K… Korben!" Freya said with a cheerful voice as she saw the Kommo-o. "Y… You're alright! I was so worried about you."

"I'm sorry for making you worry." Korben replied with a calm voice as he entered the room. "But now, I am already recovered, so you won't have to worry about me anymore."

"T… That's a relief..." Freya said.

"Anyway…" Korben turned his attention to the other three Pokemon who were still sitting at their seats, looking at him. "I am sorry that I interrupted your party, but… Anastasia, may I speak to you alone for a few minutes?"

"Oh, of course." Anastasia said as she stood up from her seat. "My brother's at the Meeting Room, so we should be fine."

"Great." Korben said before he looked at the other three Pokemon in the room. "Freya, Rachael, Claura, I'll borrow Anastasia for a few minutes."

"Okay." Rachael, Freya and Claura replied.

"I'll be back soon." Anastasia said as she approached the door of the room, and then the Kommo-o and the Goodra left the room together.

"So…" After exiting the room, Anastasia spoke up with a gentle voice. "What do you wish to speak with me, Korben?"

"… Anastasia." After looking around the main hall of Floor B2 to make sure that no one else was here, Korben spoke up to the Goodra with a serious voice. "Please tell me what happened on your side during the… Dragon Massacre, specifically the part when you, Baromyteus and Dimitri left the village to fight in the enemy territory together."

* * *

 **Meanwhile…**

"… Sorry that I'm late."

Baromyteus turned the attention to the door of the Meeting Room, which was just closed after Richard entered the room. The Latios then approached him and found that, other than him and Baromyteus, Xavier was also here too.

"Finally…" Xavier mumbled. "Thought I should say that you should take more time to come here, so that I will have more time to sleep."

"I have just visited Korben." Richard ignored the Dragonite as he spoke to the Shiny Haxorus. "He has already woke up. Overall, his condition seems to be fine… Not counting the fact that he had already formed a pact with a Legendary Pokemon."

"… I see…" Baromyteus spoke with his arms crossed.

"Then… Let's get this over with, so that I would be able to go back to sleep…" Xavier said as he looked at Baromyteus. "You want to discuss over next course with us, right?"

"I thought that the choice is obvious." Richard said. "Among two Hero/ine of Legend during the Fallen Crisis that are still alive, one is missing right now, and the other one is in the Theocracy of Venturnome. With this, I think our next course is already set."

"You're right." Baromyteus said. "But that's not what I want to talk with both of you today."

"Then, what's your reason for taking away our free time?" Xavier asked.

"… I saw your reaction to the whole thing during our mission at Newmoon Temple…" Baromyteus spoke up with a serious voice. "… And I can see that both of you must have realized this already."

"… What are you talking about?" Xavier asked.

"I'm talking about Korben and… him." Baromyteus replied as he gazed at the Latios and the Dragonite.

"Oh… That." Richard mumbled as he looked at Xavier, who seemed to also understand what Baromyteus was talking about.

"… Thought it's no surprise that both of you were also able to figure it out, considered that you two are the smartest one of us." Baromyteus said.

"… What does it have to do with you calling us here?" Richard asked.

"… Since Korben doesn't seem to aware of this fact yet, and we're the only 3 Pokemon in our group that figure this out…" Baromyteus continued speaking. "I want all of us to keep this as a secret from everyone else, especially Korben himself."

"… And what is the reason for doing that?" Richard asked.

"… Just look how much that he has suffered in his entire life so far…" Baromyteus said. "He lost his mother before he even born, and 3 years ago, which is just a few weeks ago for us, he lost everything in his life, be his home, his friends, and his family, and now, he has just died right in front of his eyes. If he knows the truth, I am sure that he'll break beyond repair, which is something that we don't want to happen."

"Oh, please…" Xavier spoke up. "Baromyteus, you can't just go around and tell other Pokemon not to break the law while you just do it yourself."

"What?" Baromyteus said as he gazed at the Dragonite.

"Don't think that no one was able to see what you've done these fast few days." Xavier continued speaking. "You have been acting like a jerk to the poor Kommo-o these past few days, am I right?"

"While I can say that you are far from being the nicest Pokemon, you didn't act like this to Korben before." Richard said. "I think you started acting like this to him after our meeting in this very room before going to Shadowlost Territory—"

"That has nothing to do with both of you!" Baromyteus suddenly spoke up with an intimidating voice.

"Yeah, I know…" Xavier said. "But you can't just go around and tell other Pokemon not to do what you constantly do to him like this."

"I have my own reason for doing that, which has nothing to do with this!" Baromyteus said.

"… Even if we don't talk about that, I'm still surprise that it's you, of all Pokemon, who wishes to conceal this truth from Korben, considering that you hate lies and deceptions more than anything." Richard spoke up.

"… Not speaking of the truth isn't a lie." Baromyteus spoke up. "It's like a demon that was sealed beneath the earth. If the seal is never broken or weakened, the demon will never emerge from the ground."

"But that would be a deception, isn't it?" Xavier said. "This would mean that we will deceit Korben with his ignorance, which is still something that you despise, Baromyteus."

"… If I can't convince both of you with my words…" Baromyteus spoke with an intimidating voice as he reached his paw to the hilts of his swords. "Then, I have no choice but to—"

"Don't do that, please…"

"!" The attention of Baromyteus, Richard and Xavier were drawn to the entrance of the Meeting Room as the door was opened, with another Pokemon stepping into the room. What truly surprised all of them was that this Pokemon was none other than the very same Pokemon they were talking about.

"Korben?" Richard was the first one to speak up as the Kommo-o closed the door behind him. "… You have been eavesdropping us, haven't you?"

"… I wouldn't say that it's eavesdropping, considering that I can somewhat hear your voices when I was just standing in front of the room." Korben said. "But that doesn't matter, because I have an idea of what you all are talking about. However, you all have no need to argue about it any further, because I already know the truth, even before we came back here."

"…" Richard, Xavier and Baromyteus said nothing as Korben paused speaking for a bit, and then he continued.

"I was able to figure it out even before our battle at the Newmoon Temple." Korben said with a hint of sadness in his voice. "And I'm very sure that he knew that I'm his son from the moment he knew that I'm the child of my mother, Diadora, for that she's his wife."

"… Since when did you figure this out?" Richard asked.

"At the exact same time I figure out the identity of the one who sent me the blackmail." Korben said as he reached his paw and showed everyone the note that contained the third blackmail sent to him. "At first, I had an inkling that this handwriting seems familiar, but I was able to figure it out as I saw that my name that was written at the end of the message. The handwriting of my name is exactly the same as the handwriting that wrote my name on the small piece of paper that my mother had with her alongside the egg that contained me when she came back to my village 18 years ago. While the paper was already lost in the Dragon Massacre, I still remember that handwriting, because I've looked at it so many times that there's no way that I could forget it."

"But that would only tell that it's your father who sent you the blackmail. It still doesn't tell that the one behind everything is him." Richard said.

"Yeah, at first, I still can't link from the handwriting I saw to him…" Korben said. "But when I start to reconsider it, everything rapidly started to shed the light. I mean, as I said before, who could be capable of sending the first blackmail to me, considering that it's in my room at the inn, and Xavier is there the whole time, and Zetarus is the only one who entered the room before I did. The only answer I could think of at that time was that someone must have disguised as Zetarus in order to enter my room without any causing any suspicion. From here, when you think of the disguise and Shadowlost Territory together, the thing that we would think of is Zoroark, a Pokemon that's capable of disguising themselves via illusion. From here, he is the first one that I suspect as he's the only Zoroark I know who could also be my father, and when I think back to his reaction when he's around me, I became very sure that he's the one who sent me the blackmail, as well as my real father."

"His reaction?" Richard questioned.

"While he was the one who sent me all the blackmails I got, and he also knocked me out and locked me in the shack, all he did was trying to protect me." Korben said. "I can't say that I really know what my father was thinking, but… The reason he did all of that is because he's trying to protect me, for that I'm in a group that will have a duel to death with the chancellor, and he didn't want to risk getting me killed, and if I left the Shadowlost Territory, the diadem would also be taken away from the land of darkness too, so it couldn't cause any harm to anyone. However, I still refused to leave, so he had no choice but to lock me in that shack, and he also took the diadem from me because he didn't want it to cause any more harm, especially to me."

"... If that's true, then why did he challenge you to battle him at the Newmoon Temple?" Xavier asked.

"I can't say for sure, but… Since I was already at the Newmoon Temple instead of still being locked inside the shack, he decided to take the matter into his own account and challenge me to battle him, for that if he didn't, I still have to battle the chancellor, which is at risk of me being killed." Korben replied. "And during the battle, you can see that all he did was attacking me, despite that his battle style is at a disadvantage against mine. The reason he did it was to prevent his sisters from attacking me, as I would be at a disadvantage against the chancellor and the Somber Priestess in the battle, even if it's at the risk of him being killed."

"That's very reckless of him." Richard commented. "But again, everything he did was reckless, so it's no surprise here…"

"Yes, but… He's actually desperate…" Korben said. "I, the child that he didn't know of, suddenly appeared, only to be walking on the path of doom. He had lost his wife, and his own son is in peril. With this, he would do anything in order to protect his own son, even if it means that he has to pay the price with his life…"

"You think too highly of him." Baromyteus said with his arms crossed. "It's true that he's your father, but you barely knew him before he roasted himself. You don't even know what his favorite food is, so how can you say that you really know what he's really thinking?"

"I never said that I know how he felt or thought…" Korben said. "But that's what I assume based on what I know about him, and since he's already gone, there's no way that I will know the truth."

"And you just create an illusion for yourself to cope with?" Baromyteus said with an intimidating voice. "That's nothing different than lying to you."

"… It's not a lie if we don't know if it's a truth or a lie…" Korben said with a faint smile on his face. "And Baromyteus, you don't have to continue pretending like that…"

"What?" Baromyteus said as he gazed at the Kommo-o in front of him.

"You have been antagonized me for these past few days. However, now, I can see that it's not what you really feel about me. You just pretend to be a jerk to me, am I right?" Korben said.

"… But this still doesn't change the fact that I killed Dimitri, your best friend." Baromyteus continued speaking. "This still made me—"

"There's always more than one truth, no matter what it may seem…" Korben said. "I already asked your sister about what happened during the Dragon Massacre, and she already told me the truth about you and Dimitri…"

"… You spoke to my sister?" Baromyteus said with a hint of anger in his voice.

"Yes, but that's beside my point here…" Korben said. "She told me the whole story, about what happened when you three left the village to fight in the enemy territory, and how Dimitri died. It's true that you are really the one who killed Dimitri. However, you didn't intend to do so, but it was your enemy who grabbed Dimitri off-guard and used him as a shield from your attack, while you were losing yourself in a battle."

"…" Baromyteus said nothing as he looked at the Kommo-o with his arms crossed.

"… My grandfather once told me something…" Korben continued speaking "In order to count that someone's at the guilt of killing other Pokemon, there are five conditions that must all be fulfilled. First, that victim must be alive. Second, the killer must know that the victim is alive. Third, the killer must have the intention to kill the victim. Forth, the killer must attempt to kill the victim. And fifth, the victim must die following the killer's attempt. For you, Baromyteus, your action of killing Dimitri didn't have all five conditions for, for that you didn't intend to kill him, and thus, for me, you aren't responsible for Dimitri's death, so there's nothing that—"

"But that still doesn't change the fact that I did it." Baromyteus said. "And do you think that I really care about you and your nonsense conditions?"

"… If you really wish to continue thinking that you're guilty of killing Dimitri, then you're free to do so." Korben said. "Our adventure in Shadowlost Territory had taught me one more thing. Only you's capable of hurting yourself. So…"

"Heh…" Xavier spoke up as he looked at the Kommo-o with a look of interest in his eyes. "Our little Korben has grown up so much in such a short time. You must be proud of your son, Baromyteus."

"What did you just say, Xavier?!" Baromyteus said with an intimidating voice as he glared at Xavier.

"Aw… Don't look at me like that…" Xavier said, ignoring Baromyteus' deadly glare. "Before he died, he entrusted his son to your care, didn't he? That makes you his adoptive father, Baromyteus."

"I'm not!" Baromyteus roared at the Dragonite.

"And why is that?" Richard asked with a curious voice.

"… If I would be a father, I would teach my child to be tough, relentless and aggressive, so that they could survive in this cruel world." Baromyteus said. "And this Kommo-o here won't like it!"

"… That's what you did to him these past few days, didn't you?" Richard said. "You basically act like the kind of father you just described—"

"Do you want me to act like that to you too?" Baromyteus said to the Latios with an intimidating voice, which immediately shut him up.

"And so…" Korben spoke up again as he looked at the Shiny Haxorus. "Baromyteus, you can drop your act now, for that I can see that you didn't really intend to be antagonized toward me."

"… If you say so…" Baromyteus said. "Beside, I have no need to do it anymore now that you have formed a pact with… THAT one Legendary Pokemon, for that they would do my job instead, and they're much better at it than me."

"What are you talking about?" Korben said. "Also… I still don't understand one more thing. Why did you have to pretend to be a jerk to me? What's your reason for doing so?"

"… I refuse to answer that." Baromyteus said. "All I can tell you is that I have a reason for doing so, which I refuse to tell you for the rest of our lives."

"If that's so, then, it's fine…" Korben said.

"And so, we have nothing else to speak here." Baromyteus said. "Richard, Xavier, Koren, you're dismissed."

"Finally…" Xavier said as he walked toward the door of the Meeting Room. "If you want to find me, you know where to find me and what I would be doing when you find me."

"Me too…" Richard said. "See you then."

After finished speaking, Xavier and Richard left the Meeting Room, leaving Baromyteus and Korben in the room.

"… I guess I should go to." Baromyteus said as he approached the exit of the room.

"Where're you going?" Korben asked.

"… I'll go to Valley of No Return to help Zetarus and Diego." Baromyteus replied. "And I'll be back around dinner time."

"Okay…" Korben said as he watched the Shiny Haxorus leaving the room, but just before he left, Baromyteus turned back and spoke to the Kommo-o one more time.

"Korben…" Baromyteus spoke up as he looked at the Kommo-o with an unreadable looking in his eyes. "What I said to you during our first night in the land of darkness… I wasn't lying. If you ever make a mistake, I'll still be the one who puts an end to you. Never forget this."

"…" Korben silently nodded to the Shiny Haxorus, who left the room after acknowledging the Kommo-o's response.

"… I should go too." Korben mumbled to himself before he left the room.

* * *

 **-A Few Minutes Later…**

The Kommo-o arrived back in his own room. After looking at the time, he realized that the lunch time's still about an hour from now.

"… Maybe I should do some training, or should I do meditation?" Korben mumbled to himself. "Or maybe I should take it easy today and lost myself in the books that Freya lent me…"

The Kommo-o then grabbed his bag and looked through his stuffs. However, while he was doing so, he found something in his bag that he didn't remember he had one.

"What's this?" Korben said as he pulled the unfamiliar object out. It was a white envelope, similar to the one that contained the second blackmail sent to him, the same one he got from the Serpent General during his second night in the Shadowlost Territory. However, as he looked at it closely, he found that this envelope had four words written on it, and he immediately recognized the handwriting.

 _"To Korben, My Son."_

"H… How did he…" Korben said while looking at the envelope with a look of surprise on his face, before he realized it. "C… Could it be that he slipped it into my bag after he knocked me out, and I didn't have a change to check my bag until now… If that's so, then…"

Korben's paws were trembling as he carefully opened the envelope, which had nothing but a single letter inside. As he pulled the letter out, he could recognize that the handwriting on the letter indeed was his father's.

* * *

 _To Korben Forcenter the Kommo-o_

 _I didn't plan to let you know about the truth, but since you have already figured it out who I am, I guess you also deserve to know the truth about me and everything I've done._

 _I met your mother, Diadora Forcenter the Kommo-o, about more than two decades ago. She suddenly appeared as the new priestess of Newmoon Temple, which caused a little surprise to me as her kind is very rare in this land, but I didn't get a chance to speak with her much other than a normal greeting. However, we gradually became closer as we often met each other since I usually paid a visit to the Newmoon Temple (Come to think about it, she appeared just a few years before the artifact's true nature was exposed.), and we always have a chance to speak with each other every time we met, and we soon became friend of each other._

 _Finally, she told me the reason she came here. She said that she left her village in order to find her close friend, who had left her village several years ago, even before the time of Fallen Crisis. She had been searching for her in many places, but she couldn't find anything about it, until she reached Shadowlost Territory. Here, she discovered the grave of her friend at the old graveyard near the abandoned Lunar Village. However, she still wished to know more about her friend's fate, so she decided to work as a priestess here while trying to find more clue about her friend. And when I asked her more about her friend's name, I found that her friend, Helen the Haxorus, is actually my uncle's wife, and so, I could inform her the fate of her friend, for that my uncle, Eric the Zoroark, also lived next to my family, for that he's my father's brother._

 _You may have heard about the berserk Pokemon who appeared outside the Lunar Village 7 years before the monster of the Skeleton Woods appeared, or 50 years ago. That berserk Pokemon killed one female Pokemon from the Lunar Village, and it caused her husband to face a miserable death. Their two sons later mysteriously disappeared afterward, along with that berserk Pokemon. The victim to the berserk Pokemon is, unfortunately, none other than Diadora's friend, Helen, and her husband who died shortly afterward is my uncle, Eric. Their two sons who mysteriously disappeared are my cousins, Noirus the Zoroark and Blumiere the Shiny Haxorus. By the time everything happened, I was quite young, but I still remember it clearly, for that Fenrir, Hel, and I were very close to Noirus and Blumiere, and I was able to inform Diadora the fate of her friend. She didn't say much other than thanking me from letting her know the fate of her friend. Then I asked what would she do next, now that she already found what she was looking for. She told me that she wished to stay here a bit longer, as she also wanted to learn more about the world outside her village._

 _Time passed, we gradually became closer and closer, and finally, we started to have a feeling for each other. We later confessed our feeling to each other, for that our feelings are mutual, and we planned to announce our relationship to the public soon, and she would quit being a priestess in order to marry me. For the time being, we would secretly meet each other at Diadora's house, as her house is located outside the city, and be with each other. We trust each other with our life, and she even trust me enough to reveal the true nature of her village, a place where many Dragon type Pokemon live in isolation in the inaccessible valley, which is another reason why she decided to leave her village, to see the world outside the valley. We even go so far to come up with several names of our child, and one of the name I came up is Korben, a name that she likes more than any other name. I must say, that few years with her is perhaps the most wonderful time in my life, and I wish that our happiness would last forever…_

 _And then, everything changed when the true nature of New Moon Temple's artifact was discovered, and it brought many pains and suffering to the Pokemon of Shadowlost. As the general of Shadowlost, I have a duty to protect the Pokemon from Shadowlost from harm, but this time, my opponent isn't the invaders from the outside. It was the unseen force that we didn't truly understand, and I don't know how would I fight against such opponent. With this, there's only one thing that I can do…_

 _I must destroy the diadem, the cursed artifact of Newmoon Temple…_

 _However, I am aware that such an arcane artifact couldn't be destroyed by a normal method. It must be destroyed using a special method, a method that could overcome its power. The only method I could think of is to wish upon the artifact, to ask it to destroy itself. When I told Diadora about this, she was scared because she knew very well how the artifact works. If I wish upon the artifact, even if the artifact will destroy itself afterward, I may have to pay the price of my wish. I didn't wish to hurt anyone, for that I already lost too much. And so, if it happens that I have to pay the price of my wish, I planned to pay the price with my life._

 _Diadora didn't agree with me. She asked me not to do so, for that she didn't want me to sacrifice myself to save everyone, but I didn't listen to her. As the general of Shadowlost Territory, I have to put my duty of saving my people above all. I was stubborn and foolish too, for that I believe everything will work in the end, and I could do it on my own._

 _Alas… Things didn't go as I want it to be._

 _Desperate to prevent me from risking my life, Diadora decided to steal the artifact from the Newmoon Temple. She left a message to me that she will take the diadem to the place where it couldn't hurt anyone, so that I wouldn't have to risk my life. After seeing her message and saw that the artifact's gone, I felt like my heart was ripped from my chest, I quickly went after her, but I couldn't do much because Bloodmoon War happened shortly afterward, and I have to command the army of Shadowlost, but my heart was still cold, for that my beloved one is missing, at the time of war too. After the war ended, I quickly went to look after her. I was able to figure out that she would return to her village in the inaccessible valley, as it's a place isolated from the outside world, so that the artifact couldn't hurt anyone. However, I couldn't find the entrance to the inaccessible valley, and Diadora still didn't return. At this point, I realized what a fool I was, and so, I made a promise to myself that, should I meet her again, I will not let her go, and I wouldn't ignore my heart again, for that I do not wish to lose her again._

 _But she never returns, and I haven't heard from her ever since…_

 _And then… Three years ago, we received a request from the Hero of Justice. He requested Shadowlost Territory, as well as six other nations of Symmetria, to send our special force to join a mission at the inaccessible valley, for that Pontifex Hawkins' murderer had fled into that place, and they already discovered the entrance to the inaccessible valley. Since it's a request from her husband, Fenrir immediately answered his request. I, on the other hand, know what everyone else didn't know. I know of Diadora's village in the inaccessible valley, but since Diadora asked me to keep the existence of her village a secret, the only thing I could do was stubbornly refuse to oblige to her order, for that I have no wish to cause any harm to befall on her village, for that Diadora might be there. That's, unfortunately, the only thing I could do, which still didn't change anything. After it ended, I heard from the survivors of the battle that they massacred everyone who lived in the village in the valley. At that most, I felt like my heart was torn apart from my body before being shattered into countless pieces, like it would never be the same again, for that I realized that my beloved one had gone beyond my reach forever…_

 _All of this is because I am not capable of protecting her… Because I was stubborn and foolish…_

 _When I met you for the first time at the entrance of Shadowlost City, I have a suspicion about you, for that you greatly reminded me of your mother, and this was confirmed when you introduced yourself. I immediately knew that you are Diadora's child, for that not only you are of the same specie, same surname, and same birthplace as her, but your name is also the very same name I came up with for our child. You can't imagine the joy of a man who thought that his wife is gone forever, only for his own child to show up unannounced. However, his own child is currently walking in a dangerous place, and he may die soon following his group's promise with my sister. I knew all of these, and I refused to lose you again, for that I have lost too much in my life. I will do anything to keep you alive, even if it means that I have to spill my venom. However, I knew that I have no right to be his father, for that I failed to protect his mother, and so, I decided not to let him know who I am while I carried out my plan to save him._

 _I was reckless and desperate…_

 _Because I can't talk to him directly, the only way I could think of was to send him a warning message. The reason why it had to be a blackmail is because I fear you will just be more curious if I just send you a normal message to tell you to leave, and I hope that a blackmail is enough for you, for that I can see that your mind isn't stable, which is not a surprise considering that you have just lost everything in your life. However, it didn't work, and it became even worse when I discovered that you have the lost artifact with you. That's why I tried harder to get both you and the lost artifact out of this land, but you still refused to leave, and you were even able to figure things out. With this, I have to resort to my last resort. I decided to knock you out and lock you in a shack, which was where Diadora stayed while she was in the land of darkness, and hope that you will be able to get out of it after everything's over. The reason why I took the diadem from you because I realize that, even if you can be saved, the diadem would still be exist, and no matter what happen, it would still be able to cause pain and suffering again. That's why I decide to carry out what I planned to do earlier, to destroy the diadem. I plan to destroy it at any cost, even if I have to die in doing so. If it means that I would be able to save everyone, including my son, from pain and suffering, then I have no regret in doing so._

 _That's everything about me, about my story and your mother's story. By the time you read this letter, I'm sure that I would be dead by now, but if I happened to still be alive, do not stop me, for that I will not let anyone stop me, even you. Do not shed your tear for me, because I'm not worth your sorrow, after all the pain and suffering I brought to you and your mother. All I wish is for you to survive in this world, my son. If everything I did could save your life, then I have no regret. I'll probably meet your mother on this side too, and if I did, I promise that we both will look after you and see how your story would proceed, even from another life._

 _Jormungand Illunight the Zoroark_

* * *

Everything you have done ends up in vain…

Everything you are doing will soon be just a futile action…

You will not gain anything from it, and you will soon lose everything…

Even the victory you seek will be too far beyond your grasp…

If you want to achieve the victory, then you must obtain the power…

And if you want to obtain the power, then you must be ready to pay the price…

You must be ready to lose everything, even if you have to sacrifice your loved one…

Everything must be done for the power and victory you seek, no matter the cost…

 **-End of Tail 7: Inequity-**

 **To Be Continued…**

* * *

 **Dragon of Vale: After a very long journey, the seventh tail finally comes to the end, and the origin of its name of inequity is somehow explained too.**

 **The Pendragon went on their first mission in the Shadowlost Territory, and they succeeded in their mission of killing the Heroine of Dark type. Korben also encountered several unexpected events that revealed more about him and let him become stronger, at a price, of course. And with this, only two Hero/ine of Legend remain…**

 **I'm very sorry that it took a whole year for me to finish this tail, even longer than the sixth tail. However, I would say that this tail is very hard to write due to it having so many details, and I need to create a case (The whole incident about the blackmail and the lost artifact) of this tail, which is much more complicated than the cases in the first tail (The incident of the mysterious Tsujigiri) and the fourth tail (The incident of the sea monster). The hardest part is to make sure that I didn't forget anything, which I'm not sure if I did a good job at that…**

 **(Also, cookies and milk to all of you if you can tell the reference of the story that Anastasia told, the one about two tragic lovers…)**

 **Well, the next chapter would be the interlude, which will come out before this year ends. After that, I'll take a break for a while, and then, maybe I'll write Paralogue II. But after all of that, it will be the time of the eighth tail! This time, another Pokemon will serve as the main protagonist of the tail, but who? All I can say for now is that you may not expect this character to be the main protagonist, or if you do, then you may not expect this Pokemon to be the main protagonist this soon, even before some other characters who are more likely to be one…**

 **One last thing, Merry Christmas, everyone! Thank you for supporting me this whole time. I hope you a happy time, and see you in the next chapter!**

* * *

 **Q &A Session:**

 **Tail 7-8 – Question:** You wake up in the morning of the Festival of Present Day (This world's equivalent to Christmas Day). As you left your room, you found a bunch of presents under the festival tree, some which are addressed to you! You quickly open the present. What do you find in your present box?

 **Answer:**

 **-Korben:** This… It's the mask that my father always wears when he's still alive. I think it's some kind of traditional mask of Shadowlost Territory… It has several burnt marks on it… Thanks, I'll keep it as a memento of him.

 **-Claura:** Hm? Isn't this the picture of me, Xavier and Syros that was taken a few months before we graduated? This brings back a good memory… Hm? Who's Syros, you ask? Well, he's the close friend of Xavier and mine back in Kingdom of the Dragonking.

 **-Xavier:** Pillows. A bunch of them. From Principality of Leafburg? Not too shabby…

 **-Anastasia:** A Kimino! This one is very beautiful and well-crafted, as it seems to be made in Theocracy of Venturnome, and it has a cherry blossom pattern too! This is my favorite pattern! Thank you for a wonderful gift!

 **-Baromyteus:** … A black pearl? I heard that this thing is exceptionally rare and could only be found around the Sparkling Island in the Riverbrine Archipelago, making it extremely valuable. Hm… Maybe it could be some use for me, so I'll keep it for now…

 **-Diego:** I remembered this. This is the traditional liquor of Fireview Kingdom, which is my favorite. The liquor of Fireview Kingdom is infamous for its strong taste, the strongest one on this continent, actually. This is because Fire type Pokemon usually have a higher alcohol tolerant than most Pokemon, which also applies to me too, so I can drink it without any problem. Thanks.

 **-Zetarus:** A book?! From the Underground Bazaar of Republic of Civilight?! Excuse me?! Didn't you know that I can't read?! Why would I get— Hm? It's a picture book? Fine, I will just take a quick glance at it, and… Oh? Oh?! OOOOHHHH! *Nosebleed*

 **-Rachael:** A new scarf! Wow! This one is so cute and fluffy! Thanks!

 **-Richard:** Another scarf? A matched one with Rachael's? Hm… Both of them were made in Dustorm Empire… Not bad...

 **-Freya:** A new novel book?! For me?! I… It seems to be based on the true story that happened a long time ago in the land that's now the Snowy Part of Queendom of Riverbrine, making it famous in the said region. T… Thank you very much!

 **-Snow:** Ah, new tea sets! A porcelain one, too! This is such a skilled handiwork of a famous artisan from Windsky Plateau! Excellent!

 **-Sirius:**! ( **Dragon of Vale:** Sirius got a bunch of delicious treat from various regions around the continent of Symmetria for being a good boy this year.)


	79. Tail 7-Interlude: White Darkness

**A Dragon's Tail**

 **Tail 7: Korben's Tail - Inequity**

 **Tail 7-Interlude: White Darkness**

Two Pokemon, a Lugia and a Shadow Lugia, walked together along the dark corridor. Everywhere around them was nothing but the darkness. They could neither see how far they have walked, nor how far they have to continue until they see anything that's not a complete darkness.

 _"…"_ While they were walking together, the Lugia silently observed the Shadow Lugia beside them, and this action didn't go unnoticed by the one who was observed by them.

 **"… Interested in me, aren't you?"** Lunoire asked as they noticed Solance observing them.

 _"… I couldn't grasp you and your story."_ Solance spoke up. _"I know that you are a demon lord who rules over the Shadow Pokemon, but what's your origin? I couldn't grasp why someone as powerful as you would suddenly appear at this time, even thought the Shadow Pokemon already exist on this very land for countless year…"_

 **"Hm… To say that I just appeared on this land recently is a misunderstood of my might…"** Lunoire said. **"I am actually the ancient demon lord who once exists during the ancient time, over a millennium ago."**

 _"… By the 'ancient time' you mentioned, which exact time is your origin?"_ Solance asked.

 **"The time of my origin is the time of the crisis known as the Twilight Crisis."** Lunoire answered. **"Tell me… Have you ever heard about the ancient kingdoms that once existed on the Land of Legend?"**

 _"If you're speaking of the ancient continent of Mytherel, there are four ancient kingdoms that once existed in the said realm."_ Solance replied. _"They are the Earth Kingdom, the Mist Kingdom, the Sky Kingdom and the Phantom Kingdom."_

 **"And how much do you know about them?"** Lunoire asked.

 _"Because I don't possess most of my original memory, all I know about them is what I learnt after I woke up on this world…"_ Solance answered. _"The Earth Kingdom was a powerful kingdom located in the middle of the desert of Mytherel. While the kingdom had come to the end during the Twilight Crisis, the descendants of those who ruled the said kingdom still lives, and they now ruled over the desert nation of Symmetria, Dustorm Empire, and they are none other than the members of Quakersand family."_

 **"And?"** Lunoire asked.

 _"For the Mist Kingdom, it was a serene kingdom located on the snowy land of Mytherel. Like the Earth Kingdom, this place had already come to the end, but the descendants of those who once ruled this kingdom are now the royal family of Symmetria's Queendom of Riverbrine, the Tundrafrost family."_ Solance explained. _"The Phantom Kingdom was a mysterious kingdom located in the dark wasteland of Mytherel. As with other two kingdoms, this kingdom had already come to the end, but the descendants of this kingdom's royal family still exist as the family with a strong tie to Symmetria's Shadowlost Territory, the Illunight family…"_

 **"And what about the last kingdom?"** Lunoire continued asking.

 _"That would be the Sky Kingdom, the floating kingdom in the sky."_ Solance said. _"Unlike the other three kingdoms, this one, while also suffered a great casualty from the Twilight Crisis, survived the Twilight Crisis and existed until the time of the Fallen Crisis, where it served as the realm of the one who ruled over the entire continent of Symmetria during that time. After the Fallen Crisis ended, however, the entire area of the Sky Kingdom fell down onto the earth and became the area of today's Windsky Plateau."_

 **"And what about the fate of Sky Kingdom's royal family?"** Lunoire asked.

 _"The royal family of Sky Kingdom also survives the Twilight Crisis, and during the time of the Fallen Crisis, they ruled the entire continent of Symmetria."_ Solance answered. " _But after the Fallen Crisis ended and the Sky Kingdom fell from the sky, the last king of entire Symmetria divided the continent into seven nations, and he continued ruling over one of seven nations, which is today's Theocracy of Venturnome."_

 **"Excellent. It seems like those who bathed in the sacred light still didn't forget the ancient history, after all…"** Lunoire said.

 _"… I notice that you seem to focus on the Sky Kingdom more than other three kingdoms…"_ Solance said. _"Does it have anything to do with you and your origin?"_

 **"More than you may think."** Lunoire said. **"For that I am the member of the Sky Kingdom's royal family during the time of the Twilight Crisis."**

 _"You are?"_ Solance asked.

 **"I am not surprised that you find my words questionable."** Lunoire said. **"Even if you travel back through time and observe the royal family of Sky Kingdom from beginning to the end, you wouldn't find me there, because I didn't really exist back then."**

 _"What do you mean by that?"_ Solance asked.

 **"Hm… Let's see…"** Lunoire started thinking for a bit before they continued speaking. **"I am actually not a creature that really exists in this world. I am more like a… consciousness that was given a sentience and awareness. Back then, I didn't exist as a Pokemon, but I existed as a consciousness of one of the members of the Sky family's royal family."**

 _"I… I don't understand that…"_ Solance said.

 **"Then… Think of the soul of a living creature…"** Lunoire explained. **"I am a part of the said soul, about a quarter of the entire soul. In normal condition, I would be nothing more than the dark consciousness of the creature that hosted me, or you could say that I am that creature's** _ **id**_ **, for that I am the embodiment of everything that's considered negative, such as life instinct and death instinct."**

 _"Then, how could you gain sentience and awareness, as you were just nothing more than a mere conscious?"_ Solance asked.

 **"I don't remember."** Lunoire answered. **"All I know is that, since the first moment I could remember a thing, I've always been trying to take over the body that hosted me, the body of the member of the Sky Kingdom. There were many times that I temporarily succeeded before I was suppressed again, and I used that said time to cause as much damage to the entire world as possible. One of them was killing other members of the Sky Kingdom's royal family, leaving the body that hosted me as the last surviving member of the Sky Kingdom during the time of the Twilight Crisis."**

 _"…"_ Solance looked at Lunoire with an unreadable look on their face. It's a mix of the look of empathy, disgust, anger and fear.

 **"… Care to hear the end of my reign during the Twilight Crisis?"** Lunoire asked.

 _"…"_ Solance silently nodded to the Shadow Lugia.

 **"… It happened that the body that hosted me, the prince of Sky Kingdom, during the Twilight Crisis turned out to be one of eight Hero/ine of Legend during that time, and thus, he went along with his fellow hero/ine to defeat the 'villain' of the Twilight Crisis."** Lunoire continued the story. **"In the final moment of their final battle, the said villain, desperate to win over the Hero/ine of Legend, used their trump card by stealing me, the dark consciousness, from the body that hosted me and fusing me with their body. Thus, I was able to reincarnate as a 'real' living creature for the first time. However, I was still defeated by those Hero/ine of Legend, and thus, the villain was sealed within time and space, ending the Twilight Crisis."**

 _"And… What happened to you?"_ Solance asked.

 **"Without the body that hosted me, I couldn't exist."** Lunoire answered. **"Remember when I said that I am a quarter of the entire soul? It requires at least half of the soul to exist as a living creature, but since I am only a quarter of the soul, and the body that once hosted me, the prince of Sky Kingdom, refused to let me return to his body, I ceased to exist. I became nothing but a formless fragment of spirit… I didn't feel, sense or remember anything during that time, as if I was doomed to wander in the world of nothing forever, unable to live, die or reborn… Until some times ago…"**

"Some times ago?" Solance repeated the words they just heard.

 **"Some times ago, as I wandered around the world aimlessly, I encountered another fragment of soul, which is also a quarter of the soul like me. This soul fragment, unlike me, didn't gain any sentience or awareness and remained as a lifeless soul, like a shapless form of cloud in the sky."** Lunoire explained. **"However, I quickly realized that this fragment of soul is exactly the part of the very same body that once hosted me during the Twilight Crisis, the body of the Sky Kingdom's prince. I don't know the fate of that said sky prince as my memory only ended as I ceased to exist at the end of the Twilight Crisis, and I didn't gain any new memory until I encountered this soul fragment. So, I don't know why a fragment of his soul was wandering the world in the same manner as mine. Nevertheless, I quickly integrated the fragment of soul with mine and reincarnate as the demon lord again, ready to put this world in the terror of my might."**

 _"So… That's your story…"_ Solance said. _"But that means that you are a half of that sky prince that once hosted you…"_

 **"Correct, for that half of his soul is currently mine."** Lunoire said. **"While my body isn't completely stable due to me only have half of the entire soul, I won't allow anyone to make me suffer the same fate that I suffered before again. Even if the other half of this soul wished to reclaim their other half, they will be the one that will be claimed by me, for that my power has exceeded them!"**

 _"How did you know that your power has already exceeded the other half of the soul?"_ Solance said. _"And… Where is that other half of the soul?"_

 **"Oh? Could it be that you have no idea of what I am talking about?"** Lunoire said as they looked at the Lugia with a creepy face. **"Or maybe… You're playing dumb…"**

 _"What are you talking about?"_ Solance asked. _"Don't tell me that you're thinking that I am…"_

 **"As you can see, our souls seem to have a connection with each other, for that we sometimes see through each other's perspective."** Lunoire said. **"And everything about each of us are the opposite of each other, such as our specie, our role, our weapon, and our morality."**

 _"I can see your point…"_ Solance said. _"However, I have no memory of myself before the time I woke up some times ago, so I couldn't confirm or deny your suspicion."_

 **"There's no need to do that…"** Lunoire said as they approached Solance before reaching their paw to grab the Lugia's chin and lift it so that the Lugia's looking at them. **"You're already mine, so I can do whatever I want with you anytime I want, and no one could stop me, even you…"**

 _"…"_ Solance said nothing as they gazed at Lunoire's ominous red eyes, as if they were closely inspected by the Shadow Lugia.

 **"… You're not half-bad for those who bathed in the sacred light, you know?"** Lunoire said as they let go of Solance's chin. **"Thought I found your desire to protect everyone… disgusting."**

 _"… Lunoire…"_ Solance spoke up again with a gentle voice. _"… Are you capable of… not indulge yourself in the negative emotion?"_

 **"As I said, I am the reincarnation of what you called** _ **id**_ **, so I basically can't stop indulging myself in the negative emotion."** Lunoire replied. **"The only thing that could stop me is someone who's the reincarnation of what you called** _ **superego**_ **, which isn't something that could be found easily in this world. In other words, I'm invincible."**

"…" Solance said nothing after hearing the Shadow Lugia's words.

 **"However, you could try and stop me…"** Lunoire said. **"And if you succeeded, it would mean that you're the reincarnation of** _ **superego**_ **, and thus you are the other half of the soul of the Sky Prince who once hosted me."**

 _"… If I turned out to be your other half…"_ Solance said. _"Will you… claimed me as yours?"_

 **"I already did."** Lunoire said. **"But if you're talking about if I would merge you with me—"**

"YOU CAN'T DO THAT…"

"!" Solance and Lunoire quickly looked around, trying to find the source of the mysterious voice that just spoken to them. The voice they heard was deep and loud, with a hint of majesty.

"I WON'T ALLOW IT…"

"!" The Lugia and the Shadow Lugia turned their attention to in front of them. Here, they finally found the source of the voice as they found another Pokemon right in front of them. This Pokemon, however, was a creature that neither Solance nor Lunoire have ever seen before. Their body was entirely black and seemed to be made of black crystal. They had two arms on each side of their body with huge claws on each arm, and their legs were much smaller than their arms. Their eyes, however, had several colors in contrast of their body The appearance of this Pokemon in this realm of nothingness was a surprise to both Solance and Lunoire.

 **"… Well… Look who we have here…"** Lunoire was the first one who spoke up after the mysterious Pokemon appeared. **"You couldn't be the foolish Pokemon who trapped both of us in this world, could you?"**

"YES. I WAS THE ONE WHO TRAPPED BOTH OF YOU IN MY REALM." The Mysterious Pokemon answered.

 **"Ah, I've been waiting for you…"** Lunoire said as they drew out their trident. **"Tell me, how painful do you want your death to be? Thought I won't promise that it would be less or equal to what you desire…"**

 _"Wait a moment, Lunoire."_ Solance said to the Shadow Lugia before turning their attention to the mysterious Pokemon in front of them. _"Before we do anything else, can you tell us who you are?"_

"IF YOU WISH TO KNOW ABOUT ME, I WAS ONCE THE SOURCE OF THE LAND OF EQUILIBRIUM'S LIGHT, BEFORE MY LIGHT WAS STOLEN BY THOSE WHO LIVED ON THIS CONTINENT, LEAVING ME IN THIS POWERLESS FORM…" The mysterious Pokemon replied. "…I AM THE WINGS OF RADIANCE. I AM THE LIGHT OF RUINS. I AM THE BLINDING ONE, NECROZMA."

 **To Be Continued…**

* * *

 **Dragon of Vale: Finally, here's the continue of the interlude, following Solance and Lunoire's story. This time, we learn the story of Lunoire, and we finally encounter the one who trapped Solance and Lunoire, who also claims to be the source of Symmetria's light…**

 **This will be the last chapter of 2018. The next chapter will be Paralogue II, which will come out around the middle of February 2019, and after that, the eighth tail will finally begin…**

 **Last, Happy New Year to everyone! I wish that 2019 be a wonderful year to all of you!**

* * *

 **Q &A Session:**

 **Tail 7-Interlude – Question:** It's a New Year Day. All of you went to the shrine for your first shrine visit. All of you then buy fortune at the shrine. What does it say about your fortune?

 **Answer:**

 **-Korben:** Wow! I got a Great Blessing in… Er… Business? I mean, a Great Blessing is really wonderful… But… What kind of business could it be? I don't see myself doing any business soon…

 **-Claura:** A Small Blessing in marriage? Nonsense. I have no interested in marriage, so this won't do any good for me.

 **-Xavier:** I got a Curse in Dispute. You know what? I am a walking embodiment of dispute, so this doesn't really surprise me…

 **-Anastasia:**... I got a Future Curse in… Love. That's fine… After all, I will never succeed in love…

 **-Baromyteus:** I got a Curse in Love. Heh… Too late. The one I 'loved' is already death, and she also said that she's not the one I truly love…

 **-Diego:** Hm? A Small Future Blessing? That's nice. It's a small future blessing in… CHILDBIRTH?! EXCUSE ME?! WHAT THE FXXK IS THIS SXXT?!

 **-Zetarus:** Let's see… I got a Blessing in… Marriage?! *Gasp* Could it be?! *Look at Diego*

 **-Rachael:** Wah! I got a Great Curse in… Achieving my desire?! T… This sounds really bad! I… I don't like this…

 **-Richard:** Hm… I got a Great Curse in Learning. Well, I don't really believe in this kind of thing, so I'll just read it and put it away.

 **-Freya:** I… I got a Small Curse in Travel… Hopefully something bad won't happen to us…

 **-Snow:** I got a Future Blessing in… a person that I'm waiting for? That would be nice… If I could remember who I'm waiting for…

 **-Sirius:**! ( **Dragon of Vale:** Sirius got a Middle Blessing in Health.)

* * *

 **Question from Ridin Valon** : To The Pendragon: OH NO! A Shadow escaped from my realm and caused most of you to switch bodies and is on the run! (Rachael with Richard, Diego with Zetarus, Claura with Xavier, Anastasia with Baromyteus, Freya with Korben. Snow and Sirius are normal) What are your reactions?

 **-Rachael:** Wow! I'm in Onii-chan's body! This is so cool! Weeeeee! *Fly around as a Latios* Thought it doesn't feel very different from before, but it's still cool! Weeeeee!

 **-Richard:** Hm… My body was swapped with Rachael's… While it may seem like a bane, this is actually a blessing in disguise! This is a great opportunity to learn about how the body and soul function and respond to each other! I can't wait to make such a great discovery!

 **-Diego:** T… This feels really weird… I feel lighter and more agile than before… But I don't have a paw anymore… Zetarus, how could you live without your paw?

 **-Zetarus:** I… I'm in Diego's body?! *Gasp* T… This is too much! I… I can't stand it anymore! I… I need to find a private place with a mirror, and then I'll 'play' with this body to my heart's content! *Run away*

 **-Diego:** FXXK! HEY! COME BACK HERE, YOU LITTLE SXXT! *Chase after Zetarus*

 **-Claura:** T… This is very weird… It feels really weird to have arms, legs and wings… And why do I feel so sluggish? Don't tell me that Xavier's getting fatter…

 **-Xavier:** Yawn… This limbless body is hard to move. I don't know how could Claura move around in this body. But for me, I'll just lie down here… ZZZ...

 **-Anastasia:** … I feel really hollowed here in my brother's body, but I also feel more agile than before. However… Being in my brother's body made me a bit sad to see what he has to suffer for this whole time, in this cursed body…

 **-Baromyteus:** Er… This body is… a bit gross. It's so slimy and sluggish. I don't mean to criticize you, Anastasia, but still… Being in a normal body once in a while… isn't bad…

 **-Korben:** I… I'm in Freya's body?! T… This is so light… And… *Blush*

 **-Freya:** EEEEEGEGEGEAAAA! *Blush very hard and hid her face with the paws*

 **-Snow:** E… Everyone, please calm down. I'm sure that we could think of a way to return you to your normal body. For now, please stay calm!

*Sirius wasn't here as it was chasing after the Shadow that caused everyone to switch bodies.*

* * *

 **Question from Parousia45:** To Baromyteus, Claura, and Diego: Do you still remember the writer who wrote romance fanfic about you (With Zetarus for Diego)? Well, she is currently attending an Anime convention in this world and I have extra tickets for you. Do you want to attend it and meet her? Her name is Carla Brightwick and she's a Chandelure. She has a Hydreigon and an Aegislash as her friends and they're extremely protective of her.

 **-Baromyteus:** Really? Sign me up. I'll just go and see what kind of Pokemon would dare to… pair me with that Salty Seahorse, and if I find it amusing enough, I may end up getting one.

 **-Claura:** Aren't you going to beat them up, Dragon Jerky?

 **-Baromyteus:** Here's some advice from me. Let the fools spread gossip. The rest of us have work to do. Also, a fanfic is always a fanfic. It will never be real.

 **-Claura:** I don't want to say this, but I agree with you. Thought I wouldn't mind going and meet her a bit. I also curious to see what-you-called Anime convention too.

 **-Diego:** Well… I'm quite tired from chasing after those who shipped me with Zetarus, so I'm going to give a pass to this one. Besides, if I go, Zetarus would follow me too, and it would be worse.

 **-Dragon of Vale:** That's… not what I expect, coming from you three… Could it be that you all have reached the state of acceptance?

 **-Baromyteus, Claura & Diego:** Shut up!

 **-Dragon of Vale:** Okay…


	80. Paralogue II: The Dark Sweet Heart

**A Dragon's Tail**

 **Paralogue II: The Dark Sweet Heart**

 _Once upon a time… There was a young man born to a tribe known as the holder of the unlimited ancient power. With the gift he was born with, the young man was unmatched in term of power and knowledge. However, there's one thing that the young man never had, a happiness, as the gift he was born with also acted as a curse for him too. With this, he decided that the best thing for him to do was living alone without associating himself with anyone else for the rest of his life…_

 _Until one day… The young man was badly injured from an accident. He would be left to his demise if it wasn't for a young woman who found him and tended his wound. This meeting surprised the young man as the young woman who found him didn't possess any special power, being just an ordinary creature, and yet she helped him, the holder of the ancient power, without any fear or hesitation. When he questioned her about this, she replied that helping the injured creature, regardless of their race and power, would be something that everyone would normally do. The answer of the young woman touched the heart of the young man, and when the new daybreak came after his first meeting with the young woman, he noted that it was the most beautiful daybreak that he had ever seen…_

 _But little did he know that it was also the daybreak that a great tragedy would be set in motion…_

 _After their first meeting, the young man and the young woman would often find a time to be with each other, as the moment they shared with each other, especially for the young man, was one of the happiest moments in their life. And not before long, the feeling of affection was born in their heart…_

 _However, the tribe that the young man came from didn't accept the love between them as they viewed their kind superior to others, and the young woman was just an ordinary creature with no special power. Their blood must never mix, so they tried to intercept their love and separate them apart, hoping that it would end the forbidden love between the creatures of two kinds…_

 _The young man, however, chose not to accept the path that his tribe set for him. He chose to challenge his fate, and to do so, he asked the young woman for their marriage, and then both of them will leave together… To find the place where they truly belonged…_

 _The young woman didn't want to see her beloved one suffer anymore, and she knew that the consequence of their action might not be what they wanted. Nevertheless, she accepted her beloved one's proposal and left together with him, in hope that one day… They will finally find a place where their love could exist without the wall of destiny to separate them apart…_

 _A week had passed… It then became a month… And a year… But both of them still couldn't find a place where they belonged… The young man started to despair, thinking that it meant that their love was never meant to exist at all… The young woman, however, continued to support her beloved one, telling him that she was always happy as long as they were together… The words of his beloved one gave the young man a hope again… And their journey continued…_

 _Unfortunately… Their journey had to end before they were able to accomplish what they were doing… in the worst possible way…_

 _The young man was brought back to his tribe… To the place he tried to escape from… To face everyone from his tribe… To face everyone who tried to get into the way of his love…_

 _But that wasn't even the worst thing…_

 _After being brought back, the young man was told the worst news that he had never wanted to hear…_

 _The young woman whom he loved to the deepest part of his heart… By the hand of everyone from his tribe… She no longer exist in the life…_

 _She was taken away from him forever… And he would never meet her again…_

 _This very news shattered his heart… He could feel his soul being crushed… And his heart being broke…_

 _Without the one he truly loved anymore, the young man couldn't find any will to exist in this world, as the world that he once saw as a beautiful place was now longer than an empty void, and so he chose to end it…_

 _But… It won't end just like this…_

 _It was them… It was everyone from his tribe… It was the whole world… Who went against his love…_

 _And so… They must pay…_

 _The young man then massacred his whole tribe and stole the dark artifact that his tribe was guarding closely… It was the artifact with the great forbidden power, and one must never use it, for that the destruction would ensure to follow…_

 _But it was no longer matter for the young man… Without his beloved one, the world was now just an empty place…_

 _He then used the dark artifact to set the destruction of the world in motion, hoping to end this once and for all…_

 _But there was one thing that he didn't know…_

 _His beloved one… She still existed… Thought she lost her body, her soul still remained…_

 _Even so, after knowing the truth that his beloved wife might still exist, the young man still continued with his plan to destroy the world, for that his plan had gone to the point of no return, where nothing else would be able to revert the destruction…_

 _But then… In the final moment before the world was completely destroyed, the young woman was finally able to reunite with her beloved one, and with her gentle words and soft love, she was able to rescue the young man from the pit of despair that he had fallen into…_

 _Still… It was too late… As the destruction of the world was now right in front of them… And nothing else would be able to stop it…_

 _Except for only one thing…_

 _Because the destruction of the world was set in motion by the hatred of the young man, the only thing that would be able to reverse it was something that's the opposite of the hatred…_

 _It was the love… A pure love…_

 _Knowing this, in the final moment of the world, the young man and the young woman declared their true love to the world, and thus, the destruction of the world was reversed, turning the world back to normal…_

 _But not without a price…_

 _By using their power of love to stop the destruction of the world, the young man and the young woman would cease to exist…_

 _It was the price they must pay, and the atonement of the young man…_

 _After that day, the young man and the young woman disappeared… No one saw them again, and no one knew what happened to them… However, there's one thing that everyone knew about them…_

 _They knew that the young man and the young woman were finally able to get what they wanted…_

 _They were finally found a place where they truly belonged…_

 _A place… That truly accepted their love…_

 _A place… Where both of them would be able to live in happy ever after…_

* * *

 **-Resting Room, Floor B2, Pendracomonium**

"Sniff… Sniff…"

"Hm? Oh!" Anastasia closed the book of the love story that she was reading to her friends and looked at them, who were sitting beside her. "Did I just—"

"No…" Freya spoke up while trying to hold back her tear. "It's just… That it is such a sad story…"

"Right…" Rachael agreed with the Flygon as she wiped her tear with her handkerchief. "F… For all love stories that I have read, it would have a happy ending… But this story… The ending… It's so sad…"

"…I am sorry that the story I brought made both of you sad…" Anastasia apologized. "You two have just helped me with my work, and now I'm making you cry…"

It was a normal day for the Pendragon. Most of them were spending their time in their team base, the Pendracomonium, while some of them had left to do their own mission. As usual, Anastasia started her day by continued working with the cloths she was making, but soon, Rachael and Freya volunteered to help her as both of them were free for today. This made the Goodra's work finished earlier than usual for today, so the three girls decided to pass their time together by having a nice and pleasant chat in the Resting Room.

After mentioning that all of them loved reading a love story, Anastasia grabbed one of her favorite books of love story and read it to the Latias and the Flygon. The story was so sad that it brought tears to the two young girls' eyes…

"N… No! Don't blame yourself, Anastasia!" Freya spoke up. "I… It's just that I haven't read many love stories with a sad ending like this…"

"Me too…" Rachael said.

"Then… What kind of love story do you like to read?" Anastasia asked.

"I like the story with the fantasy love, the love between the prince and the princess, such as the story of War of Jasmine!" Rachael answered and mentioned her favorite book.

"F… For me…" Freya spoke up. "I… I like a romantic love… Something like a story that the man and the woman gradually developed their love together…"

"Those are very nice." Anastasia commented.

"What about you, Anastasia?" Rachael asked. "What kind of love story is your favorite?"

"M… Me?!" Anastasia was surprised a bit when she was asked a question by the Latias. "W… Well… I like the story of a forbidden love, a love that would never come true, or a love story with a sad or bittersweet ending…"

"Ohh…" Rachael and Freya looked at Anastasia after hearing her answer, making the Goodra fluster a bit as she didn't know how to react to them, and she didn't know what would she do if any of them asked her why, as she couldn't tell the reason behind this to anyone…

"But still…" Rachael spoke up. "The story you told us earlier is so wonderful!"

"R… Right!" Freya said. "I… I know that love is an amazing power, but I have never imagined that it would be able to save the world too!"

"… I am glad that you like it…" Anastasia sighed a bit as her fear didn't come true. "I still have a lot love stories in my store. If you want, you two can always borrow them from me."

"R… Really?!" Freya and Rachael spoke up at the same time. "Thank you so much, Anastasia!"

"It's nothing, my dear…" Anastasia said. "I am glad that everyone else in our group also shared the same interest as me…"

"Me too!" Rachael said. "Onii-chan doesn't like reading a love story, and Zetarus and Diego don't even touch a single book, so I am glad that I could share the story of love with both of you!"

"S… Speaking of love…" Freya looked around the room, as if she was trying to find something, until she spotted the calendar on the wall. "T… Today is the Sweet Heart Day, isn't it?"

"The Sweet Heart Day?" Rachael repeated the words she had just heard. It was noticeable that the Latias had no idea of what Freya was talking about.

"… It's one of the most famous holidays…" Anastasia explained. "It's the day for the woman to express their affection toward someone they loved."

"To… express their love?" Rachael said. "How?"

"Normally, they will do it by giving a treat called 'Sweet Heart' to someone they love." Anastasia said. "But there are also several more ways to express their love, such as giving them a flower or—"

"Then, let's do it!" Rachael suddenly spoke up.

"Hm?!" Freya and Anastasia looked at the Latias at the same time. "Do what?"

"Let's follow the tradition of this holiday and gave Sweet Heart to the one we love!" Rachael said.

"!" Freya and Anastasia were surprised after hearing the words of the Latias, and a faint red blush appeared on their faces after hearing the words ' the one we love'.

"Hm? What's wrong? Freya? Anastasia?" Rachael spoke up after she realized that none of her friends did answer her words.

"I…" Freya shyly spoke up. "I… I don't think that this is a good idea…"

"… Me too…" Anastasia silently spoke up.

"What?!" Rachael said. "Why?!"

"W… Well…" Freya said. "I… I am just…"

"Oh! Come on! Don't be shy!" Rachael tried to cheer her friend up. "You want someone you love to be happy, right?"

"Well… Yes…" Freya answered.

"Then it's settled!" Rachael said. "I am sure that the one who would receive a gift from you would be happy!"

"…" Freya didn't say anything else, but she shyly nodded to the Latias.

"What about you, Anastasia?" Rachael said as she turned her attention to the Goodra. "Why don't you join us and give a gift to someone you love too?"

"… I am not sure who I am going to give a gift to…" Anastasia answered with a silent voice. "And if my brother found out—"

"Oh! Don't worry! He won't know a thing about this!" Rachael said. "He went to Valley of No Return to hunt with Zetarus, right? He won't be back until dinner time, so, we now have a lot of time to prepare a gift!"

"But—" Anastasia tried to say something, but she was interrupted by the Latias.

"Nah… Come on!" Rachael said as she got up and pushed Anastasia. "Let's do it, everyone!"

"W… Wait!" Anastasia said as she was pushed to the door of the room before she and the Latias exited the room together, with the Flygon closely followed them.

* * *

 **-Main Hall, Floor B2, Pendracomonium**

Even if it was just about 11:00, the Pendracomonium was quiet as there was not much activity here right now, other than several Gargoyles that were patrolling the hall like usual, and some members weren't even here, such as Zetarus and Baromyteus, who left after breakfast and went to Valley of No Return for hunting, and Diego, who left for Fireview Kingdom to buy new tools for his work since yesterday and won't come back until tomorrow. For others, Korben and Claura were training in the Training Ground. Snow was making lunch in the Kitchen. Richard was reading a book in the Laboratory. Xavier was sleeping in his room. And Sirius was exploring the dark cavern beneath Floor B5 of Pendracomonium right now.

"Hm…" Rachael said after she, Anastasia and Freya left the Resting Room together. "What kind of Sweet Heart should we get for someone we love?"

"I… I think the homemade one is the best…" Freya spoke up.

"You are right!" Rachael said. "And I think I have a cooking book with the instruction of how to make Sweet Heart too! Let's see…"

Rachael then looked into her bag and picked a cooking book that she always kept with her. This book focused on the recipe for dessert, which was something that Rachael was very good at making. The Latias then openned the book and started searching for what she wanted.

"Here! The recipe of Sweet Heart!" Rachael said. "And it isn't that hard for us to make one!"

"Do we have all ingredients for making them?" Anastasia asked.

"Hm… The main ingredient is the Occa Berry and the Occa Butter, which is extracted from Occa Berry itself …" Rachael said before she opened her berry pouch and started searching for what she wanted, only to find that she didn't have any of what she wanted! "No! I already ran out of Occa Berry!"

"Don't worry, I think we still have some left in the Food Storage." Anastasia said.

"No…" Freya spoke up. "Snow and I used all of them for making last night's dessert, so there won't be enough left for us to make Sweet Heart."

"And it would take a couple more days for the Occa Berry trees in my greenhouse to produce new Occa Berries for us…" Rachael said. "What should we do? We can't make a Sweet Heart without the Occa Berry!"

"… There's only one way left…" Freya spoke up. "We have to go to Symmetria and buy it."

"Well, then…" Rachael continued speaking. "I remember that Occa Berry is native to the dense forest of the Principality of Leafburg. So, let's go!"

After finished speaking, Rachael, Freya and Anastasia turned their attention toward the door of the Portal Room and were about to approach it when they heard a voice from somewhere behind them.

"… Where are the three of you going?"

"HM?!" Rachael, Freya and Anastasia quickly turned their attention back to the source of the voice and found one of their friends there, who was none other than the Kingdra.

"Oh! Claura! Hi!" Rachael greeted as she, Freya and Anastasia approached the Kingdra who had just appeared. "Did you just finish training with Korben?"

"Right." Claura replied. "That Kommo-o's still training. He said that he needs to adjust himself to his new power, but I'm done for today."

"I… see…" Freya mumbled. "That's… just like him."

"And…" Claura continued speaking. "What are the three of you going? I saw you heading to the Portal Room. Don't tell me that…"

"Um…" Rachael, Freya and Anastasia weren't sure what to say to the Kingdra. "We… We were just…"

"Sigh…" Claura sighed. "If your reason for going back to Symmetria is important enough, I won't stop you. Just be careful, okay?"

"Okay…" Rachael said before she had an idea about something. "Hey! Claura, why don't you come with us too?"

"Hm?" Claura looked at the Latias in front of her. "To where?"

"To Leafburg!" Rachael answered. "We are going to buy some Occa Berries so that we can make the Sweet Heart together!"

"Occa Berries? Sweet Heart? Together?" Claura said. "Why me?"

"Because today's the Sweet Heart Day!" Rachael said. "It's the day with a tradition that the woman would give Sweet Heart to someone they love, so Freya, Anastasia and I decide to do it too. However, we ran out of Occa Berry, the main ingredient for making Sweet Heart, so we're going to Leafburg to get some as Occa Berry is native to the forest of Leafburg!"

"Rachael is right." Anastasia said. "And Claura, you could join us in making Sweet Heart—"

"I'll pass." Claura spoke up.

"What?!" Rachael said. "Why?!"

"Because as much as I hate to admit, I am not good at cooking." Claura said. "And even if I do, I don't have anyone who will receive the Sweet Heart I made."

"Nah! You're exaggerating!" Rachael said. "There are so many people who'd love to receive a Sweet Heart from you, Claura!"

"No, there isn't." Claura said.

"Then…" Anastasia spoke up. "If you won't make one, how about you just accompany us to the Principality of Leafburg? We could use this time to hang out together, just for us, girls."

"… Fine." Claura said.

"Great!" Rachael said. "Now, let's hurry—"

"One moment." Claura spoke up. "Did you say that you will go to Leafburg to get the Occa Berry?"

"Right!" Rachael said.

"… I don't think that will be a good idea." Claura spoke up. "Since today's the day when everyone would give the Sweet Heart, the demand of Occa Berry, the main ingredient of Sweet Heart, would be high, and so do its price, especially at the Principality of Leafburg, a place where Occa Berry is native to. For worse, everyone may go there to get Occa Berry, and it may run out by the time we get there."

"Oh…" Freya said. "Then… What should we do? Should we go to buy it from another place? Maybe at the Trading Post at the Venturnome-Leafburg border... Or maybe at Sandust Port in Dustorm Empire…"

"That won't do." Claura said. "Like I said, the demand of Occa Berry is high today, and for the place that the Occa Berry isn't native to, the price would just be higher, and it would be sure to run out even faster."

"So, you would say that the price of Occa Berry would be high for today, and it would run out pretty quick." Anastasia said. "And people would go to Leafburg, the place where the Occa Berry is native to, to buy it instead, so Leafburg isn't a good place for us to go to buy Occa Berry."

"Then, what should we do?" Rachael asked.

"… I suggest that we should go to the Isles of Spice instead." Claura answered.

"Isles of Spice?" Freya spoke up. "I… Is that one of seven islands in the Riverbrine Archipelago?"

"Correct." Claura said. "Isles of Spice are unique because they are homed to ALL of spices and berries that could be found on the continent of Symmetria. However, because they are located quite far to the southeast of mainland Queendom of Riverbrine, and it requires at least one whole day to get there, not many people would go there just to get a few ingredients for today."

"Okay, then!" Rachael said. "And I have never gone to any of islands in Riverbrine Archipelago! This will be great!"

"M… Me too…" Freya said.

"… I have been there once with Xavier…" Claura said.

"Then, let's go, everyone…" Anastasia said. "To the Isle of Spice!"

* * *

 **-One Hour Later…**

Isles of Spice, one of seven islands in the Riverbrine Archipelago, were among the most wondrous places on the continent of Symmetria as they were the place where all berries and spices that could be found on the continent of Symmetria could be found. The Isles of Spice themselves consisted of four small islands, each with the different climate and atmosphere, and different kinds of spice and berries could be found in the wildlife of each island too. With this, Rachael, Freya, Claura and Anastasia decided to split up to search for the Occa Berry as none of them knew which island the Occa Berry is native too, and they would be back at the place where the warp portal from the Pendracomonium spawned in two hours.

"Hm… It's not here…" Anastasia said as she looked around the place she was in. The island she was on had the cold climate, even comparable to the Snow Part of mainland Queendom of Riverbrine itself. This was why Anastasia chose to go on this island, while Rachael went to the island with the dense forest, Freya went to the island with the mountain and desert terrain, and Claura went to the last island with the various terrains.

"As I thought…" Anastasia mumbled to herself. "Occa Berry must be found on the island that Rachael went to, so I should go bac—Oops!"

Anastasia was about to turn back when she bumped into someone who was walking behind her, causing that Pokemon to fall down!

"Oh! I am so sorry!" Anastasia apologized. "Are you hurt?"

"No… I am fine…" A gentle, serene and graceful voice was heard from the Pokemon that the Goodra bumped into, but Anastasia was unable to tell what kind of Pokemon they were as they were wearing a cloak around their body.

"Here, let me help you…" Anastasia said and gently reached her paw to the Pokemon she bumped into.

"… Thank you…" The Pokemon said as they reached the paw to grab Anastasia's hand. The Goodra could feel a cold coming from the paw of this Pokemon.

"… Here we go." Anastasia said as she helped the Pokemon stand up again.

"Thank you so much…" The Pokemon said as she was finally able to stand up again, but after having a clear look of the Pokemon who bumped into her, the Pokemon spoke up again. "Oh! You are… a Dragon type Pokemon…"

"!" Anastasia was greatly surprised after hearing the words of the Pokemon in front of her. What did they mean by mentioning that Anastasia was a Dragon type Pokemon? Could it be that this Pokemon was the anti-dragon?

"Hm? Oh! I didn't mean to be offensive to you!" Being able to sense that their words disturbed the Goodra in front of her, the Pokemon quickly apologized. "I am just worried that you are here, on such a cold island, and you are weak to ice…"

"Oh, I see…" Anastasia nodded. "You are kind to care for a stranger like me, but please do not worry. I am used to the cold even worse than this, and I love the cold too."

"Oh… I have never met a Dragon type Pokemon who loves cold before…" The Pokemon said. "My b— I mean… My Dragon-type friend hates cold very much, but I see that you are different—Oops!"

The Pokemon's words were cut off when a chilling gust suddenly blew up, forcing them to cover their head a bit. The gust, however, blew the cloak that this Pokemon wore a bit, making it fall from their head and reveal their face to Anastasia!

"!" Anastasia finally got a good look at the Pokemon in front of her. This Pokemon was a four-legged Pokemon with the frigid blue body and a very long neck. She also had a yellow sail-like fin on her neck too. With just this, Anastasia could tell that the Pokemon in front of her was… an Aurorus.

"!" Realizing that her appearance was revealed to the Goodra in front of her, and she was also staring at her intensely, the Aurorus was clearly frightened.

"Oh! I didn't mean to do that! I'm sorry!" Realizing that the Aurorus was frightening by her action, Anastasia apologized again. "It's just that seeing you remind me of someone I know from a long time ago. Please forgive me if I frightened you…"

"It's… fine…" Hearing the words of the Goodra seemed to calm down the Aurorus quite a bit.

Now that the Aurorus was calm down, Anastasia was able to get a bit more look of her, and she saw that the Aurorus was wearing a simple but beautiful light blue cloth that seemed to be made from a good-quality silk. "Your cloth is beautiful." Anastasia commented.

"It… does?" The Aurorus said. "And… Your cloth too… It's… pretty."

"Thanks." Anastasia said. "I made them by myself."

"You too?" The Aurorus seemed to be excited after hearing the words of the Goodra. "I never thought that I would run into someone who shares my hobby here!"

"Me too!" Anastasia said.

"And—" The Aurorus was about to continue speaking, but, again, her words were cut off by something. This time, it wasn't a chilling gust, but it was a loud and gruff voice of someone not too far from here.

"VAL! WHERE ARE YOU?!"

"Oh…" The Aurorus turned back and saw a large Tyrantrum running up to her as if he was trying to hunt the Aurorus, but he didn't. Instead, he just stopped beside the Aurorus and spoke casually to her.

"There you are, Val." The Tyrantrum said. He was wearing a heavy dark gray armor suit on almost his whole body. "Don't go wandering around by yourself like that! You don't know what danger is lurking around here!"

"… I'm sorry, Nos." The Aurorus said.

"And… HM?!" The Tyrantrum said as he noticed that Anastasia was here too. "Who are—"

"No, Nos." The Aurorus quickly spoke up. "She's the traveler than I met on the road, and we were having a nice and pleasant conversation with each other."

"Oh, I see." The Tyrantrum said.

"…" Seeing an Aurorus and a Tyrantrum together in front of her awakened the memory of Anastasia, and for some reason, both of them greatly reminded her of a certain Aurorus and Tyrantrum who were among the group of Hero/ine of Legend who saved Symmetria from the Fallen Crisis.

"Val, I think we should go now, before anyone else see or recognize you." The Tyrantrum spoke up.

"Okay…" The Aurorus said before turning her attention to Anastasia. "Goodra, I am glad that we could have a nice little chat. I hope that we would see each other again."

"Me too, Aurorus." Anastasia said. "Best wishes to both of you."

"And may the goddess Yggdrasil protect you as well…" Aurorus said.

After finished speaking, the Aurorus put on the cloak to conceal her face again and, together with the Tyrantrum, walked away on the opposite side of where Anastasia was heading to before they disappeared.

"…Both of them… Why do they remind me of Nyxier and Tyrus?" Anastasia mumbled before she realized that she must go back to where the others were waiting as well. "Oh! I must go now! I hope that anyone else is able to find the Occa Berry…"

 _"But…"_

 _"Who… Who should I give the Sweet Heart to?"_

* * *

 **-A Few Hours Later…**

After meeting up with Rachael, Freya and Claura again, Anastasia found that Rachael was able to obtain several Occa Berries from the island she went onto, which meant that their mission was a complete. So, the four dragonesses headed back to their lair. As they reached the Pendracomonium, lunchtime had already passed, but they were still able to have their meal because the only one who showed up at the Dining Hall during lunchtime were Korben, Xavier and Richard, so there was still plenty food left for them.

"Thank you for this meal, Snow." Freya said as she, Rachael, Claura and Anastasia finished their lunch, which was salad made from several kinds of berries harvested from the Greenhouse. "The berries used in this salad are so fresh and juicy!"

"Thank you for your compliment, Freya." Snow said as he bowed down a bit to the Flygon. "But you should thank Rachael instead, as it was her who grew all of these berries."

Rachael revealed an innocent smile when she heard Snow's compliment, as she always took a good care to the berries she grew in the greenhouse, just like what she used to do when she was still living at the Paradise Farm…

"Hey…" Hearing about the berries reminded Anastasia of something, so she decided to speak up to Snow. "Snow, can we borrow the Kitchen for this afternoon? We will use it to make some treats"

"… That's unnecessary." Snow answered with a cold voice as he turned his face away after picking the dishes from the dining table. "The Kitchen isn't mine. It's the room owned by everyone in the Pendragon, so you don't have to ask for my permission to use it."

"So, we can use it?! Yay!" Rachael said and turned her attention. "Everyone, let's go! We'll have so many things to do this afternoon!"

"Right!" Freya and Anastasia nodded to the Latias as both of them, as well as Rachael, stood up. However, much to their surprise, Claura also did the same thing as them too!

"… I changed my mind. I will join you all too…" Claura spoke up as she noticed that the attentions were focused on her. "And before you ask, it's because I have nothing better to do, and I guess it wouldn't be bad to do something like this once in a while…"

"Wow! That's great!" Rachael said. "Now, everyone! To the kitchen! Let's make the best Sweet Heart ever!"

* * *

 **-At the Kitchen…**

"… Now, the real part begins!" Rachael said.

After entering the kitchen, Rachael and everyone started preparing the ingredients for making Sweet Heart. The two main ingredients were the Occa Berry and the Occa Butter, the butter extracted from Occa Berry. While they didn't need to prepare anything for the Occa Butter, they needed to do it for the Occa Berry. First, they got the seeds of the Occa Berries, which were the only part that they were going to use. They then ground the Occa Berry Seeds into a dark brown pulp, and that's the end of preparation. The next thing that they must do was making Sweet Heart from the ingredients that they prepared, but it won't be easy.

"One good thing about the homemade treat is that there's no fixed recipe of them." Rachael explained. "We could adapt the recipe to our will. In this case, while the main method of making Sweet Heart is mix the Occa Butter and the prepared Occa Berry Seed together in a pot on the stove, we could add other ingredients to make the Sweet Heart of our choice!"

"Other ingredient? Such as milk and sugar?" Freya asked.

"Yes. Those two are the most basic ingredients to be added when making Sweet Heart." Rachael said. "However, we could add other ingredients too! The choice is yours! Just remember that we will give this Sweet Heart to someone we love!"

And so, the four dragonesses started making the Sweet Heart of their own choice. They then got the some other berries that Rachael grew in the greenhouse and the MooMoo Milk, the milk that was dropped from the wild Miltank that was hunted in the Valley of No Return by Zetarus and others, from the storage room, but they also got other ingredients too.

"Hm… There're so many berries to choose from…" Rachael said as she looked at several berries in front of her, trying to decide the one that she would use in her Sweet Heart. "Hm… A Belue Berry would be nice… But it has a spicy flavor too, and he isn't a fan of spicy food… Or maybe a Nomel Berry to give a refreshing taste? Hm… But a Colbur Berry would be great too, as it's also bitter, and he somewhat likes bitter food too… And the effect of Colbur Berry would benefit him too…"

While Rachael was choosing the berries that she would use, Anastasia and Freya had already gotten what they wanted, and they were measuring the amount of ingredients that they would use.

"What do you have here, Freya?" Anastasia asked as she saw that Freya was holding a jar containing something in her paw.

"Oh! It's… Honey…" Freya said and showed Anastasia a jar of honey. "It's for… adding sweetness… to the Sweet Heart."

"Honey?" Anastasia said as she looked at a jar of honey that Freya was holding. It was one of several jars of honey that the Pendragon got when Zetarus, Diego, and others raided some wild Combee's hives in the Valley of No Return. "Why did you choose honey over sugar or berries as a source of sweetness?"

"B… Because I heard that the sugar inside the honey is easier for our body to digest, so our body would recover from fatigue faster… A… And it would be great for… him." Freya answered, but her voice became muffled at the last sentence.

"For… him?" Anastasia tried to repeat the words she had just heard. "You mean that you already decide who will receive your Sweet Heart?"

"W… Well…" Freya mumbled as she tried to hide a blush that appeared on her face. "A… Anyway… Anastasia, what would you use in your Sweet Heart?"

"Oh… Me?" Anastasia said. "Well… I will just use chocolate and—"

"… Hey."

"Hm?" Anastasia and Freya turned their attention to the voice that called them, which belonged to none other than the Kingdra.

"Oh, Claura. What do you need?" Anastasia asked.

"… I plan that I'll just stick with the standard recipe, so… Do you know where did Snow keep sugar?" Claura asked.

"Oh, it's over there." Freya said as she pointed at the kitchen counter on the other side of the room. "Snow kept the frequently-used condiments there. I think sugar is in the white jar there."

"Thanks." Claura said and headed toward the kitchen counter that was pointed by the Flygon. It wasn't hard for her to spot the white jar that contained what she wanted there…

Except that…

 _'W… What?! Why are there two white jars here?'_ Claura thought to herself as she saw two white jars sitting next to each other. She then opened the lid on both of them, but found out that both jars contained some kind of white grain that looked very similar to each other. _'Why does Snow keep two jars of sugar? Or maybe one of them is sugar while the other isn't… But… Which one is sugar?!'_

Claura then tried to find the difference between two condiments in the jars, but she couldn't.

 _'Well, then… I guess I'll have to choose one…'_ Claura thought. _'I hope that it won't turn out bad… Right?'_

* * *

 **-Several minutes later…**

After preparing other ingredients, the four dragonesses started making Sweet Heart. First, they mixed the Occa Butter and the prepared Occa Berry Seeds together before adding other ingredients that they got, and each of them used the different ingredients, such as Rachael, who used several kinds of berries, Freya, who used honey and MooMoo Milk, Claura, who used 'sugar', and Anastasia, who used the unique ingredient. Sometimes, Snow would enter the kitchen to prepare for dinner, and he would give some advices to everyone who were making Sweet Heart too.

"Be careful, Claura. The heat you use is too high." Snow said to the Kingdra, who was constantly turned up the heat she used to cook her Sweet Heart. "It would burn the ingredients."

"Shut up! I know what I am doing!" Claura yelled back as she still raised the temperature. "Now, HIGHER!"

"No!" Snow said, but it won't seem like the Kingdra would listen to her easily...

* * *

 **-Several Minutes Later…**

After their struggling to make Sweet Heart, the four dragonesses were able to finish their concoction. They then pour the concoction into the mold before putting them into the storage room, which acted as a fridge, for three hours. After that, they took their almost-finished Sweet Heart out and started decorating them using berries and icing, and finally…

"Mission complete!" Rachael said as she held her Sweet Heart upward. Right now, Rachael, Freya, Claura and Anastasia were standing in the Main Hall of Floor B2, with the Sweet Heart they made in each of their paw. "And it's time for us to give it to someone we love!"

"…" Unlike Rachael, other three dragonesses didn't seem to be very trilled when it came to the part of 'giving Sweet Heart to someone they loved'. Freya was clearly blushing, Claura had a blank look on her face, and Anastasia lowered her head to hide her facial expression from everyone.

"Now, let's do it in the order!" Rachael said. "Who want to go first?"

"… Rachael, why don't you go first?" Claura asked.

"What?! No!" Rachael quickly refused. "I'm never a good leader! Claura, why don't you go first?"

"It's not my idea to do this!" Claura said. "It was yours, isn't it, Rachael? So I think you should—"

"… I will go first."

"Hm?!" Everyone's attention was turned to the owner of the voice who spoke the previous words, who was none other than the Flygon.

"Freya, are you sure that you would be able to do it?" Anastasia asked.

"I… I am not sure…" Freya answered. "But… I want to try…"

"Okay, then… Let's go…" Anastasia said. "But… Freya, who will you—"

 _"Oh! Good evening, everyone!"_

"Gasp!" The dragonesses, especially Freya, were surprised when they suddenly heard a greeting from someone, following by the appearance of the owner of this greeting as he appeared from the floor below, and he was none other than…

"Good evening, Korben!" Rachael greeted as the Kommo-o walked up toward them.

"Geez… Where have you all been this whole day?" Korben said as he stopped in front of the four dragonesses. "You four didn't show up during the lunch. Richard, Snow, Xavier and… No, not Xavier… Anyway, Richard, Snow and I were worried sick of you all…"

"Well… We're sorry that we haven't told any of you that we would go out for a bit…" Anastasia said. "But all of us are safe, so there's nothing to worry about."

"Hm… True…" Korben said. "But don't do it again. You are lucky that your brother isn't here. If your brother somehow found out that you have been missing, he would have my head!"

"I… I am sorry…" Anastasia said.

"Anyway…" Korben decided to change the subject as he noticed that all four dragonesses were holding something in each of their paw. "What do you all have—"

"K… Korben…" Freya suddenly called the name of the Kommo-o.

"Hm? What is it—" Korben turned his attention to the Flygon and was about to start a conversation with her when he found out that the Flygon was holding the object she had in her paw toward him, in the manner that she wanted to give it to him.

"P… Please take this " Freya said as she lowered her head in order not to let anyone see that she's blushing. "I… It's a… gift… from me…"

"A gift? Thanks!" Korben said as he received the gift from Freya. He then found out that it was a sweet made into the shape of a heart. The sweet was light brown, and on the top of it was the pink icing being drawn in the shape of the desert rose, which as its toppling. "Hm… I'm sorry for my ignorance, but what kind of treat is this one?"

"It's Sweet Heart, a treat made from Occa Berry, particularly its seeds and butter!" Rachael explained. "Today is the day with a tradition for girls to give Sweet Heart to someone they—"

"R… Rachael!" Freya quickly covered Rachael's mouth in order to not only prevented the Latias from finishing her sentence, but also to hide the red blush that appeared on her face.

"Heh… There's a tradition like that on the continent of Symmetria?" Korben spoke up as he looked at the Sweet Heart he received from Freya. "I never knew this."

"Eh?!" Rachel, Freya and Anastasia let out a surprised cry after hearing the words of the Kommo-o, and they immediately came to a realization. Korben was the resident of Hidden Village of Dragon, a place that was isolated from the outside world for more than one millennium, so he would know nothing about the culture and tradition of Symmetria, including the whole Sweet Heart Day!

"But still… This is such a nice gift…" Unaware of others' reaction, Korben continued speaking as he looked at the Sweet Heart in his paw. "I am just finished training, so I'm both tired and hungry, but it seemed like dinner isn't ready yet, so… Freya, would you mind if I eat it right now?"

"Oh!" Realizing that the Kommo-o was addressing her, Freya snapped back to reality. "S… Sure…"

"Thanks!" Korben said before he took a bite on the Sweet Heart that he received from Freya. "… Hm?"

"I… Is it bad?" Freya asked after seeing Korben's reaction after he ate her Sweet Heart. "I… I am so—"

"This one's really good!" Korben said as he took another bite on the Sweet Heart. His face clearly shown that he really enjoyed eating it. "While it's bitter, it's actually the primal taste of Occa Berry Seed. Moreover, it also has a subtle hint of sweetness, which was not too much to override the bitterness. And… It also had something else… It's chewy and nutty… Hey! Is it the seed of Shuca Berry? I really like it!"

"I… I am glad that you like it, Korben…" Freya said. "I know that you always train very hard, so I put honey and the seed of Shuca Berry, both which will quickly restore your energy, into the Sweet Heart I made for you…"

"You really care for someone like me that much?!" Korben said. "I… I don't know what to say… Except maybe… You have my fullest gratitude…"

"I… It's nothing…" Freya answered as she tried to hide the blush that appeared on her face again.

Meanwhile, as Freya and Korben were conversing with each other, Anastasia, Rachael and Claura were looking at them, and all three dragonesses were happy with the Flygon.

"I am glad that Freya's gift turns out really well, don't you think?" Anastasia said.

"Right!" Rachael agreed. "Now, as Freya had already given her gift, its my turn to—"

"No." Claura suddenly spoke up. "I will be the next one to give out my gift."

"Claura?" Rachael and Anastasia said as they turned their attention to the Kingdra.

"If Freya, the shy one, can do it, then so do I." Claura said. She was grasping upon the Sweet Heart that she made. Claura's Sweet Heart were dark brown, almost black, with no fancy decoration other than a simple blue icing in the shape of the wave on it. "And I will do it right now!"

"Yay! Go for it, Claura!" Rachael cheered.

"But…" Anastasia wondered. "Who will you give your Sweet Heart to?"

"… I will give it to—" Claura paused a bit before she finally started talking again. However, just before she was about to finish her sentence, a black paw with red claws that appeared out of nowhere reached toward the Sweet Heart that the Kingdra was holding and snatched it away!

"Hey—" Claura quickly turned her attention toward the direction where the paw that snatched her Sweet Heat came from and found that her Sweet Heart was now in the grasp of a black dragon in the armor suit who stood just beside Anastasia, and he was none other than the leader of the Pendragon.

And before Claura or anyone else could act or do anything, the black dragon took a bite on the Sweet Heart that he snatched from Claura!

"HEY! YOU!" Claura roared angrily after seeing the action of the black dragon. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!"

"… Hm… This is much better than I thought…" Baromyteus said as he was still eating the Sweet Heart that he snatched from Claura. "Considered that it was made by someone like you, I thought it would be much worse."

"AND WHO GIVE YOU A RIGHT TO SNATCH IT FROM ME WITHOUT MY PERMISSION?!" Claura roared angrily at the Shiny Haxorus.

"The one who should be angry is me." Baromyteus ignored Claura's rage as he continued eating the Sweet Heart. "I have gone hunting in the Valley of No Return for the entire day, and all you did today is making a treat like this, so I would at least deserve to eat it for all I did today."

"But… Brother…" Anastasia interrupted her brother's words, turning the attention of the black dragon to her. "You hate sweet food, don't you? So, knowing that Sweet Heart is really sweet, why did you take and eat it instead of eating the non-sweet food?"

"Er…" Baromyteus couldn't find the words to answer his sister's question.

"SEE!? ALL YOU DID IS JUST BECAUSE YOU WANT TO MESS WITH OTHERS!" Claura declared. "YOU CLAIM TO BE SOMEONE WHO HATES LIES AND DECEPTION TO THE EXTREME, AND YOU JUST LIED RIGHT IN FRONT OF US! YOU ARE JUST A GOOD-FOR-NOTHING DRAGON JERKY!"

"WHAT?! HOW DARE YOU?!" Baromyteus roared after he was enraged by the Kingdra. "DO YOU REALLY WANT TO DIE THAT MUCH?!"

"I MUST BE THE ONE WHO SAY THOSE WORDS, YOU DRAGON JERKY!" Claura roared.

"YOU SALTY SEAHORSE!"

"YOU DRAGON JERKY!"

"Sigh…" Anastasia sighed as she witnessed another bickering between Claura and Baromyteus, which, while may seem to be a dangerous action, was actually something that happened every day in the Pendracomonium, and in the end, there was never a harsh consequence following it. "There they go again…"

"Just when I thought that this day would end well…" Zetarus spoke up, and he was now standing beside Anastasia and Rachael. It seemed like he, along with Baromyteus, had just come back from the hunt in Valley of No Return. "Baromyteus and I have just come back from our hunt, and the first thing that that black dragon did when he came back is go into a bickering with his wi—I mean, Claura…"

"Oh, welcome back, Zetarus!" Freya said. Her conversation with Korben was ended when Claura started bickering with Baromyteus, and she and Korben were now standing with Rachael, Anastasia and Zetarus. "How was your hunt today?"

"It went well." Zetarus answered and showed the games that he was carrying. "We got a bit more games than usual because of that black dragon's help."

"EEEKKK!" Rachael quickly got away from Zetarus when she realized that Zetarus was carrying several blood-soaked corpses of the Pokemon he and Baromyteus hunted today.

"Hm? You're still scared of these games?" Zetarus said. "Come on! They're the same things that you eat every day, so what's the point of being scared by them?!"

"Then, let me help you, Zetarus." Korben spoke up. "I'll take it to the Kitchen for Snow to store it in the Food Storage."

"Okay. Thanks." Zetarus said as he handed over the games he and Baromyteus hunted to the Kommo-o.

"Then, I will leave now. See you all by dinnertime!" Korben said as he received the games from Zetarus. "And Freya, thank you again for the Sweet Heart!"

"N… No problem, Korben." Freya replied to the Kommo-o as he walked toward the stairways before descending to the lower floor, leaving everyone else on Floor B2. (And Claura and Baromyteus were still bickering with each other.)

"… Well.. Freya." Zetarus was the one who spoke up first (Not counting Claura and Baromyteus) after Korben left. "I have been listening to all of you, and… What does the whole Sweet Heart thing mean? Is it food that you made today? Or is it something else?"

"Oh… It's just that today's the Sweet Heart Day…" Realizing that, considered his past, Zetarus didn't know anything about the Sweet Heart Day, Freya started explaining the Sweet Heart Day to the Garchomp. "Sweet Heart Day is the day that…"

While Freya was explaining the Sweet Heart Day to the Garchomp, Anastasia slowly looked around the main hall of Pendracomonium, from the stairway that Korben had just went down, to Freya and Zetarus, and finally to her brother and Claura who continued bickering with each other as if they were in their own world.

"Sigh…" Anastasia sighed before she remembered that, other than Baromyteus, Claura, Zetarus and Freya, Rachael was also with her too, and she seemed like she was ready to give her Sweet Heart to her receiver. "Rachael?"

"After Freya and Claura, I think it's my turn to give this Sweet Heart to someone I love!" Rachael spoke up. "I can't wait to see the look on his face when I gave this to him!"

"That reminds me…" Anastasia had just realized something. During today, Rachael was the most enthusiastic person to give the Sweet Heart she made, yet she didn't say much about who will she give her Sweet Heart to. "Rachael, who will you give your—"

"Yawn… Can't you all just let a dragon sleep in peace?"

Another voice attracted the attention of Anastasia and Rachael, and it came from the stairways where Korben had just gone earlier. This time, two more Pokemon showed up. One of them, who was also the owner of the voice earlier, was Xavier, and the other one was Richard, who was still reading a book even when he was moving.

"Oh! Hi, Xavier, Onii-chan!" Rachael said as she and Anastasia approached Xavier and Richard. (While Freya and Zetarus were still talking with each other, and Claura and Baromyteus were still 'living' in their own world.) "What are you doing here?"

"Well… I was just having a nice, peaceful sleep when those two dorks ruined it…" Xavier said as he casted a glance to Baromyteus and Claura, who were still unaware of what was happening around themselves. "So I guess I would check if either of them has started chopping other's tail yet. Too bad they still haven't done it yet…"

"And for me, I heard from Korben earlier that you have finally come back, so I decide to come here to see with my own eyes." Richard said as he closed the book that he was reading and looked at his younger sister. "And Rachael—"

"I know, I know… I am sorry that I didn't told you that we would be out for a while…" Rachael spoke up. "But don't worry! Anastasia, Claura and Freya were with me, and there's nothing bad happens to us!"

"Well… That's because you are lucky that you didn't encounter any problem…" Rachael said. "But—"

"I know, I know…" Rachael interrupted her brother's words again. "Oh, and here, Onii-chan, this is for you!"

"Hm?!" Anastasia was very surprised as she saw Rachael handed over the Sweet Heart that she made to Richard, her elder brother, as a gift for someone she loved!"

"Hm? A Sweet Heart?" Richard said as he received a gift from his younger sister. "You made this, Rachael?"

"Right!" Rachael said. "Freya, Claura, Anastasia and I made them this afternoon, and this one is for you!"

"Thanks, Rachael. I can tell that this one is going to be great since your homemade sweet is always the best." Richard said.

"Of course it would!" Rachael said. "I put so many high-quality berries that I grew myself there, including some of your favorite berries, such as Belue Berry, Nomel Berry and Colbur Berry!"

"All of them are sour berries, so this will be good…" Richard said. "And did you say Colbur Berry? That would be great for me as I'm weak to Dark type attack, and it would slightly increase my resistance against that type."

"Wait a minute…" Anastasia spoke up. "Rachael, you are giving the Sweet Heart you made to your brother?!"

"Yes, that's right!" Rachael replied with an innocent smile on her face. "Onii-chan takes a very good care of me since when we were young, and despite everything, he is a very good big brother, and I love him so much! Don't you feel it too with Baromyteus?"

"With… Baromyteus?" Anastasia repeated the words he had just heard.

"Yes. After all, he's your big brother, right? And I am sure that he must take a very good care of you, so you must love him too, right?" Rachael replied.

"Wait…" Anastasia said. "What you mean by 'love', you mean something like a sibling bond?"

"No! The love I have doesn't only limit to a sibling bond, but it also includes the bond of friendship too!" Rachael said. "Everyone in the Pendragon is my friends, and I love all of them too! But I don't have enough ingredients to make the Sweet Heart for everyone, so I only make it for Onii-chan this year. However, I promise that I will make it for everyone next year!"

"… I see…" Anastasia said with a gentle smile on her face as she realized the truth. "The love you have… Rachael… It's very pure…"

"Teehee! Thank you, Anastasia!" Rachael said.

"… I didn't mean to interrupt your conversation…" Richard spoke up after listening for some time. "… But everyone has already left for the Dining Hall."

"Oh!" Anastasia and Rachael looked around the Main Hall of Floor B2 and, as Richard said, everyone else had already left, and other than the three of them, there's no one else here.

"I think it's time for us to depart for the Dining Hall too…" Richard spoke up. "Anastasia, you can go ahead and join everyone in the dining hall. We will catch up with you soon."

"Okay." Anastasia replied. "See you at the Dining Hall soon, Rachael, Richard."

"Yes! See you soon!" Rachael said before she and her elder brother departed for the Dining Hall, leaving Anastasia alone in the Main Hall of Floor B2.

"…" Instead of departing for the Dining Hall, Anastasia still stood silently in the middle of the Main Hall, and her face turned expressionless.

 _'… Everyone… has already given their Sweet Heart to the one they love, except me…'_ Anastasia thought to herself as she looked at the Sweet Heart in her paw. _'I don't know who should I give my present to… I don't have any loved one like Freya… Maybe I could give it to my brother, just like what Rachael did, but Baromyteus already 'got' a Sweet Heart from Claura... So… What should I do? Hm? Wait… Where's my harp?'_

At this point, Anastasia suddenly noticed that her weapon, the Alto Harp, was missing. The Goodra then quickly realized that she left it in the kitchen as she started making Sweet Heart.

"Ah, I left my harp in the kitchen!" Anastasia said as her attention was drawn to the kitchen of the Pendracomonium. "I should go and retrieve it before I go to the dining hall."

The Goodra then walked toward the kitchen and entered it. As soon as she entered the kitchen, however, she heard the voice of another Pokemon coming from there.

 _"… Don't tell me that one of them mixed them up?"_

"Hm?" Anastasia turned her attention to the source of the voice and saw Snow standing next to one of the kitchen counter, the one that all frequently-used ingredients were kept. The Draconic Lapras was looking at something on the counter.

"Snow?" Anastasia called the name of the Draconic Lapras. "Why are you still here?"

"… I should be the one asking you instead." Upon realizing that Anastasia was in this room, the Draconic Lapras answered with a cold voice. "I am the chef, so it's appropriate for me to be here. You, on the other hand, should be at the Dining Hall instead of wasting your time here."

"Oh, I'm just here to retrieve my harp." Anastasia said as she walked toward one of the counter that she left her weapon on and picked it up.

"You forgot your weapon? Such a poor mistake" Snow said. "It could sentence you to death if you forgot to bring your weapon into the battle."

"I'm sorry…" Anastasia said.

"… Apologize to me is absolutely unnecessary, as it won't fix anything." Snow said as he turned his face away, to the objects on the kitchen counter that he was looking at before Anastasia called him. The Goodra then looked at those objects and realized that those objects are two jars that contained different white condiments that looked almost exactly like each other. One of them was sugar while the other one was salt, however.

"… Why are you looking at salt and sugar?" Anastasia said.

"… While I was preparing for dinner, I noticed that these two condiments were still out here, so I thought that one of you may forget to put them away." Snow answered. "However, I noticed that these two jars are placed right next to each other, and the amount of salt in its jar had slightly decreased from the last time I used them, which was this afternoon. Moreover, salt isn't an ingredient that's normally used to make Sweet Heart, so I can't help but think that someone may accidently mistook each of them."

"But… I remembered that Freya only used honey as the source of sweetness in her Sweet Heart, and Rachael only used berries as one too." Anastasia said. "And I didn't touch sugar too. The only one who used sugar in her Sweet Heart is…"

"… It seems like Claura mistook salt as sugar…" Snow sighed. "I can't help but pity the one who received her Sweet Heart…"

"Wait…" Anastasia immediately thought back to when her brother snatched Claura's Sweet Heart away and ate it. Despite that he hated sweet food, Baromyteus still ate the entire Sweet Heart without complaining about its taste, and he even gave a compliment about it too. Normally, Baromyteus wouldn't hesitate to express his feeling if he hated something, and considering that the one who made the Sweet Heart he ate was Claura, he wouldn't hold anything back for sure, but the fact that he didn't complain and even compliment her Sweet Heart after he ate one meant that he found Claura's Sweet Heart really tasty.

 _'Now that I think about this, I think Claura burnt her Sweet Heart too, and since she also put salt in her Sweet Heart too… And Baromyteus likes food with any strong taste that isn't sweet...'_ Anastasia thought, and a small smile appeared on her face. _'Claura, you're so lucky that it was my brother who ate your Sweet Heart, and when he said that he found it good, he didn't lie to you either.'_

"… How long are you going to waste your time by doing absolutely nothing here?" Snow asked with a cold voice, which snapped the Goodra back to reality.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Snow." Anastasia apologized.

"… Just stop with your habit of apologizing for everything you've done." Snow said with a cold voice as he turned his face away while he put away the jars of sugar and salt. "Now, if you don't have anything else to do here, I suggest that you should hurry to the Dining Hall."

"Okay." Anastasia said as she was about to leave the kitchen as she suddenly remembered Rachael's words after she gave Sweet Heart to Richard, which made her realize something. A gentle smile appeared on her face as she turned her attention back to the Draconic Lapras. "By the way, Snow, this is for you."

"What do you—" Snow turned his attention to the Goodra and found that she was handing something in her paw to him, which was none other than the Sweet Heart she made!

"Here, I want you to have this." Anastasia said with a gentle smile on her face as she handed the Sweet Heart she made to the Draconic Lapras. "It's the Sweet Heart I made by myself this afternoon, along with Rachael, Freya and Claura."

"… Why are you giving this to me?" Snow asked with an emotionless voice as he looked at the Sweet Heart in Anastasia's paw. "Don't you have anyone else you want to give it to?"

"Yes, but I want to give this one to you, as a thanks for everything." Anastasia said with a gentle voice. "You've supported us all the time since when we formed the Pendragon. And today, you not only let us use this kitchen, but you also gave us some tip about how to make Sweet Heart too, and I am grateful for your help. So, please accept this Sweet Heart as a token of my appreciation."

"… Very well, if you don't have anyone else to give it to…" Snow said as he slowly reached his paw to receive Anastasia's Sweet Heart. His face was hidden in the shadow as he lowered his head a bit while he received the Sweet Heart from the Goodra. "… Thanks."

"You're welcome." Anastasia said with a gentle smile on her face. "Now then, I should go now before my brother became worried about me. See you at the Dining Hall, Snow."

"…" Snow merely nodded to the Goodra as he watched her left the kitchen, leaving him alone in the kitchen. The Draconic Lapras then looked at the Sweet Heart in his paw, which he had just received from Anastasia.

"…" Snow took a small bite on the Sweet Heart, and as soon as he did that…

"!" As soon as he ate the Sweet Heart, he immediately sensed the smell and taste of an ingredient that was put into this Sweet Heart, which was an unusual ingredient to be put in the Sweet Heart.

"… Tea leaves?" Snow mumbled as he could feel a pleasant aroma and the unique taste of dried tea leaves that were put into this Sweet Heart. While it was unusual to put dried tea leaves in the Sweet Heart, the pleasant aroma and the bitter taste of the dried tea leaves went very well with the bitterness of pure chocolate, giving the Sweet Heart a unique and pleasing taste.

"… Anastasia…" Snow mumbled with a shaking voice as he gazed at the door of the kitchen that the Goodra had just existed. His paw that was holding the Sweet Heart was slightly trembling, and his eyes started leaking tears. "… Why did you have to do all of these for me?"

* * *

 **-A Few Hours Later…**

The dinner of Pendragon went on smoothly, just like always. After dinner, Rachael, Freya, Claura and Anastasia went back to their room to prepare for tonight's bathing. Baromyteus also went back to his room to spend his time alone, while Xavier immediately went to the bathroom to take a bath (so that he could go to sleep as soon as possible). Korben went to the Training Ground to meditate while Richard headed to Floor B5 to check on Sirius. Snow, on the other hand, went to the kitchen to clean it. This left only one Pokemon in the main hall of the Pendracomonium.

"I… I can't believe it…" Zetarus mumbled to himself with a look of shock on his face. He was standing alone in the main hall of Floor B2 of the Pendracomonium, grumbling about what he just learned from his younger sister. "T… There is a holiday like this, and yet I didn't know about it until now… I… If only I knew about this sooner…"

The Garchomp lowered his head a bit before he raised his head up, with a look of determination on his face. "No! It's not too late! I still have time! Today is the day for giving presents to someone I love! I will do it too!"

After making a resolution, the Garchomp looked around, finding no one else around here as everyone had already left to do their own business, and he was hit with a sudden realization.

"But… I don't know how to make Sweet Heart, and Freya said that the ingredients for making Sweet Heart already ran out…" Zetarus mumbled to himself, with a look of disappointment on his face. "And even if I could get a hold of one, the one I want to give the Sweet Heart to isn't here… He went to Fireview Kingdom to buy new tools for his work since yesterday and won't come back until tomorrow. I don't know exactly where he went so I can't follow him there—"

 _"Follow who?"_

"Eh?!" Zetarus immediately turned his head to the owner of the familiar voice he heard and saw Diego approaching him, holding several blacksmith tools in his arms. It seemed like the Mega Charizard X had just left the Portal Room a few seconds ago. "D… Diego?! Why are you here?! Shouldn't you be back tomorrow?!"

"Well, that's what I first thought when I left for Fireview Kingdom." Diego answered. "However, I managed to get what I want faster than I thought, so I decided to come back here a bit sooner, as I don't want to run into someone who knows my face. Here, let me show you what I got…"

"I see…" Zetarus mumbled to himself as he watched Diego showed him the tools he got from his journey to Fireview Kingdom. "Well… It's good that Diego's finally back… But… I still don't have Sweet Heart to give him… And this day is almost over… Guess I have no choice but to give up for this year and wait for the next year instead… But I still want to show my love to him! What a disappointment…"

"… Oh, and before I forgot." Diego said after he put the tools he got on the floor in order to arrange them, unaware of the Garchomp's mumbling. The Mega Charizard X then picked up something else and handed it to the Garchomp. "Want some?"

"What is— EHHHHHH?!" Zetarus turned his attention to look at what the Mega Charizard X gave him and was greatly surprised after he realized that the object in Diego's paw was none other than the object he wish to find but failed to obtain one for today, Sweet Heart! Seeing Diego wanting to give it to him made the Garchomp's face immediately red.

"Why are you acting like you're surprised? It's just a chocolate." Diego asked. He's unaware of Zetarus's blushing because he was arranging the tools on the floor and didn't look at the Garchomp. "I got it from a store in the town today. Apparently, they're having a sale of this thing at a very nice price, so I decided to buy some."

"…" Zetarus said nothing as Diego continued speaking. However, if someone looked at his face, they would realize that he didn't listen to the Mega Charizard X. In fact, it seemed like the Garchomp didn't pay any attention to anything else around him except for at the Mega Charizard X beside him.

"I thought that this is food when I bought it, and I was disappointed after I found out that it's only a dessert." Diego continued speaking as he finished arranging his tools, still unaware of Zetarus' current condition. "Honestly, I fxxxxxg don't know why they're having a sale of this thing, but it seems really popular today for whatever reason that I don't fxxxxxg know, and it tastes not bad, so I thought that I will share it with you—"

"DIEGO!"

"What the—ARGG!" Diego turned his attention to Zetarus, only for him to be pounced by the Garchomp, like a predator that tried to hunt a prey, and the face of the Garchomp when he pounced on the Mega Charizard X also suggested the very same thing.

"DIEGO! I LOVE YOU!" Zetarus said as he cuddled the Mega Charizard X while both of them were lying on the floor.

"H… HEY! GET YOUR FXXXXXG ASS OFF ME, YOU FXXXXXG BASTARD SON OF A BXXXH!" Diego roared at the Garchomp while he struggled to break free from the Garchomp, but it seemed like neither he would break free nor the Garchomp would let him go easily…

* * *

"Diego! I love you! Let me give you something in return so that we could have 'fun' together!"

"H… HEY! STOP DOING THAT, YOU— WAIT, WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO DO WITH ME?! AND WHY IS YOUR PAW ON MY—"

"It's just so that we could have some 'fun' together! Trust me, we will have a 'good time' together!"

"WHAT?! NO! STOP THAT, YOU FXXXXXG BASTARD! STOP! I SAY, STOP! STOP!"

 **-End of Paralogue II-**

 **To Be Continued…**

* * *

 **Dragon of Vale: And this is the end of Paralogue II, the Dark Sweet Heart. This time, it's the story of the Sweet Heart Day, which is this word's equivalent of our world's Valentine Day, which is the main reason why I waited until the middle of February to publish this chapter.**

 **Confession time. This chapter was supposed to come out last year, as a chapter between Intermission I and the seventh tail, but I couldn't finish it on time, so I had to put it away and wait until this year instead, and I'm sorry about this.**

 **Okay, then… The next chapter will be the first chapter of the eighth tail! Yay! And happy Valentine Day to everyone!**

* * *

 **Q &A Session:**

 **Paralogue II – Question:** What is a word that can be used to describe the meaning of 'love' in your opinion? And why?

 **Answer:**

 **-Korben:** Patience. I mean, love takes time and effort, right? And love isn't something that you can rush, just like how you can't rush the flow of time. And it requires much effort for you to succeed in love too, and without patience, the love of yours will never bloom.

 **-Claura:** Trial, because that's what we have to pass before we find love, and what we have to continue to after we find love too. We will only be relieved from trial when we let go of love, so many people choose not to love or to let love go after a period of time.

 **-Xavier:** Consistence. If you truly love someone, you would love them regardless if they are an angel or a monster. I don't mean that when you love someone and they turn out to be a psychotic killer, you should continue to love them, because that isn't a true love, and true love isn't something that most people would manage to find within their lifetime. It would be easier to find Mew than true love.

 **-Anastasia:** Destiny, because I believe in love, and I believe that love is in the hand of destiny. I believe that some people are fated to be in loved with each other, while some people are fated to never be in love… Or fated to be in love with someone who doesn't love them back.

 **-Baromyteus:** Conquest, because love is like a battle. You'll have to fight and fight until you triumph, both over the one you love and your opponents. You have to be strong enough, or else you'll lose in this conquest.

 **-Diego:** Sincere, because to love is to be true to your mate. I mean, most people can't read what other people think in their head, right? So they wouldn't know if the one they thought to be their mate is their true love or a bxxxx in a Mareep cloth. Also, you should be able to talk about what you really have in your mind with your mate too, which is something that—I mean, that's it.

 **-Zetarus:** Ambition, because that's what you need in order to succeed in love. If you have the abilities to succeed but not ambition, then you'll not be brave enough to try this path, but if you have ambition but not the abilities to succeed, you'll still have a chance to succeed as your ambition would drive you to obtain the abilities required to succeed. Also, in my opinion, love can have both positive and negative meaning, just like ambition.

 **-Rachael:** Bond, of course! After all, love is the feeling that shows the bond you have formed with your family and your friends, which is such a wonderful thing! After all, no one wants to be the enemy of others or have others as their enemies, or that's what I believe.

 **-Richard:** Discovery. I don't mean this in the kind of what you think, but I mean in the kind that no one ever truly understand what love is, and everyone has different interpretation of love, so it's such a discovery for everyone, including the seeker of knowledge like me, to find the true meaning of love, though I doubt that I would succeed in this.

 **-Freya:** Care… I… I mean… To love is to care, right? If you say that you love, but you never show that you care, neither by words, nor action, then that isn't love.

 **-Snow:** Timeless. For me, I believe that love, a true love, can last from start until the last moment of your life, regardless of how much time had passed since the moment it appeared. Of course, what I'm talking about is 'true' love, not everything else.

 **-Sirius:** … ( **Dragon of Vale:** Sirius' answer is the word 'Unknown', because it doesn't know the meaning of the word 'love'.)

* * *

 **Question from Ridin Valon** : To Rachel Lustermist (From Lucille Ostend)  
Lucille: Th-Thank you... I-I am Lucille... I am... ten years old... I also have a doll with me... He's a Banette doll as big as me named Taro... He may not be pink, but he's one of my best friends...  
Taro: Wah-hey! I am Taro! This is Lucille! But you can also call her Lucy!  
Lucille: A-About pink stuff... I really love them... I-I'll be a "pro-pinkist"! ...W-Will you also be a "pro-pinkist"...?

 **-Rachael:** Oh? You have a doll with you too?! Me too! Say hi to my doll, Cathy! It's an Espurr doll, and it's very cute! While it tends to sleep all the time, it's very strong in a battle and it protects me and everyone for many times! Say hi to everyone, Cathy!

 **-Cathy:** Yippy Ho! I am Cathy! I was a magical doll created by my master a very long time ago, and I had been with my master and his descendants for countless years, but now, I'm with Rachael, and she's a very good friend of mine! Yay! Yay!

 **-Rachael:** And you like pink? Me too! It's such a cute color, though may not be to the extent of being a 'pro-pinkist'! Anyway, I prefer the reddish pink more than light pink because it's the color that's close to the color of my body! I also like green too because it reminds me of the forest of Leafburg, which is where I once lived located in!

* * *

 **Question from Parousia45:** To the women of Pendragon (From Sylvia Highfield): I see that you love tea. Would you like to join my tea party? I'll have the best tea leaves prepared for you, my dears.

 **-Rachael:** Really?! Of course, we'll join you! I am always excited when making new friends, especially those from another universe!

 **-Freya:** W… Well… I would want to join too, i… if you don't mind… I, I mean… I'm not good with strangers, so… P… Please excuse me if I'm a bit… strange…

 **-Claura:** Hm… I have no reason to say no, so I will join too. However, keep in mind that we're in different universe, so things in our universe and your universe might be different from each other, and we all aren't comfortable being in a different universe than our own too.

 **-Anastasia:** That would be lovely, Ms. Highfield. All of us gratefully accept your invitation. And if you want to, we could invite you and your friends to have tea party here next time too so that you could try tea from our universe too, not to mention that we have an excellent tea connoisseur in our team too.


End file.
